most of these schooners were making two trips yearly of 400 barrels of mackerel. These schooners were about 60 tons each on an average, with a crew of 16 men. I have seen them fishing and catching mackerel. I have seen them also at Cape Rozier fishing mackerel inshore and very near the rocks. I have seen them also seining many times in the Bay of Gaspé, at Sandy Beach. The seines were drawn from the shore; in fact all the mackerel that have been caught by the Americau schooners that I have seen have been taken inshore.

3. The cod fishery is about the same now as it was formerly.

4. The mackerel are taken by means of hand-lines and seines by the Americans. I have seen them fishing with hand-lines inshore, and I have seen them seining with hauling-seines from the shore, and with purse seines in deep water, but inside three miles.

5. The practice of throwing fish-offal overboard by the Americans is a great injury to the fisheries, because it poisons the water, drives away the large fish, and kills the eggs.

6. The inshore fishery is of much greater value than the outside. All the fish are caught inshore.

7. It is the common practice of the Americans to come in among the boats and by throwing bait entice the mackerel away with them, so that we could not take mackerel without going alongside of their vessels, which they did not like at all.

8. Seining, as practiced by the Americans, is injurious to the fisheries, because it takes large and small fish; all the small fish are thrown away and left to perish on the strand.

9. During the last years of the Reciprocity Treaty nearly all the Americans were supplied with both the purse and hauling seines.

10. The fisheries have increased greatly since 1871, that is the cod fishery, and up to date the mackerel fishing is better than last year, and the increase in the cod fishery is due, in my opinion, to the fact that the Americans have retired.

11. Mackerel feed inshore on lance, shrimp, and other small fish.

12. It is a great advantage to the Americans to be able to transship cargoes, because it enables them to keep on the fishing grounds and to double their fares.

13. The Americans could not profitably carry on the cod and halibut fisheries if they were not allowed to come in our inshores either to catch or buy bait.

14. The privilege of transshipping cargoes to the Americans is worth a load, and the privilege of getting bait in our inshores for their cod and halibut fishery is worth these fisheries.

15. Fishing by Americans in our waters hinders the fishing operations of our fishermen to a great extent, because we cannot compete with them, and they take all our fish.

DONALD WEST.

Sworn to the best of his knowledge, information, and belief, at Grand Greve, county of Gaspe, Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada, this 28th day of July, A. D. 1877, before me.

N. LAVOIE,

Justice of the Peace, Province of Quebec.

No. 161.

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

I, MICHAEL MCINNIS, of Port Daniel, county of Bonaventure, Province of Quebec, farmer and fisherman and merchant, make oath and say as follows:

1. Am acquainted with all the fisheries from Point Macquereau to Paspebiac; I have followed these fisheries for 15 years.

2. Am thirty-one years of age, and since I can remember, the mackerel fishing by Americans has been carried on on an extensive scale on this shore.

3. To the best of my knowledge, 100 schooners have visited these shores (I always speak of between Point Macquereau and Paspebiac) yearly. The average tonnage of these vessels is about 70 tons, each vessel having from 10 to 15 men for a crew. I am acquainted with the mackerel fishery only.

4. I don't remember of any of these vessels ever missing their voyage. 5. I have been many times on board of American fishing-vessels fishing on this shore, and have heard them say many times that most of the schooners have made two trips in a season.

6. The herring fishery is the same as it has been for the past 15 years, and codfish also.

7. Mackerel are taken by the Americans with hand-lines and seines. 8. The practice of throwing fish-offals is injurious to the fisheries, because it gluts the large fish, and kills the small ones.

9. Every year since I can remember, till 1870, I have seen the Americans fishing inshore often at our net moorings and catching mackerel as hard as they could with hand-lines.

10. The inshore fishery is of much greater value than the outside. 11. All the bait, herring, smelt, caplin, and lance are caught inshore. Two-thirds of the codfish and two-thirds of the mackerel have been caught inshore.

12. I have seen the Americans many times come among our boats, and entice the mackerel away by throwing bait. They have done the same to me many times, thereby causing me great damage, because there were no more fish left to get. They do this whenever they get the chance. 13. I have seen the Americans from my boat and from the shore many times, going around looking for a place to throw their seines. 14. I have seen many times the American trawlers come in Port Daniel for bait.

15. About 20 different trawlers come here every season for their bait. I heard the Americans say often that they require 60 barrels of bait (herring) to make their voyage.

16. The fishery has not diminished since 1871.

17. The Americans take herring here for bait only.

18. On questioning the Americans on board their own vessels, they frequently told me that our mackerel was of greater value than their

Own.

