I..\AGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A // mp. V ^ .^ <$" J/ t^^ f/u % I A lii IM 1111 I.I 1^ 1 2.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 ^ 6" — ► V] <^ /i ^> ^3 VI "^..^ A BIMI lOlU; fv t WHONMI. / THE FISHERY QUESTION. LETTERS PEOJI THE N. 7, HEEALD'S SPECIAL COMMISSIONERS. re 513 P5 I PEn±;FA.CE. In tho followinn- pnjrt's -will bo Ibiind the TJoports of Iho two Special Coininissioncrs sciil by the N. Y. Ilrnild, tho one of them to CnnadM and tlicoihtM' to (Jhmeester (Mass.) for thi> pnrpose of obtaininti; reliable iniorniation relative io the nmeli vexed I'^ishery question, The allusion made lo this matter in President Grant's MesBaii'e to the United States Conu'resshas naturally awakened I'resh interest in refer- (Miee thereto both in Canada and the I'nited States, and it is of the utmost importance that the i>eo]de ol' both countries should be enabled to Ibrm an intelliii'ent opinion as to the position assumed by the Do- minion Governmenl, which President (Irant characterizes as "un- friendly." It has, therefore, been thouo-ht t xpedi(>nt to publish these letters in i^aniphlet iorm, so that ^lersons may be able conveniently to compare liie .-.lalemenls made by the statesmeu of Canada with the information yiven })y tho A.merican iishermen. First, it will be noticed that, whereas the repv.''sentative of Ca- nada in the course of his dialo<>-n(i with the Herald's Commissioner, bases our position upon the rio-hts which we le<^ally enjoy under treaty, the case of the American Iishermen stripped of all unnecessary ver- biau'c, narrows itself to this: that the enforcement of our rights, after they have so long' been permitted to rest in abeyance, has been atten(b'd w'ith g-reat loss and inconvenience to them, nor is it likely, un(b'r the circumstances, that any mode of performing their duty which might be devised by the Dominion ollicials would be accept- able to or approved of by these fishermen. '\Ve will now A'ery briefly discuss in seriatim tho various cases of seizure of which the Americans complain. In tho iirst place it may be stated that no ollicial complaints have been made to the I)o- nunion Government concerninG- the conduct of their officers, which undoubtedly there would have been had any highhanded "outrage " really l)ecn perpetrated upon American citizens. THE SEIZURE OF THE « WHITE FAWN." The seizure of this vessel is alluded to as "one of the most unwarranted committed upon the Gloucester fishermen by the Do- miuiou olHcers." She was seized lor purchasing bait, the Treaty •1 JAi The Fisheries Question. Report of the N. Y. Heralds Special Commisaioner. Ottawa, Dec. 30, 1870. It is with great pleasure that I am able to commuiiioate ray report of the results ot the Very intereiling mission coiitided to me ot repairint? to the se vt of government of the Dominion at Ottiwaand coaft-rring with tiie statesmen of that government upon the subject of the complaints made against them of unfriendly and injurious treatment of Americm interests in the matter of the ti^heries and the navigation of the St. Lawrence. 1 have to acknow- ledge oil behalf of the Ihiald iind myself a reception most courteous and friendly on the part of the gentlemen of the ad- ministration. They expressed the greatest satisfaction that the leading journal of America should have specially commis- sioned a gentleman to hear their state- ments and views upon the very import mt subjects in question, and thus offered them such a medium of reaching the American public with a full statement of all the facts of their case as could not be obt lined in any othiT way. I have been favored with long and protracted interviews in these matters by the very distinguished and cultivated Dominion Premier, ^ir John Maodonald, as well as by Sir Francis Hincks, the Finance Minister ; the Hon. S. L. Tilley, the Minister of Customs ; the Hon. 8 F. HovTe, Secretary of State for the Provinces, and especially the Hon. Peter Mitchell, the Minister of Marine and Fisheries, whose depftrtment is more par- ticularly concerned with these matters. I have had the privilege of full and ample discussion with all these gentlemen — and especially with the last — of the difficulty that has arisen, and I think it impos- sible to speak too highly of the energy and lucidity and fullness with which the whole subject was stated by them on behalf of their government. Your space would not allow that I should particularize tb« coDTQrBatioDS I held with each of these statesmen upon the fisheries and St. Law- rence questions. Much ot the ground, moreover, was naturally gone over ag lin with all of them It will, therefore, be con- venient that I should throw my report into the firm ot adiilogue between your commissioner and the iii- tract individual whom I will cill "the Dominion stites- man." Ami your readers muv be sure th It what is here attributed to that indi- vidu d is the accurate representation of collective views and tt itements of the gen- tlemen whom I have specitiel, whose studies of these questions seemed to bp« equilly comprehensive. The Minister of Marine and Fisheries, although in dnpart- mental charge of them, did not excel his colleagues in the fuUnt^ss of his knowl- edge and studies of the^e importiint topics. And whatever view the American public may take ot the matters which I have the honor to report I can at least tes- tify that the actisn of the Dominion Qov- ernment has been taken by a group of official gentlemen whom, after long per- sonal experience of statesmen and govern- ments, I can pronounce equal to any in the thoroughness and care with which they do their business of governing a great community. Indeed, I have never con- versed with any statesmen who seemed so thoroughly masters and authorities in their work. Your reporter opened his conference with an intimation that the H'.rald, true to its system of tracking subjects to their very source, had despatched me to hear whit Canadian statesmen had to say upon the subject of Fisheries and the St. Law- rence, and es* dciully of the charges of un- friendliness agiinst American fishermen. To this question I had the following reply from my Canadian statesman : — Dominion Statksman —Sir, we are glad, indeed, th it you have com**. We are dis- posed to go into the whole suiiject With you comprehensively and exhaustively. And at the outset we desire to say that we are simply overwhelmed with aatonish- ment at the language used by the Presi- dent of the United States concerning us and the charges nitido against us. We are absolutely iree Ironi all offence ngainst the United States in every porticular. We have been n'suiled absolutely without cause, fact or reason. We have neither done nor said anything which amounts to more than the defence of our property m just, kindly, and legal ways. \Ve have stretched no point in our favor or against the people of the States. On the contrary, we have stretched points against ourselves. If you henr our case fully you will be able, with your experience as a lawyer and poli- tician. to test it. Scrutinize it to the ut- most, sir. and with as adverse an eye as yon please, but pray study it fully. Hkrald Co,mmis8Ionek — Sir, I have come here for the very purpose, and shall listen with the closest attention, and, 1 assure you, in the most judicial temper, to all you