very much cheaper for them to do so than to spend the time in catching it themselves.

7. The privilege of fishing in American waters is of no practical advantage whatever to Canadians, and I never heard of Canadian vessels fishing in American waters.

8. The catch of our inshore boat fishermen is no doubt much lessened by the Americans fishing within our waters, and I believe that our shore fishermen could carry on their fishery much more successfully if the Americans were excluded from our waters. I believe that it would be better for our fishermen to have the Americans excluded from the three-mile limit even if the American Government should put a duty on our fish.

WILLIAM CRICHTON.

The said William Crichton was sworn to the truth of this affidavit at West Arichat, in the county of Richmond, this day of August, A. D. 1877, before me.

No. 148.

E. P. FLYNN,
A Justice of the Peace.

In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington.

I, ISAAC LEVESCONTE, of Arichat, in the county of Richmond and Province of Nova Scotia, merchant, make oath and say as follows:

1. I have dealt more or less in fish for thirty-five years of my life, up to about the year 1869.

2. Our herring and mackerel fisheries are mostly carried on inshore, and the inshore fishery of herring and mackerel on our coasts is of far greater value than those fisheries outside the three miles from the shore. The herring fishery is almost altogether inshore, and I believe that the greater portion of the mackerel is caught inshore.

3. The opportunity of transshipping cargoes enjoyed by American fishermen, is of course a great advantage to them. It enables them to make to least one extra trip each season, and by means of this privi lege they can of course make a greater number of trips and catch more fish than they could otherwise do.

4. The privilege of procuring bait on the shores of Canada and Newfoundland is very valuable to the American cod-fishermen, and I do not know how they could profitably carry on the deep-sea cod-fishery without this privilege. It is also a great advantage to their cod fishermen to procure ice on our coasts for the purposes of keeping their bait fresh.

5. I do not believe that the privilege of fishing in American waters is of any value whatever to Canadian fishermen, nor have I ever heard of Canadian vessels fishing in United States waters.

6. There is no doubt whatever that Canadian fishermen would be very much more successful if the Americans were excluded effectually from our inshore waters. I remember that shortly before the Reciprocity Treaty our fishery was pretty effectually protected for one year by British and Provincial Government vessels, and our inshore fishermen did better that year than they had done for some time before, and better than they have ever done since.

ISAAC LEVESCONTE.

The said Isaac Levesconte was sworn to the truth of this affidavit at Arichat, in the county of Richmond, this 4th day of August, A. D. 1877, before me.

E. P. FLYNN,
A Justice of the Peace.

No. 149.

In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington.

I, WILLIAM WENTZEL, of Moose Harbor, in the county of Queen's, fisherman, make oath and say as follows:

1. I have been engaged in the fisheries for about forty years. For the last ten years solely in the inshore fisheries in Queen's County.

2. In my experience, large numbers of American vessels run into this harbor for bait-about two hundred a year; and have done so for about ten years each year. They get ice in this harbor in which to preserve this bait. The Americans say it is a great benefit to them to get this bait and ice, and they could not carry on successfully the Bank fishing without it.

3. of -, McIntosh, skipper, came in here and baited, and in one fortnight got his trip of halibut, landed the same in Boston, and was back here for his second baiting all in one fortnight, and left here last night on another trip, which is his third trip this

season.

WILLIAM WENTZEL.

Sworn to at Moose Harbor, in the county of Queen's, this 16th day of August, A. D. 1877, before me.

S. T. N. SELLON,

Justice of the Peace.

No. 150.

In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington.

I, PARDON GARDNER, of Port Mouton, in the county of Queen's, fisherman, make oath and say as follows:

1. I have been engaged in the fisheries for thirty-six years, all in the inshore fisheries, and am well acquainted with the inshore fisheries in Queen's County for the said time.

2. During the past twelve years many American vessels have been here for bait and they have got ice here in which to preserve it. During the last six years as many as between twenty to thirty vessels ran here for bait yearly. They run here from March till November. The Americans say it is of great benefit to them to be able to procure bait; without this bait it would be impossible for them to catch fish. These vessels take from eighteen to twenty-five barrels of bait each. The Americans buy this bait in order to save time and expense.

3. The codfish vessels run out and come in again about every two or three weeks, and this they do about three times until they get a full fare on the banks off this coast from fifteen to twenty miles. The Americans take the codfish principally by trawling.

PARDON GARDNER.

Sworn to at Port Mouton, in the county of Queen's, this 17th day of August, A. D. 1877, before me. S. T. N. SELLON, J. P.

No. 151.

In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington.

I, GEORGE MCLEOD, of Brooklyn, in the county of Queen's, master mariner, make oath and say as follows:

1. I have been engaged and connected with the fisheries for the past fifty years, and have a vessel now engaged in fishing on the Labrador coast of seventy-two tons register, and manned by seventeen hands.

2. Eight years ago I was on the Labrador coast with two of my own vessels, each of them was eighty-four tons, and carried seventeen hands each, and in three months we brought home sixteen hundred quintals of codfish. We considered that year a very poor one; before that they had brought home eleven hundred apiece. We caught most of these fish on the Canadian coast of the Labrador. We took these fish within three miles of the shore. When there I saw several American vessels taking fish and bait, the same as we were. They fished inshore within three miles, in not more than six fathoms of water.

3. About twenty years ago, when fishing on the Labrador coast, I saw upwards of forty American vessels of a large class on the Canadian part of Labrabor, at Old Fort Islands, Dog Islands, Bon Experience, Five League; at these places the Americans took codfish with hook and line, all inshore, within a mile of the shore. At Salmon River I have seen five American sail taking codfish by seining on the shore.

