No. 206.
Mr. Evarts
to Sir Edward Thornton.
Washington, March 2, 1878.
Sir: I have the honor to bring to your notice the fact that complaints have been recently made to this Department of interference with American fishermen engaged in the herring fishery on the coast of Newfoundland. In some instances these complaints have been forwarded to the Department through the United States consul at St. John’s and other ports of that colony. The representations made by the consuls are, however, of a general nature, based upon statements made to them by the fishermen immediately interested, and consequently the officers in question have been instructed to collect and forward more detailed and specific information, and such further information I will do myself the honor to transmit to you so soon as the reports from the consuls shall have been received.
[Page 347]Still more recently similar complaints have been received through the collector of the port of Gloucester, Mass., supported by the sworn statements of the masters of eight fishing-schooners of that port; and from the statements thus forwarded it appears that in January of the present year those vessels had reached the neighborhood of Long Harbor, and were actively engaged in the herring fishery, and that most of the seines were full of fish and ready for hauling, when, in one instance, two seines belonging to the schooners “Ontario” and “New England,” respectively, were cut by an enraged crowd of over 200 men, and the whole catch, estimated at not less than 5,000 barrels of herring, suffered to run out to sea.
Other instances are given, only less in quantity and value, the proceedings resulting in the vessels, eight in number, being obliged to abandon the fishing-grounds on that coast and return to their home port in ballast. When it is remarked at what considerable expense the preparations are made for a season’s fishing in these waters, many of the men, mariners as well as masters, embarking their all in the enterprise, the serious character of their losses may be partially understood.
The President has deemed it proper, in view of the possible complications to which a continuance of these lawless proceedings might give rise, to bring the subject directly to the attention of Her Majesty’s Government, with a view to an early investigation of the facts, and the adoption of such measures on its part as may be deemed advisable to prevent a recurrence of the acts complained of, and the Minister of the United States at London has been accordingly instructed to take the necessary steps in that direction. Meantime, I have deemed it right to transmit the facts, so far as they are already known, for your information.
I have, &c., &c.,