have to say. Dominion Statesman — Well, I think it would be convinient to say in the first in- stance that it is not the case, as the Presi dent intimates in his Message, thiit we are applying any new measuivs of severity to American fishermen in our waters. On the contrary, we hive practically surrendered, though we theoretically maintain, a very important point, the headland point, upon which we consider our rights indubitable, and we now maintain and enforce only our exclusive fishery property — that is to say, three miles from shore, which is of course as much an exclusive property as a gold mine on the land itself. Perhaps it would be well to go a little more into detail. The whole question now rests upon the arrangements made by the treaty of 1818. Previous to that date and to the e brief effect of that treaty was this : The American fishermen were placed, as to the right of taking tish, upon pre- cisely the same footing as British subjects upon a portion of the Newfoundland coact, on the shores of the Magdalen Islands, and along pretty nearly the whole of the Labrailor coast. They were given, also, the right to dry and cure fish on all the un- settled parts of the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts as to which they were tiven the fishing rights. When and where these coasts siiould be settled they were to use them only after ag eement with the settlers. Such were the rights given to inshore fishing and shore curing to Ameri- cans by that treaty, rights to certain specified parts of British coasus. And by that treaty, to quote its words, the " Uni- ted States hereby renounce forever any liberty heretofore enjoyed or claimed by the inhabitants thereof to take, dry or cure fish in or within three marine miles of any of the coasts, bays, creeks or harbors of his Britannic Majesty's dominion!' in America not within the above mentioned limits." This renunciation was followed by a proviso that " the American fishermen shall be admitted to enter such bays or harbors for the purpose of shelter and of repairing damages therein and of obtaining water, and for no other purpose whatever. You will see, sir, that the object of this last prohibition was to prevent fishing vessels acting as trading vessels, which was quite inadmissible for twr reasons — that such confusion of character would prevent the due enforcement alike of the British coastal revenue sy.Uem, and of the proper exclu- sion of American fishermen from the use of British waters to which they had no right ; or, to put it more clearly, would enable American vessels, under colour of fishing, to fish where they had no right and to smuggle besides. Well, sir, to enforce the provisions of this treaty, various acts were passed by the Imperial and Local Legislatures, the terms of which are im- material. And during the whole period from 1817 to 1854 it was the practice to seize and condemn American vessels for trespassing beyond their proper legal limits, or doing acts beyond the legal right of fishing vessels. All this legislation and all this action under it were directed to the .:, ngle end of maintaining our fishery property and keeping up the rule of the treaty of 1818, that American fishing ves- sels should be fishing vessels, so to speak, pure and simple, without any general tra- ding character whatever, and I have pointed out to you, sir, how absolutely n«ceisary it was to ourfifhingnml revenue f)rop(rty imd riyhto, that this jjoint Hlmuld lOiuihiTied to with tlio utiiiosi stiictness. This practice iind mode of eiiforciiig tlie treaty wa« carried on without any com plaint of right all the time from 1818 to 1854, the date of the li. oiprooity treaty. I Hay complaint of right, sir, leoiuse it would happen now and then that the American Oovernment would raise as to particular vesseU aeized, the (juestion whether they were an a fact doing wrong ; and our rights were never dittputotl hy the United SUUoh. And 1 wish, sir, to state with peculiar emphasis that through all this period as the Reoiprocity treaty of 1854 our seizures were invaiiahly made without any noti'^e whatever to otfending vessels, and 1 say this, sir, hoivaise the President in his message insinuates that we seize now without notice, contrary to ancient practice. This is not the case, sir. Herald Commissioner. — Touching the question oi the headlands, sir, in this stage of the affair, before the Keciprocity treaty. Dominion iSxATKSMAN. — That question was only raised u short time hefore the Kooi procity treaty by the United States. You will observe, sir, that by the language of the treaty of 1818 the United States re- nounced all rights of fishing access, not merely within three marine miles of the British coast alune, but also of the British bays, creeks or harbours. We conceived and still conceive that under that renun- ciation our exclusive line was determined by a line drawn from headland to heailland ofall bays of British coasts, and that Ameri- can fishermen were not at liberty to np- f)roach for fish within three miles of such a ine. We have the decisive authority of Daniel Webster himself that this con- struction is the right one. Under date of 6th July, 1852, the great American states- man complains that this large concession was made in 1818 to England of drawing line irom headland to headland ; but he does not venture to question tha'^ it was mode — complams, on the contrary, that it was made. However, shortly before the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854 the Americ;m Government began to complain of this large measure of exclusion as regards such bodies of water as the Bays of Fundy and Chaleurs, and other large indentations of the British America coasts. Now, sir, I wish at this stage of our statements to draw your especial attention to this point, because it bears with such force on the question of our friendliness. Since the abrogation of the Reciprocity Treaty in 1866, although as to this point of the head- lands we conceive our rights to be indis putable, we have renounced their enforce- ment in practice, We now in practice limit the exolusion of Amoricnn fisherman to three miles from the actual coast line only, idlowing them fne fishing within all Imys and harl)orH up to the throo mile limit. Here is a point of great importunce to American fishermen which we have (juif'tly, for the snk<> of good neighbor hood and kind feeling, prictically given up our rights under the Treaty of 1818. llr;iui,i) <'.)MMissic)sr.a — ( blige nio by continuing the history of the question. Dominion Statksman — Well, sir, the next stage in this eventful history was the perioil of the Reciprocity treaty. Dur- ing the twelve yeiirs that the American (iovernment allowed tlmt treaty to bo in force all tliei^e(|iiesiions were in abi yance, for by its provisions .Vmeriain fishermen were placed on precisely the same footing as British fishermen ; they could fish wherever they liked, all over the shores of British North America. We are at a loss to conceive, on grounds of statesman- ship, why that treaty wa.s ever denounced and repealed by the American (jovern- ment. Uanada got nothing under it at all e(|uivilent to the unlimited fishing right of the citizens of the United States. Indeed that may be s;iid to hive been the very plum of the pudding in the Reciprocity Treaty, and if the .Vinericans had kept it in their own hands all the questions now raised would haveslej)! forever. Hkkalu CcMMissioNKR— Then the stage of the affair after the repeal of the Recipro- city Treaty is a new one altogether ? Doi^iiNioN Statesman— Yes, sir : and we contend that our conduct as regards the the fisheries since that date, so far from being chargeable with unfriendliness, has been conspicuously indulgent, neighborly and friendly to the United States. Indeed we go the lengtli of saying that we have done everything except give up the prop- erty in our coast line fisheries altogether to American people. Nay, sir, we have even gone within an acre of even doing that altogether ; for we have been willing and have attempted to give them the right of the inshore fishing on the pay- ment of an almost nominal license fee. The American fishermen paid it at first, but afterwards declined, and left us no re- course but the enforcement of our rights. Herald Commissioner — Oblige me and state the course of these transactions since the repeal of the Reciprocity Treaty. Dominion Statesman— With pleasure. Y'ou will observe that from the moment when that treaty was knocked in the head we were remitted to the exact position we held under the Treaty of 1818. The British Government desired than we should tre.it the matter, however, in a spirit of conciiiation,and we have more that respond- ed to thatdosire; we have, indeecl, acted in i tho iipirit of iieir litvi'lliiil'l |i'iiiit altoijcilifi', in sjiilo of II (M-')1 t<> onloico til" lopi-iljul xei/. urea uivl coiiclciiiiritiiins of Aiiiniicati v<*s- BOU. NV't' liMlV allow lliclii Ik liili III) whiTO ii|) to tlio tliri'i* milt) limit of tho tuUii il hIjoio litn>. lint oviin in to tlic^i' liiiiit-i we worn iiiixioiH on ovi^iy >.'r<>iini| to uvoiil coniiiliciili'ini anil havo tlio ln-sl iditions witli tlio AnioiiriuiM, anlied tho jii-t and generous Ameriin pulilic do not iiiim. Well sir, wc were obliged t . reconsider our position, not only on the grounds inentioiios(>ls, the liominioii lisliermon wore bo- gimiiiig to man the .Vniorieati vossoU, and our wliol(> lishing trade and property were tliroatonod with extinction. It huuanie absolutoly nocossary for us to rotnico our wfops. .\nd thorol'oro wo liavo practical ly this season rosnniod our position under tho Treaty of jsls, exi-ept only that we Inve, as 1 liiivo bolore pointed out, put in ab-yenco tho lieaill iiul nuostion. Wo now only in iintain tho two points — one. exelu. sivo inshore lishing lino, and tho absoluto necessary distinction of chiractor between a li^ liiiig and a truling vessel — a liistino- tion ab.olutoiy necessary to the tishing property and tlio rovoniio system. Wo iiiimtain, ihoreliiro, sir, that our conduct has boon in tho highest degrwe liien ily and gfiierous, and wo have great right to complain ol its being represented under a dill' ^'ii light by so high an otlicial as tho chiot ol tlio Ueiiiiblie him>ell. It ho 'proposes to liiiid together all se(;tions of /Uiioricaii people inoiie ooiuinon American sentiment by suiih a course, it seems to us, to say ill' least of it, that he will not succeed. l!i-:i[AM) CnMMiss!0Ni-;ii — Tho I'residont in hi.s Message intimates that your legislii- tion Tn, we notified to the Ameiicin go\.rnmeiit that we felt ourselves oblij^ed now st:icily to enforce tho rule of e.xclu-ion from the shore line of three mik-.s; not, belt obsorvi d, fi r.i headlands. Inning thoyi^ar 1870 we have enforced that ex.'liision. There have Inen a few seizures wiiiiin th*' three-mile limit, pray ob^eivo, for illegiii ri.shing. There has not as yet been one aei^ure for trading, ^'ow, eir, pmy notice tnis part of the transaction. After our no- tice to tlie Amorican govennnent tint we now meuiil to fcike tins lino it became tlio duty of tlie American Exe- cutive to Kiivn these peoplo. AurMissioxKii — Do I understand you that there is positively no foundation for the suggestion that your late legislation is novel ? Dominion STATI:s^rA^• — Distinctly. We have done nothing but adopt the provis- ions of the imperi;il act of ISl'J and the old hiw of Nova >Scotia. There is nothing new at all. Our late act, like the Imperial Act of 1819, has no clause giving twenty-fcur hours' notice to the trespassing lishermen. It was found that such a clause defeateil the })urposeof the law. so we have adoi)ted the old Act (if LSI'.). But .always remember that our legislation apjilies and our seiz- ures are exclusively elfected within the three mile limit which belongs to us. What the i'resident means by suggesting that our legislation is novel we cannot at all understand. HioKAia) CoMMissiovKR — 'fhe President also suggests you are enforcing new pro- hibitions with regard to the trading of fishing vessels. Dominion .Statksman — There is absolutely no foundation for this insinuation. 1 have clearly explained to you that the treaties limit most carefully American tishing ves- sels to lishing pui'po^es, and ulsc/the rea- sons fo;' such limitation. We cannot have vcsselj fishing under the i)retence of trad- ing, for that would be to give up the lisi^'rio?; we cniiiot lia"o tliem traling under pretence of lishing, for that means smuggling. Fishing vessels may come in lor sludter. for n^pi'rs, for woo I unil for water. Why. sir, in tlie whole history of the dis(a^s^ion of these (piestions between the two countries no American statesman has ever ventui-ed before I'resident (h'ant to claim any right for fisliiug vessels to enter our ports for tr.ide purposes, or any except tliose named in the treaty. So just are tlie grounds on which we maintain the distinction between the tislimg and the tniding vessels, so clear the provisions of the treaty by the help of which we maintain it. President (irant takes cjuite new ground on this suliject, and one which no lawyer, no statesman in a responsible position has ever dreamed of taking. It is fjuite untenable. But what we w.int to know is, why we have had no com- )>laints addressed diplomatically to us. We should be loath to regard the Message of the i'lesident as a mere electioneering manifesto to catch votes. It is (piite cer- tain, however, that an electioneering ad- dress can contain matter ad caplandnm viih)us which can find no place in diplo- macy. You have an eminent American person named Buncombe with great influ- ence among you. None of his family have settled at present within British dominions. But to speak seriously, we are deeply shocked ane as quiesced in by the United States, and "it is hoped it will not be insisted on by Her Miijesty's Government."' But, sir, so long as we are compellotl by this exclusive policy of the Am(>ricin Government to stand upon our rights — and you have al- ready been shown in wh^t a mitigated form we now do this — ^re must maintain 6 th« exclusion of fishing vessels from tnifle. We cannot maintain the fishing j)roperty without it. And this we will now certainly not surrender beyond what we have done without a just equivalent. Herald » 'om.missionek — You hnve cer- tainly stated matter for much serious re- flection. Dominion Statesman — Now. sir, here is a point to which we should like to draw your attention ; for it shows in what a spirit of anxious, considerate friendship we have dealt with the tishermen of the United States. Under, the first article of the