19. Mackerel breed and feed inshore. Our inshores are one of their breeding-grounds.

20. I have seen the Americans frequently ever since I can remember land to dry and repair their nets, and it is a great advantage to them. 21. I consider it a great advantage to Americans to be able to trans

ship their cargoes, because it enables them to keep on the fishing. grounds, and to make an extra voyage.

22. It is also a great advantage to them to be able to procure bait in our inshores.

23. The Americans could not carry on the cod and halibut fisheries without the privilege of resorting to our inshores to procure bait.

24. It is a great advantage to the American fishermen to be able to land to procure ice and snow to preserve their bait.

25. It is of no advantage to us to be able to fish in American waters. I never knew of any of our vessels ever going there to fish.

26. The privilege of transshipping cargoes is of great advantage to the Americans, because they can double their fares; in fact, it is worth a load to them. And the privilege to trawlers to get bait in our inshores is worth their fisheries.

27. The privilege granted to Americans to fish in our waters injures us to a great extent by bringing us in competition with men who are a great deal better equipped to take fish than we are, and because this extra number of men destroys fish. I have often heard the Americans say that they couldn't carry on the fisheries in our waters without catching bait here.

MICHAEL MCINNIS.

Sworn to the best of his knowledge, information, and belief, at Port Daniel, in the county of Bonaventure, Province of Quebec, this the 23d day of July, A. D. 1877, before me.

N. LAVOIE,

Justice of the Peace, Province of Quebec.

No. 162.

NEWFOUNDLAND, to wit:

The honorable JAMES JOHNSTONE ROGERSON, of St. John's, receivergeneral and collector of customs for the Island of Newfoundland, maketh oath and saith that the annexed statement, marked A, is a correct and true statement of the matter and things to which it refers, the same having been compiled from the customs returns and other authentic records of the said Island of Newfoundland.

JAMES J. ROGERSON, Receiver-General and Customs Collector.

Sworn before me, at Saint John's, aforesaid, this eighth day of June,

A. D. 1877.

J. O. FRASER, Commissioner of Affidavits.

STATEMENT A. (Referred to in annexed affidavit.)

No. 163.

ISAAC MERCER, aged 31 years, residing at Bay Roberts, Conception Bay, Newfoundland, fisherman, maketh oath and saith:

I am acquainted with the fisheries of this country, by having followed the same for eighteen years. I saw three United States fishing schooners in Spaniard's Bay and two in this harbor last year. I heard of a large number of these vessels being in this bay last year, but I only saw five as above. They came to the bay for fresh bait; the schooners seen by me came for fresh squids, and, as I believe, the other United States vessels that visited this neighborhood last year all came for fresh bait. They came in from the Banks, where they had been fishing, for fresh bait. They purchased bait from our people and jigged squids jointly with our people to supply their wants. Newfoundland fishermen catch codfish generally within a mile or two of the shore. The Newfound land fishery (cod) is an inshore fishery, as is the bait fishery, including caplin, herring, and squids. I never knew of a Newfoundland vessel fishing on any of the shores or coasts of the United States of America. I believe the supply of bait to United States fishermen will act inju riously upon the supply for local fishermen, and that it will certainly decrease the supply for the latter.

I believe that the operations of United States fishermen on the banks off our coast, well supplied with fresh bait, tends to reduce the catch of codfish by local fishermen, and that the short catch last year was owing to United States fishermen as aforesaid. The catch of local fishermen in this neighborhood last year was not over one-half what it used to be on the average before 1874.

Sworn before 26th April, 1877.

ISAAC MERCER.

at Bay Roberts, Conception Bay, Newfoundland, this

No. 164.

J. O. FRASER, Commissioner of Affidavits.

SAMUEL FIANDER, of Coomb's Cove, in Fortune Bay, maketh oath and saith: Is 44 years of age, and a fisherman. I have become ac quainted with the fisheries of Newfoundland from being engaged in their prosecution since I was twelve years of age.

I have observed a large number of American fishermen in Fortune Bay during the present year, about fifty vessels. The Grace L. Fears, commanded by a Captain McDonald, was one of such vessels; the Edmund Parsons, commanded by Captain Saunders, was another of such vessels, both bailing from Gloucester. I did not particularly remark the names of the other vessels referred to. The two vessels named were about 70 tons each, and the others first named were from about 70 to about 100 tons. These vessels came to buy bait from British fishermen, and they did purchase bait as aforesaid.

I have sold bait to American fishing vessels. I have baited eight such vessels this present year-about fifty barrels each vessel-the rate paid for baiting being from twenty to thirty dollars for each vessel.

The Newfoundland fishery is an inshore fishery. The caplin and her rings used for bait are all taken inshore. Squids occasionally are taken a mile from the coasts, but generally they are taken a few hundred yards from the shore.

I do not know of any Newfoundland fishing vessel taking fish or try