New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-03-08
CLAlJOROTS CANADA.

We shall not be surprised if the "semi-in-
dependent hut irrespOnsible' statesmen Of
the Dominion give almost as much trouble to
the British representatives. on the Joint High
Commission as they have given to President
Grant. Ever since tho Commissioners were
appointed, the Parliament House at Ottawa
has resounded with clamOrs. A vague fear
seems to have possessed the provincial mind
that the Yankee diplomats may prove too
many for Eall dc Grey, and some j0t or title
of the herring claims may be sacrificed for
the sake of a peaceable adjustment of diff
cultcs. Senator Mitchell calls upon Canadian
patriots to "stIcDgthcn the hands of their
representatives on the High Commission )"
he wants them to swear that Canada will yield
not an inch of her fishing ground, not plank
of her mackerel smacls; and let the troubles
he settled as they may, the Dominion Will
give up nothing whatever. In this sensible and
accommodating spirit it is proposed to make the
execution of the obnoxious fishery laws still
more stringent and summary, and the old ques-
ton of maritime jurisdiction over the waters
of bays and indentaiOns Of the coast, which
the British Government has left in allegiance
for many years, is revived in the most per-
emptOry and positive manner. The Home Gov
eminent has all along manifested moro con-
ciliatory and reasonable spirit than the
Canadians and even in some of the Provinces
notably in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward
Island--the exclusive spirit of the Dominion
Government is severely denounced.
The right of the Canadians to exclude us
from their coast fisheries, except so far as we
enjoy certain privileges under the treaty of
&C 10 IL thn
object of their recent legislation is to do some
thing more than this. They purpose destroy
ing our deep-sea fisheries also, and so ham
pering us in the enjoyment of the rights guar
antced by the treaty that we shall be COM
PEELED to withdraw altogether, and give them
a monopoly of the entire business. This they
undertake to do by an unprecedentedly rigorous
Interpretation Of that portion of the treaty
which regards the admission of American fish
ing vessels to British ports. 1t is provided
by the instrument in question that our
boats shall be admitted to enter any
British harbor "for the purpose of shelter
"and OF repairing damages therein, of pur-
"chasing wood, and of obtaining water and
"for no other purpose whatever !" but until
the present time this has never been construed
to prevent our purchasing bait, ice, and other
supplies Mt such ports, or landing the cargoes
which we caught in tho deep seas or the
privileged coast fisheries of the Gulf of st.
Lawrence. Some British jurists have indeed
held that we cannot legally be prevented
from entering their harbors for these objects,
and the Province of Prince Edward Island,
acting upon this view has decided that United
States fishing vessels "shall be permitted to
center, tranship their cargoes of fish, and OBJ
tain supplies" in the ports of that colony.
This resolution has been formally approved
by the British Secretary of State for the Colo
MES, Lord Kimberley who acknowledges in
dispatch to Lieut.-Go Robinson, dated Oct.
20, 1870, that "the transhipment of fish and
" obtaining supplies BY the United States fish
"ing ycssels in the ports of that colony