Treaty of 1818 United Stales citizens may take fish on the shores of the Magda- len Islands, but cannot use the land for lishmg operations. But we have, year after year, allowed them to land their boats and haul their seines and enjoy all facilities, like Canatlians. This causes us no small damage and trouble, we assure you. They come in great numbers. Thoy are a class of people who, to put it mildly, have a great deal of animal spirit. They damage British fishermen and threaten the safety of the peaceful inhabitants con- siderably. The Canadian Government has had much trouble and expense in main- taining customs laws and navigation and fishery laws among these people. We might simply exclude them according to treaty law. But we let them come to the Magdalen Islands and bear the extra ex- pense and dangers. Is that unfriendly ? Then, again, by the treaty American fish- ermen may dry and cure fish on certain of the unsettled parts of the Labrador const. After they have been settled, so provides the treaty, the /. merican fishermen must come to agreement with the settlers. Now, what have we done? We have positively gone beyond the treaty by assuming the guar- dianship of this temporary and provisional right of American fishermen, for we have only permitted settlement of the Labrador coast subject to this right of American fishermen. We have not left these, as we might have done, to the mercy or option of the inhabitants, proprietors and posses- sors of the ground, as the treaty provides, but we have not allowed settlement ex- cept on condition that the fishermen of the States should be allowed to use the ground as before. In fact we have turned a pro- visional and temporary right into a per- manent one. And yet we are charged in the face of the civilized world by the fore- most man in the United States with being unfriendly. Really, it is too bad. We could have done no more than we have done. We have all but surrendered our fishing rights altogether, but we must now mahi- tain our property. It is our only basis for acquiring just reciprocal rights of com- merce and trading with the United States. Why was the Reciprocity Treaty destroyed by the States ? Under it they shared our fisheries with us equally eveiy where. If it was (lone to punish Great Britain for the sympathy of some of her sections of society with the Southern cause, it was in effect much more injurious to American interests, both in the States and in Canada, and principilly, we are firmly convinced, to the detriment of citizensof the United States themselves. IIekald Commissioner — I think that the question of the fisheries is pretty well ex- hausted. What about the St, Lawrence navigition? Dominion Statesman— Well, sir, I sup- pose we must speak seriously about the utterances of the President of the United States ; but in this particular it is really very difiUcult to do so. The President states that " a like unfriendly disposition has been m inifesied on the part of Canada in the mainten ince of a claim of right to exclude the citizens of the United States from the navigation of that River. We can only say that we are quite w thout any knowledge of any tacts to which this as- sertion refers, or of any to which it could I refer. The citizens of the States use the I river as freely as we do our ourselves. But somehow or other— in our sleep per- haps—we h ive been doing a great injury to the people of the United States about this. We should amazingly like to know what it is. The President says, with great solemnity, that '' there are eight States with 17,600,000 people upon these waters discharging into it." It is a great fact, no doubt, sir ; but it has nothing to do with the navigation of the St. Lawrence. We do not think it possible for any American statesman to forget the Falls of Niagara. But it would really appear that the Presi- dent of the United States has altogether overlooked for the moment the fact that the natural water way from Lake Superior to the ocean is considerably impeded by falls and rapids. Some of these are reck- oned among the physical wonders of the world. We must reckon it among the political wonders of the world that an American statesman should leave them out of view. Why, sir, the water way of the St. Lawrence basin, as all the world knows, is only made navigable by canals. Do we practice exclusion ? Not the least. We have built the Welland and St. Law- rence Canals on British territory at a cost of $17,000,000, and we say, without fear of contradiction, that they are used, and always have been used, as freely by the tonnage of the United States as by our own, and the navigation of the St. Law- rence would be of no use to the States without them. There is absolutely nothing in this sir, whatever. We are absolutely M at a loss to conceive on what facts this ] complaint of President Grant is baseil ; and we would r.ither not say much more about it, because we desire to tre it the statements of the Executive of the United States with all possible respect. As to friend- liness, the less said by American states- men on that subject the belter. Just look at the contrast. American can il boats, in competition with our own, navigiite our Ottawa and St. Lawronce canals and rivers, and can go without breaking bulk to Whitehall or New York ; but so soon as a British canal boat reaches the American frontier she is stopped, and is not permit- ted by the restrictive policy of American navigation laws to go any further. We cannot imagine what the President means by talking about the Khineand the Danube. The St. Lawrence navigation is a navigation by canals supplementing the river, and our canals are freely used. Really, sir, there is no more to be said on this head. Herald Commissioner — Ilovr do you think all these things bear upon the great ques- tion of the uniHcation of the Continent — upon the consummation of the " America for Americans" doctrine, which we have so much at heart in the States ? Dominion Statesman. — Why. we do not believe that there is in the Dominion at present any party whatever that desires any organic or revolutionary change in that direction. And we are quite certain that the growth of such a party is imped- ed or indefinitely postponed by a policy towards us which we can only reg ird as one of punishing us or starving us into an- nexation. But really this is the most mis- taken policy in the world, both morally and iiscally. We are not biidly off as it is ; on the contrary, Canada and the Dominion never before were so flourishing. Uur ton- nage increases enormously, though the United States preclude us from American registry ; our revenue is abundant, our taxation moderate. We know nothing on this side the border of Erie rings or unchaste courts of justice. American greatness attracts us, but the practical working of American Institutions repels. And we do not like being threatened, and are very sure that neither Great Britain nor our- selves can be dragooned into separation or independence or annexation. This is a very great mauter, but it does not seem to us to be handled by the President in a great spirit. When the President threatens "to suspend the bonding system and exclude the vessels of the Dominion from United States waters," he ought to know that, so far as the first of these measures is con- cerned, he would do much