ROBINSON, Private Secretary to Hall, September 29, 1871

Mr. Robinson to Mr. Hall.

Sir: I am directed by the lieutenant-governor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 26th instant, on the subject of the treaty of Washington.

• The Government of the United States requested Her Majesty’s government to urge the governments of Canada, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island to make for the present season, within their respective jurisdictions, such relaxations and regulations as it might be in their power to adopt, with a view to the provisional admission of American fishermen to the liberty which is proposed to be secured to them by the treaty of Washington, the Government of the United States in return to recommend and urge upon Congress at their next session to refund to the parties paying the same any duties collected in the United States on or after the 1st July, on fish-oil and fish, (with certain exceptions,) the produce of the fisheries of the above colonies, respectively, if a similar arrangement should be made with respect to the admission into the colonies as aforesaid of fish-oil and fish, (with like exceptions,) being the produce of the fisheries of the United States.
• Prince Edward Island assented to the proposed arrangement; Canada did not assent to it; and you are apprehensive that such refusal on the part of Canada may work adversely to the interests of those persons in Prince Edward Island who have this year made large investments, in the expectations of receiving back the duties paid by them on fish-oil and fish exported from this island into the United States during the present fishing season.
• The lieutenant-governor is of opinion that your apprehensions are unfounded. An arrangement sanctioned by Her Majesty’s government has been entered into between the Government of the United. States and Prince Edward Island, and the lieutenant-governor does not apprehend that the action of Canada in withholding her assent from a similar arrangement will be attended with the prejudicial result which you have recently been led to anticipate.

I have, &c,