William R Kennedy, Rear Admiral

Captain William R.Kennedy, Rear Admiral Royal Navy

From the Grand Banks http://ngb.chebucto.org/Newspaper-Obits/twil-sun-1890-mar-apr.shtml

French Treaty (Part 1)

"French Treaty Question. Letter from Admiral KENNEDY. He defends the colony's Fishery Rights. -- (Editor London Daily Mail) Sir, -- I perceive that this much-vexed question has turned up again, and I have read your leading article on the subject, as also the letter of ""Terra Nova"" in today's issue. The latter puts the case very clearly, and I agree with all he says except one sentence, viz,: ""But the large number of voters who have never seen England, and only know her war vessels as assisting their rivals in harassing them, and preventing the development of their mineral and forest wealth by occupying three-fourths of her coast-line, would not be slow in voting for annexation and freedom from interference by a foreign and alien flag."" This is hardly fair on us Naval Officers, who have striven for years past to do our duty, conscientious by our countrymen and also with due regard to the claims of the French. By the terms of the Treaty of Versailles (1883) French fishermen are allowed to enjoy the fishery assigned to them under the Treaty of Utrecht, but, unfortunately, the wording of the Treaty is so loose, that each Nation has put its own interpretation on it, the French claiming the exclusive right to the fishery, whilst the British Government maintain the right to be only a concurrent one."

French Treaty (Part 2)

" In 1856 Governor DARLIN concludes a letter in these words:-- ""Yet the political position of the Colony is such that a Foreign State, enjoys a right to a use of at least one-half of its line of coast, and avails itself of the right in such a manner, as effectually to close that portion of the coast, for all practical purposes against the people of the State, to which the soil of the Colony belongs."" By the wording of the Treaties, British fishermen have the right to fish concurrently with the ""French"", provided that they do not interfere with them, but therein lies the difficulty. How is it possible for two people to fish in the same water without one being able to claim, however unjustly, that the other is interfering with him? It is idle to talk about interfering as the law now stands. The fact is, the letter of the Treaty in enforced, whilst the spirit of it is ignored, and the collisions must occur between the fishermen of the two Nations while such an anomalous state of affairs is permitted. The truth is, the wretched Newfoundlanders are slaves, and half starved once they are ba...ed by foreigners, and forbidden to catch the fish with which God has provided them an abundance. Even the Naval Officers, who are sent to protect them, are unable to help them, and yet they are told they are British subjects! It is an idle mockery. "

French Treaty (Part 3)

"The treaties are absolute and do not apply to present circumstances, and they ought to be abolished or replaced by others suitable to the times. I feel very strongly on this subject and write with some knowledge of it, having commanded the squadron for the protection of the fisheries form 1879 to 1882, and I wrote a good deal about it in ""Sport and Adventures in Newfoundland,"" published 1885 -- in fact, I have quoted largely from the book. I am not surprised at the Newfoundlanders talking about annexation to the United States; the fact is, they have been shamefully neglected. There have been many attempts at negotiation, but they have come to nothing and never will. There is only one thing to be done, and that is to convey to the French that Newfoundland belongs to us and that we will not permit its resources to be paralyzed and its inhabitants ground down and prevented from earning their living in their own Country. The reason this has not been done long ago is that we are afraid of hurting the susceptibilities of the French. I should like to know what they would do if the position were reversed and the Island belonged to them. Why, we should be bundled out, and we would go without fighting, as they would. If the Germans or Americans owned the Island, they would not have been so thin-skinned. They would have had ""Newfoundland for the Newfoundlanders"" long before this. I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant, W.R. KENNEDY, Rear-Admiral. London, Christmas Day. "