more harm to the commerce of the United States thau to ours. Our merchants now buy about $1 6,0(X),000 worth of foreign goods in bond from the merchints of ^ew York, Boston, Portland and other Atlantic cities. Amuricin mprchants buy from us and carry annually over our canals $1;'), 000, 000 worth of lumber alone, which they largely reship out of bond to the West Indies, Brazil and other southern markets. I assure you, sir, that American policy is putting all tint trade in peril. We did not ship a single cargo to South America : your merchants shipped our lumber to tliat market and took the profit. This year our own people, as the result of your high tiiriff policy, have shipped direct on their own account $3,000,000 worth of it. Before long, if things go on as at present, all the trade we do at present through you will be entirely diverted to the St. Law- rence route and ourselves. It seems to us that it would be well for the whole posi- tion to be reconsidered. The experience of the last four years show us that we can do without the States if they can do without us. They seem to wish for us though. But they are taking strange means to get us. We do not know how the policy of exclud- ing British vessels from American ports could be carried out. We are aware that a leading political person on your side has lately atlvocated complete severance from the British empire unless the United States have their own way in the questions under discussion between the Crown and the Republic. And President Grant would appear to have been ttking lessons in that school lately. It is quite sufficient for us when we think of such threats to remem- ber that the United States is peopled by forty millions of just and generous men, who know as well as any people on which side their bread is buttered. But we are not a little astonished to find your Chief Magistrate using such language for all that. How could you turn the great Republic of the West into a great Japan? The Yankee Side of the Question- From the New York Ilorald Correspondence. Gloucester, Mass , Dec. 31, 1870. "Well, 1 guess you'll find out if you stay in town long." This was the emphat- ic reply I got when, u^jon arriving the other evening, I asked a citizen how the fishermen felt about the trouble the Do- minion of Canada had been making them. 1 thus found out at the very start that I had anticipated rightly when I surmised that there might" be a good deal of ex- citement here over the matter. I remem- bered what I had read of local history in Massachusetts, and therefore knew that \ vessel then lying about five miks from Lubec. The crew of the vessel did not catch or attempt to ciitch any herring or other fish while lying then', liut only went in to buy bivit, iis .imcrican vessels hiid been in the hibit of doing. Tlien* is no Custom House in the place at which the vessel could enter. The muster of tiie vessel went on ashore to put some letters in ihe post otiice, and when he returned found a liritish oilicer on board of his schooner, who represented himself as the second olliccr of the Cana- dian cutter IFaUr Lih/. The captain of the Water Libj and eight armed men after- wards came on board iuid asivcd the mas- ter what he was doing there. He reitlied that he had bought some bait, wliicli the captain of the cutter said was contrary to law. When asked to show the law he de- clined doing so. He said he should hive to take the vessel for buying l^iit. He then took the vessel, the master i)ro- testing, and taking charge ot lier drojiped her down alongsiile tiie cutter. Ten ef the crew were jjlaced in an open boat and sent to Eastport, being allowed to talco only some clothes with them, and the Fawn was towed into St. John, N. H. As soon as the news arrived in (iloucester of the seizure, George Friend, Jr.. tlie chief partner of the lirm, left at once lor St. John. Immediately upon liis ai rival he called upon Mr. Goodwin, the American Consul, and Mr. Goodwin directed him to consult with Mr. Tuck, tlie Queen's Consul. "1 asked him,"' Mr. Friend says, " on what charge the schooner was taken, and he replied for buying bait. He claim- ed that a vessel buying bait witiiin three miles of the shore, was, by that act pre- paring to fish, and it was on this charge the vessel was tried. A prize crow was then in possession of the vessel, and she is now in their hands. Mr. Tuck further told me that he was waiting for instruc- tions. The vessel had been detained twenty days when I left St. John without prosecution. Mr. Tuck refused to liond her, and said he would do nothing with- out instructions from Ottawa. 1 have learned since arriving home that he has been directed to jDrosecute her. Tliis ves- sel was bound for the Western Banks, and had no intention or idea of fishing inshore."' "What do you think will be the result of the prosecution!" " Really, I can't tell. I have, however, thorugh General Butler, our Itepresentii- tive to Congress, asked the President to demand this vessel from the Dominidii Government, as by interpretation ol the law and the treaty on this basis no Aemri- can vessel is safe wher. they see fit to cap ture her. Mr. Tuck told me positively that no American vessel can buy provisions or supplies, other than wood and water, ano of forcing our government into II renewal of the Jio- ciprocity Treaty wlucii cxjiired some yeais since. This is what the (iloucestt-r fisher- men think, and they assert that the Cana- dians and Bluenoses themselves do not conceal this fact. They treat our peaceful and unollonding fisheimcn as if tliey were outlaws of the most contcuiptil'lc ciiarac- ter, and deny them tlio sinijile ri)_'hts and privileges duo. from one civili/.ol nation to another. Uno old salt with wliom 1 con- versed said that if Congress ilid not talii' the matter in hand the fishermen would have to go arme 1 and pn-tect themselves. "We must do it.'' he said ; ''If I'nclo Kara cm' t attend to tin m, why, we can. There are seven thousand fisheimen ami sailor? right here in (iloucester, and I. for one, would be willing to COJI.MIJNCI-; I'lUACY upon all their harbors and commerce, and k«ep it up until they learn how to l)ehave. There are others li^ro who would j'oin me, and 1 have no doubt but I could get crews for a do/cn pirate steamers in a dozen days right here in this town. 1 tell you, sir. this is what it is coming to imless something is done, and done very (|Uickly too. You will find otiiers liesides the fishermen who will back us, and we count old Jkn JUithr among our best friends, if he don't li.