4. The Americans get bait and ice in this harbor, and there are five American vessels here to-day for bait and ice, and it has been the practice of the Americans for the past thirty years to come here for bait, and this I know well, for I have often supplied them with bait. I have seen an American vessel six years ago throw her seine in this harbor on a Sunday for mackerel, and every year for the past thirty they set their nets in this harbor for bait when they had the right to do so, and when they had not the right. When they had not the right, the Americans were more sly, and often set their nets about dark, and took them up early in the morning. Since 1871 they have set them more freely, and with less trouble.

5. The Americans must get their bait on this coast, and they can get this bait nowhere else but on the Nova Scotian and other parts of the Canadian coast. This the Americans themselves say is so, and without this bait and ice they cannot carry on the Bank fishing. They get a supply of ice and bait, and go out and fish, then return for a fresh supply.

6. So many vessels running here for bait and ice interferes with the supply for our bankers.

7. When the Americans get bait and ice in this harbor, they run out about nine miles and fish from nine to twenty miles off this harbor, and fish from Seal Island to the Western Bank; and this year the coast along has been lined with them.

8. They carry on the cod-fishery on the inside Bank, along the coast of Nova Scotia, by trawling, which I consider a most injurious method of taking fish, as the mother fish are destroyed, and unless stopped will

ruin the fishery; and unless the Americans got their bait inshore they could not carry on this trawling on the Banks along our shore. GEORGE MCLEOD.

Sworn to at Brooklyn, in the county of Queen's, this 16th day of August, A. D. 1877, before me. S. T. N. SELLON, J. P.

No. 152.

In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington.

I, JOHN LLOYD, of Port Mouton, in the county of Queen's, master mariner, make oath and say as follows:

1. I have been engaged in the fisheries as master for twenty-seven years. I have fished from Cape Sable, along the southern coast of Nova Scotia, around Cape Breton, on the eastern side of New Brunswick, around Prince Edward Island, around the Magdalenes, and on the Labrador coast as far as the north side of Gross Water Bay. I have been engaged a trip every year on the Banks.

2. In my experience the Americans always enjoyed the same privileges as I did myself. In the North Bay the Americans always fished inshore for mackerel, and close into the shore, and it would not pay to go into the North Bay to fish unless they could fish inshore.

3. I have been on the southern coast of Nova Scotia, from Halifax to Cape Negro, for fifteen years now past, and have often told the Americans where they could procure ice and bait. In the harbors along from Halifax to Cape Negro the Americans procure ice and bait wherever they can get it. Without this bait and ice it would be impossible for the Americans to carry on the Bank fishing, and this they have often themselves told me. I to-day told an American schooner that he could get bait in this harbor, and he is anchored here now.

JOHN LLOYD. Sworn to at Port Mouton, in the county of Queen's, this 17th day of August, A. D. 1877, before me. S. T. N. SELLON, J. P.

No. 153.

In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington.

I, ROBERT J. McDONALD, of Port Jollie, in the county of Queen's, fisherman, maketh oath and say as follows:

1. I have been engaged in the fisheries for twenty years. I have fished along the American coast from near Philadelphia to Gross Water Bay, on the Labrador coast, and am well acquainted with the inshore fisheries in Queen's County.

2. Some years, while fishing in the North Bay, I found the Canadian. mackerel was better than American, and some years the American was better.

3. Many Canadian vessels get clams in this harbor for bait, from forty to fifty vessels every year. I always found the clams obtained in this harbor as good as American clams. We used the clams here for taking codfish with hand lines, and still use them for this purpose. We also

use the clams for taking mackerel. In trawling very few clams are used. These vessels take from thirty to fifty barrels of clams to each vessel. R. J. MCDONALD.

Sworn to at Port Jollie, in the county of Queen's, this 18th day of August, A. D. 1877, before me. S. T. N. SELLON, Justice of the Peace.

No. 154.

In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington.

I, WILLIAM FREHIL, of Arichat, in the county of Richmond, and Province of Nova Scotia, merchant, make oath and say as follows:

1. I was a practical fisherman for about five years, between 1840 and 1850, and since that period I have been in the fish trade, and have dealt in codfish, herring, and mackerel.

2. In my opinion, the Americans cannot profitably carry on the cod and other deep-sea fisheries without resorting to the shores of Canada or Newfoundland to procure bait. They visit our shores every year for bait, which they purchase from our fishermen. It is a great advantage also to the cod-fishermen to be enabled to procure ice on our shores, as without it they could not keep their bait fresh for more than two or three days; and fresh bait is essential to a profitable prosecution of the cod fishery.

3. I consider the privilege of fishing in American waters to be of no practical advantage whatever to Canadians, and I am not aware that Canadians have ever availed themselves of such privilege.

WILLIAM FREHIL.

The said William Frebil was sworn to the truth of this affidavit at Arichat, in the county of Richmond, this 31st day of July, A. D. 1877, before me.

In the matter of the Fisheries Commission, at Halifax, under the Treaty of Washington.

I, PHILIP DIGGDON, of Port Medway, in the county of Queen's, and Province of Nova Scotia, but at present of Port Mulgrave, in the county of Guysborough, in said province, master mariner, make oath and say as follows:

1. I have been engaged during the past fifteen years in fishing, principally on the shores of Canada. During ten years of that time I have been fishing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, during two of which years I fished in American vessels. I have fished for both mackerel and cod. 2. I have been fishing for codfish on the northeast coast of Prince Edward Island this season. The mackerel have come in quite plenty on the shores of Prince Edward Island this year, and close inshore, and I saw several American mackerelers catching them with seines. Some of them seemed to be getting good catches.