Mr. Evarts's despatch of September 28th last, on the New-
foundland Fishery quarrel, was published on Tuesday, and is a very temperate and reasonable document. He brings out one important point, of which we were not aware when we wrote on the subject last week,—namely, that the Newfound- land fisheries are closed by a local law between October 20th and April 25th, so that for the Americans to fish on January 16th was a violation of this regulation, made in the interest of the fisheries themselves. Mr. Evarts argues, however, that American treaty rights can hardly be over-ridden by a one-sided law emanating from one of the parties to the treaty only ; and this apparently he argues without reference to the date of the municipal regulation itself. It is highly reasonable, he says, that the contracting parties shall by some " joint action " adopt regulations protecting the fisheries, but it is not reasonable that one of them, after affecting to give the other a right with one hand, shall take it back with the other by a one-sided regulation. This appears to us, we confess, reasonable, and the whole despatch is written in the same tone of argumentative moderation. It is now stated that Lord Salisbury's reply is equally frank and cordial, that it accepts this principle, and that it has given the greatest satisfaction at Washing- ton, and removed all fear of a quarrel on this disagreeable issue ; —for which great credit is due to Lord Salisbury.
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