\ things at Washington we are gomg to rig up a dozen or so Alabamas and commence business." I talked with .another man-nijt a fisher- man ; 'dt won't come to .any serious trou- ble," lie said, "for I happeia to know that GUAXT AND SCHRXCK AiiK AI.I. ItKiUT, ftnd when Congress meets proper legisla- tion will f'oflow, and then Silieuck will get ills instructions, and there will lie a change of conduct very soon on the jtart of iln^ Tjomi)iion (iovernment tow.ards oiu' Yaii- liee fishermen, (irant is aroused, ami has promised to fix the matter right off, and you can bet old Ben won't let him aloju* till lie does. And I further know," ho added, with a significant wink, '-that Schenck ain't going over toEiiglmd to eat dinners, but to fi.x up this Alabama ami iish business. Uur boys ha\e stood this thing as long as they are gomg to, and the Government Icnows it. THK IIECJIWIVO 0? TFtH TROCni.KS. It was early last summer that the trotibl.'s began, and the fishermen, without offering resistance, promptly reporteil the various outrages to the representatives of the Ameiic.'in (iovernment. J'y a change of boundary lines at that time theCanadian ter- ritory iiK hides Mount .loly and a portion of the shore to the east thereof, which, in the treaty of hSlS, was described as the southern co.ast of Labrador. The Secro- t.iry of the Treasury holds that this change does not affect the rights of i air fishermen under that treaty. Tli" peojde of Ottiwa hold the ()jipo>iti' to our Cioveinment that they have passeil so long unnoticed, i have conversed with those best (|ualilied to know about these i)ro- ceedings. and with men of high character, anil their reports of tho conduct of tho 'Dominion authorities are all unanimous to the point til it unluard of outrages have been committed. Most of tho st itcments whicli 1 have gatluMod have been furnished under oatii. ami they may bo relied upon as implicitly true. TiiiJ sicizUKK or Tu;: ''wiim-: i'awn" — statk- MK.NTOF CAITAIN riilliNU, Till: OWMOI:. Tiie seizure upon the schooner IVhi/c Ftiirn was piobalily one of the most un- W'.irr mteil conimitteil upon the Gloucester li-diermen liy til ■ Dominion oflicers. The announcement of her seizure lias already been puiiHshed, but as the circumstances and details have not yet licen given, i concluded to obtain them from Mr. Friend, her owner. TIk; 7''.v''/Ms a first class ves- sel of 0-1.41) ton> burden, and was Iniilt at i']ssex only a few montlis since for Mr. I'"iiend t^ Co. TJie alleged oii'enc<* was a violation of the treaty of IS IS. and the Bri- tish fishing faws founded thereon. The ves- sel .'■ailed f'romtdoucester on November 21, bound for the Western Banks, where alone her crew were to lish. Afti'r touch- ing at rortland for ice she sailed for ile.ad Harbor, Campo liello, for the purpose of oln.'iiniiig biit. 'I liis bait was delivered on board the IfA/'A," .' t(i'*j tiie next day, Nov- ember 2.5, being brought oil' in bouts, tho A GLOUCESTER FLEET DRIVEN KROM I'RIVCE EDWARD ISLAND DT AN ARMED CRKVT Or NAVAL MARINES. "They are a damned set of reprobates and ought to bo extorniinuteii," was the answer I got <'rom a fisherman down on the wharf when i. asked him what he thought of the interference with his business by the Dominion oHicials. " Yer are a cor- respondent of the New York Herald, are yer?" he continued, taking a fresh chew of pigtail, "Wal, now, yer jest come 'lung with me and \'\\ put yer onto a feller who'll tell yer all 'bout the G — d d d whelps." I thanked him and fallowed. He took me to an intelligent young tar, who said he was one of the crew of the Charles P. Ttiompxon, and in answer to in- fjuiriesh" proceeded to give me an account of an adventure that vessel had at I'rince Edward Island last Septemlier. His nar- rative, in brief, was as follows : — "The schooner entered the harbour of C'harlottetown, and the English sloopof- war Vuioi ovs, in comm;iiid of Captain ilardinge, was in port at the samt^ lime. The otHcers of the Vahruiis boarded the schooner as f.oon as her anchor was down nnd inquired what business she had in there. Edward Cash, the master, replied that he wanted wood, water and provisions. He was told that he could take them and to clear ut within twenty-four hours, but that he could not take any bait. The olh- cers then placed an armed barge abngside the schooner and kept her there all night. One of the crew, who had been ashore, came on board in the schooner's bout and was hiiiled. Afterwards the barge's crc»f boarded the schooner and tried to take the men out of the forecastle. The next morn- ing the vessel was ordered to proceed to sea, and went below the harbour, but it was blowing so heavily that the master did not think it proper to go out. An armed boat was then sent down to drive the schooner out, calling her crew smugglers and threatening them with prosecution. Before leaving, however, the captain made a protest to the American Consul against Buch treatment, but that officer did nothing about it." '•Now, yer come with me to another feller I know ami hall tell yer about what a time they had with the schooner Lant down in that same damned Charlotte- town." I went with rjy enthusiastic and indig- nant friend, and very soon I heard the following story about the Lant. — " We put into (Iharlottetown in August and cast anchor. An officer of the Valor- ous boarded ..he schooner and asked what we came in there for. The captainjre plied that he came in to get water, also to take some bait that waa chipped down to him 10 from Boston by steamer. The officer re- plied, ' You are not allowed to purohane any provisions here, and you shan't have your bait. I order you to leave this port in twenty-four hours.' Two of the schoon- er's crew were on shore and could not be found reiulily, and the Valorous sent an armed boat's crew to drive the vessel to sea, and she wa^ obliged to leave the two men on shore. Captain Allen made appli- cation to the American Consul to aid him in getting his bait, but he replied that be would do nothing for him, Mr. J. C. Hall, an American merchant at C'harlottetown, took rare of the men left behind when the vessel put out to sea, and forwarded them by steam to Point Kildare, North Point, in four days from the time they were left, and they rejoined their vefsel." My friend, who had accompanied me, here broke in : — " You must remember, mister, that none of th^se fellers tried to catch or buy a damned bit of bait. What they wanted was to take on board come that had been sent down from Boston, with freight all paid and no duties. There ain't no duty on bait down at Charlettown, anyhow, and so they coiddp't defraud their revenue. it was a great damage to the Lanfs voy- age, as well as the Thompson's and I wish they could be licked for it.' ' AN AMSRICAN FLEET HUSTLED OUT OP PORT MULGRAVE, STRAIT OF CANSO. A captain of another fishing vessel told me a harrowing story of an outrage inflict- ed upon a fleet at Port Mulgrave, in the Strait of Canso, in July. The vessels, he said, had scarcely time to procure wood and water before Commander Scott, of the Dominion Navy, was after them, and some of the vessels were not allowed even time to get their supplies on board before they were driven to sea by the armed cutter. The crew of the cutter kept a sharp look out to prevent any of the fishermen from purchasing anything in the shops in the neighborhood. Heretofore, he said, these shops had supplied the men with mittens, socks, and the like. "Don't the storekeepers object to such proceedings?" I asked. "Y'^es, of course tiiey do, and so do the people generally, for they depend largely upon the trade of American fishermen while in port. Some of these vessels had men on board belonging in Port Mulgrave, and these men very naturally wished to purchase some provisions for their families to use during their absence ; but the ves- sels were cleared out without giving them any time to settle their bills or arrange for the comforts of their homes while absent. I tell you what it is such things were deuced hard. Dam it, they would'nt let us buy 11 b of rigging or anything t'Ue we ;at (Jo you think ought to be done ?" iivt ought to be done ?" If I could ly wny I would start a nitroglyccr lory in every d.imued city and town ; Dominion, and blow it to kingdom t once. 1 wish I'nclo Sum would Br our rights. If ho knew how were going on I'll bet he would .send nough down there to ke ji the l)o- i navy in its proj)er place. If this is 7e shall liave an opportunity to get ' with Home of the liioaters." | •;i, SKI/.i;i) .\M) AITKUWAKUS HE-rAITUIt j I UY A PLUCKY ULOUCliSTKK CKKW AND [K.V (lOHBI.ED UP AGAIN BY THK DOMINION iVY. '< Ht-'aM'x telegrams hive already led the fact that the schooner Clara ii'iiii, of this town, was Hei/ed by a lion cutter ; also th it she was reciip- liy ht-r own crew, but ag lin overhauled same cutter whidi took her origi- Mr. Friend, who ins just arrivek |\VAIt AOAINST THK DOMINION NAVT own hnok, or, in other words, set esiue their vessel by force. Mr. and his sixteen men did the busi le 'liirk night, and the manner in hey acco I plished it is best told l)y the van(|uished mwines who w;u- ig the vessel. His story, when the ne up in the Vice Atlmiralty Court, follows: — t half past eleven o'clock on Thurs- ht a boat with Hfte* n or .sixteen lie alongside, asked how fir they leeward of Southport, and said uld come on board for a drink of 'I'he witness replied thit they ot be allowed to come on deck ey rushed on boird. A man cam? omas and demanrled his rifle, lie dropped on being collared whom he did not know, threat- Iblow out his brains if he refused ; no alarm ; was ordered into the nd went, and had a talk with liere, who told the witne.ut Mr. Friend sidd not to do so; tiie guard was not shut clown in thocdiin, liut could go on deck whenever tliey thought iM'oper ; ('ajitain (irady told us we should liMve to nhow them things, :ind we did ; helpeel— told him it was a pity for any poor niMii to luse his pro- perty ; can't swear to feeing any lirearins; saw with one of the menwhut he (I'liomas) thought was a pistol or revolvei' : he hehi the slack of the throat halyard win u they were fishing the nchor: they wanted the vessel and did not do us any harm. THK CREW INDICTKD FOK RE."»(!ri.VO TUKIR OWV VKSMKI,. The trial lasted for two days anil rasult- ed ill Mr. riend and the crew being held on tilt' charge of rescue. Mr, Fiiend's bail was put at £.j(M)!iiid that of the others at £U)lt each, and all obtained sureties among the (sitlzens of "luwii Ihero iiriv.'itcciiii^ willi ' liiiii. '•V«>-; oldJion i.s a liiii'l;," I .snidnpjirov- iiiflly. "Now, liDW W(wit ftl»oul thii allnir of tlif /'riiiili'iit '; "Well. I «ill tell yoiiju.sttliP samo IIS I- lold Ml. I!i!..s(»ij. The .-^chooniT was oiilicr jiiiasago Iron) tlif P>ay cif St. L:i\vifiu!i? to (ilouce^t<«I•. lliviii,' tiii,.sli<'d (lur limiting voyii/,'»' \vt< went into I'ort Mid^ruvo, an- olioK'd m tli<' liai'lior, and then wont at*hoie IVii' .■;()ini' wood. \\ (• did not lisli ni' at- toniiit t) lisli in tlie liartor, oi' within tliico niile.-s ol' tlic .slioic. 'Dio n<>.xt nioining (!a)»tiiin Torrcy, of I Iw Dominion cutter /(/(( {•]. ' o.irdod uur ves.-icl. lit; had, hovk'- ewr. limn on loard i>roviou-iy, .aides aiiiiiiod iiiT (o lin. lie w.n.s not liiins(dl' iH'isonally :iwaie of any viola- tion of l;iw. hnt aried on hearsay evid ence." "What -lid ho do linally?" ''Uh, he took the vessel, and sent lierto Halifax, where .she is now honded lor "What hecaine of the crew':" "The crew were put a.'^liore ut Tort .Miii graTc destitute. Tlui Aineiican Consul .said ho eoui'l not help us lieoaii.se we were lish- irmeii.' ANOTUKU Sl'LLRGK liV CaIT.MN TORKHV AT I'ouT noon, (-"aptiin .Nicholas Murphy, of the i^chooner jfi'tirttr/li-!. also of < )louoe.-ler. furnishes an interest, ng account of a nar- I'ow escijie he Iiad from seizure hy thi- .'•anie energetic Liinain 'loriej', hut tlie altair took jilace at I'ort Hood in.-tead of at I'ort Mulgrave. Captain Murphy said the Grciimlu had been seized the same day he wont into ])Oit. After ho had aii- choretl Captdn Torrey came on ijoard and asked to see the papers, which 1 showed him. I asked him if I could Iniy pruvi sions on shore, and he said " \o ; and if! catch you buying any you are liable to seizure.'' He also told me if 1 wasallowed to buy provisions to last me liome and at- temi)ted to lish either inside or outsiile the limits 1 would violate the law, and he would seize my vessel. He alluded to the seizure o* the l-'riuil.lin, and .-aid that he had Hei/i d tliit ve.ssel on evidence given by II No\a .Seotiii lishennaii, who com- phiined of her for hiviii;r meddled with iiini when he was catching nnelierol Ho also Hiiid that 1 was violating the law by being in the h.iibur as long as 1 had wof)d .and water on 1 oaid 1 went in th«' r for sht-lter an>l cl limed that lighl. liiitCap tain Torrey denied it and sanl I liad no l>usiiiesH there if i had wood and water on board ; that the tre.dy made no mention of I. ny right to stay twenty fou'" hours in pou for shelter, .idding that I was vio. I'.ting the liiw by being there aiiywuy. '• Whit did you do Y ' '• 1 got under weigh as ,soon as p(jssihle and Went to s"ii. II 1 li'd reiirdii d. ae- eording to his inteiprotalion of tin' law, he Would \^..\■i' seized my vessel." AN TIIH INTKIiVIKW WITH Till-: r.'I.I.KCTOIl or I'liiiT Ol-' (;i.orci:sTi;i:. Among others whom 1 called upon in lh( pursuit ol information was ,Mr. Hab. .■^oii. the Collector of the jioit. A^id(H'l■om the outriged li-^h'-rineii tlcms'lves there is prob'.lily no o( her man in town who niaiiifi st-< so lively an interest in protect- ing their interests. He has e.xaniined personally into all the outiages cornrnitted ujion the ('loiicestcr lishermen, and much of th" mfoiiirition which he has gathered is -ilre.-tds in the hnxls of (iener.il JSutlcr, viliii, i|, i-, :indis;.ioi)d will inin;editi!(dy bring the inattei' up njion tlie reassem. bling of Congress .ill er the holidays. Mr. Babson v.'.s very glad, he -.lid, of the op- portunity to by heloie the country, ihiougii the ihiald, seme of the facts con- nrcted with the outrage's which the C.in;i- dian • ioveinment had iieipetiJitc tl upon our unolr u'liug and industiiou.s American li.-hei iiii'ii. " I think, Mr. Hal),son," 1 observed, iu the way of approval of his .views, "that when th(^ unparalleled wrongs are made known that the peojile of this country, froiuone end to the other, will insist upon our (lovernment taking immediate action in the premises, and it is for the jiurpose of ialoimiug the .Anieiicin p' ople of the unpardonable conduct of tlieir Dominion neighbors that I ha\o visited 'iloucester iu Hearoh of iufoiinati' n." "And 1 am heartily glad that the Ifcrahl takes .'^uch an inter?st in the matter. " he ag:'.in ahstu'ed me : •• for the spoliution of our fishermen and tin: destruction oi their business is, as you say, a subject thr.t will ever aw.dix it* iiiilus- trio>t lie:ivily, iiikI wn I'liinot iiilortl to >;iv«< to C'lum III our IVpi- riiiiikiUs to compoto with iHir t;i.\o(l l.ilioiii', iirnl booiuso wo ii." '• 1 sii|))i()c, llion. I Min to uti IcrUaiul that you .•itlriliiit" this inuioyaiicc cmi tin* part ol' the l>oiniiiiou m ut<'(l at that time. Not until \s2') •liil Aiuorii'iMi vo-isels go into tiit' Hay ol' St. I awrencc lor luai-kort'l. The cod lUli- ory Im'I licoii c.nio.l mi liy .'.mall \c'>' i-h on our (iwn i-oasls or hy hirgoi' vosneln on tho Hanks. Sinro IslT) tlio inafkoivl laisj- nos.s h IS iniTOMsoil, until IVoni •')iiil to ^.ll() vessels now ir ) annually into tin- Hay ol Si. LiwrcMuv t He IVdlowed to I a; c'Uii^ht. " " Whore arc they found in largest quan- titie.-i'.'" I in(iuir"d. "Around t'rinco Jidwa/d Islund. al.ng the shoi'es ol" Nova Sootia and ^liiydiilon Islands, they swarm in tin- l^ays in niimluus beyond computatioti. Tiio annual catoh does not !-e«un to diminish tln'ir nuiul'er, and the supply may hes.aid to he ali.-olutely inexlnustihlir'. At the time of makin,u' the Treaty ol K->1' thi.-> part ol the lishint' business was not eonsideied. as mackerel ling was not then pr()>ei'ut,' teiiuiiiilion of the l{ cipiooity Ti aty by iiiiiit dion, mid the formation of the New humiiiion the party of confeder.i'iou turned their atlen tion to ihe ren...ient with the necos»ity ol op.-nitig our niarKets to their jiKmIii t^^ free of duly, or, to use the words of on^- of ihtur |. gis- 1 afors. ' gri«« b.iiig im|iot)'n*. they would try tho virtue of t.|one.s, ttie Canadian I arli iinent enacted the law by which our li'lieriiicn are treated as out- 1 iWft. By their fioii^truetion of the law of hSKi, and the t 'inadiati laws bi.'cil upon it, they "1 urn tint .Aiiicrian liiherni«ii h.ivo no I'ight (;) buy stores or supplies ; no right in ilieir Inrbors wlien thoy have woeid anil water on board: no li.'ht tf» have fish in bond lor expoit to tho I'nitf'd .'^t ites -. no ligiit to reco ve buit or Mipplies from hojii • through their ports ; no iiglit to 1ju> bait, :tii'ry stuise, ami entitled to no eon-ideration at their hamU sa\.' c;ipture." " I'ndiM- >iich III interpretulioti of the law. then, it does not seem so strange that the li-heiinen have been so persist- ently annoyed by the Donnnirm olli ialHV" '• Vou are "|uite li'jrlit, for the olli 'lals have heen very inlu-trioii.s in tho out- rages authoii-ed by ihir 'iov<-rnm(>nt The -i.\ se||i)oneis comnii -sinned as cutteiH by theliominion h ive foiliwedand h irasjied the lishermen. driving them out of harbor» where liiey h ive sought -heller, o/ipturing them on hearsay evidence, and in iking their autlioiity felt on every possible and coiiceival I oiT<'a«ion."" " how miny vessels have been capture'l altogether, Mr. Babson '.'' •• I ih. tiv.' orsix filou. ester ve.-.-els and as many more Iclonguig to other ports ; and when you consider th.it tlio>e vessels involve a loss to owners and crew.s of about lylU.OiJU each, and that one of the induce in 111. he!', nut to the oilicer iii king iho seizure is one-half the piocecds, it is sin- gular ihal mo;e have not been captured, for It was iniciided that the D-imiiiionnavy should be a paying in.-iiiut on."' '•I have learned from tho owners and crews of some oi' iho c.aptus-ed vessels that they were not even guilty of violating the regul itions which the (.'ariadians put such tin unreasonable construction up'>n. Do you understand that they were innocent, or that they violated the laws through ignorance'.'" "Inthec;i-(e of A. I. l-raklin it seems Ih it the c ijitain of the cutter making the capture hid no person.*! knowledge of any u rioliition of lnw or lr«jitj on tli»> p(\rt f>f tli« owner <»r the Fntnkliii: liut, iioni inlortniv- tion from Normt sDurco, lie pinsiio^l tho Vr.MNil anil look htT. Now, on tliis jrroiind imy Aiiioriciin vfsHnl tliitt liuit lioiii in tli«^ li;iy or hiiH toiii-liid at tlioir ]i()rtM will lio liiil>ln to capture on uiioiniiilion furni.ih«il l>y tln'ir rnt'iiii<>s, putii'ul irly wIhmi llii- division of tlio pidlilsii so liir^t-ly in I'livor of tlio olll((r laiikiiij,' tlio iMplino. < lur peoplo, you mo, tear tlntncxl yciir, if ilmir Vi'H^rls ^nl into tin l>iy, tlit*y will Ik* iiip- tureii on inl'onn.ition of viol ition tlin pro vious ywiir, (ind tliti known liowtil ty tli«i« nguiuKt our iisliornuMi will no doulit Hecuro eviilonc*) against almost any vphscI." '• How aliout the H'hilf Fawn ''' " That ca.-id is outrafjoous. Simply for liuyiiifj liait hor owners and crew arc charged with pr«'parni|{ to lisli within the three mile line. Now it is well known that our \Vo>t»>rn Bank lleet always huj their halt inshore, and use it entirely in the deep hea li.xhing. The conwti uction 1)UL U|)()n thi.Hact IS Hiniply in keciiing with the oi)en hostility ol' feeling dis|)layod against Mr. I'nend, the owner of the ves- pel, and the personal abuse of the otlicera of tho government."' NO.V INTIIICOLKSK WITH OKKAT llltlT.VlN I hive found out during my invoHtigitionH nrouud town where th^ idea of non inter- course originated. It was not with Ben Bntler, as a great many nui)poso. As long ago as August lili the Cap.' Ann .l'//v/'//.sw, onn ol the most ahle and interpri.-ing coun- try journals in New England, advanced that idea in the following language : — " Ijet those who seek to put an arbitrary construction upon the laws touching upon the lishing (lUcstion be made to feel that two parties cm play at that game as well fts ine, and it will have a, wonderful eilect towards cooling ofi' those excited I'rovin- cials. We can do without them umch better tiian they cati without us, and it is only necessary for the liusiness men of the Provinces to become aware of this fact, and they will then earnestly protest against any more of this unnecessary med- dling with the United States fishermen. * * • • • • ' U: thei'eforc, the I'.ng- lish Government see lit to abrogate these privileges, which are common tohll nations, as a direct blow at our lishing interests, it simply shows that malice and revenge are the mspirations of these acts, and that nothing but direct reciprocity of non- intercourse, shutting out the productions of the Provinces from our markets, will bring them to their senses. This subject assumes a broader and more national as- pect, us from harassing fishermen they have now fifNumcd to shui up tJi^ir itrtrt* ami forbid trade to Ameiicans, while no other nation in treated in this diitcourtoouK manner. " This idea of nonintorcour** i« more pre- valent here than in other sections of th« country, for, notwithstanding its imprnc ticabdity, aH fretjueritly pointeiJ out, k numeraisly signed memorial for such Icgis lition has been forwiirdcd ti> < 'ongrci.s. In thi ir memorial the petitioners say that in asmuch as the (Jmii'lians have declared absolute noil intercourse with the fisher men of the I'nited States, refusing the right to buy stoit^s or supplies at any of thiir ports — driving them from their hur bois. wleii' they had sought hhell«r— re- lu.-ing the landing orbon'iing of American fish or mackerel fr export t<> the I'nited States — they have fiei/ed mackerel savetl li'oni vessels wrecked on their coasts, re- fus«!d supi)lieH to disabled vessels, and harassed the fisherm' n in a manner pecu liar to British authority—they ihciofore pray that a nun intercourse act be passed similar in its elleols to tint of (Janadtu whereby the same ireatnient may be ap- j)lied to a'' vessels hailing fioni the British Provinces ■ s that ;ortati-n of Kngli^h or Canadian fish or mackerel in so called Biiti-li waters; also that ti'ansportation in b.aul of merchan- dise for Cm ida through American t' rritory be prohibited until (-'anadian ports are of»ened tor transportatiim in bond of American fish, mackerel, or other merchan- dise to and fiom the I'liited States. Al.so that the riiit(