Signed at London the 8th of April 1904.
His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India, and the President of the French Republic, having resolved to put an end, by a friendly Arrangement, to the difficulties which have arisen in Newfoundland, have decided to conclude a Convention to that effect and have named as their respective plenipotentiaries:
His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India, the Most Honourable Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, Marquess of Landsdowne, His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; and
The President of the French Republic, his Excellency Monsieur Paul Cambon, Ambassador of the French Republic at the Court of His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India;
Who, after having communicated to each other their full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed as follows, subject to the approval of their respective Parliaments:--
ARTICLE I
France renounces the privileges established to her advantage by Article XIII. of the Treaty of Utrecht and confirmed or modified by subsequent provisions.
ARTICLE II
France retains for her citizens, on a footing of equality with British subjects, the right of fishing in the territorial waters on that portion of the coast of Newfoundland comprised between Cape St. John and Cape Ray, passing by the north; this right shall be exercised during the usual fishing season closing for all persons on the 20th October of each year.
The French may therefore fish there for every kind of fish, including bait and also shell fish. They may enter any port or harbour on the said coast and may there obtain supplies or bait and shelter on the same conditions as the inhabitants of Newfoundland, but they will remain subject to the local Regulations in force; they may also fish at the mouths of the rivers, but without going beyond a straight line drawn between the two extremities of the banks, where the river enters the sea.
They shall not make use of stake-nets or fixed engines without permission of the local authorities.
On the above-mentioned portion of the coast, British subjects and French citizens shall be subject alike to the Laws and Regulations now in force, or, which may hereafter be passed for the establishment of a close time in regard to any particular kind of fish or for the improvement of the fisheries. Notice of any fresh Laws or Regulations shall be given to the Government of the French Republic three months before they come into operation.
The policing of the fishing on the above-mentioned portion of the coast and for prevention of illicit liquor traffic and smuggling of spirits shall form the subject of Regulations drawn up in agreement by the two Governments.
ARTICLE III
A pecuniary indemnity shall be awarded by His Britannic Majesty's Government to the French citizens engaging in fishing or the preparation of fish on the "Treaty Shore," who are obliged either to abandon the establishments they possess there or to give up their occupation, in consequence of the modification introduced by the present Convention into the existing state of affairs.
This indemnity cannot be claimed by the parties interested unless they have been engaged in their business prior to the closing of the fishing season of 1903.
Claims for indemnity shall be submitted to an Arbitral Tribunal, composed of an officer of each nation, and in the event of disagreement, of an Umpire in accordance with the procedure laid down by Article XXXII of the Hague Convention. The details regulating the constitution of the Tribunal and the conditions of the inquiries to be instituted for the purpose of substantiating the claims shall form the subject of a special Agreement between the two Governments.
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ARTICLE IX
The present Convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at London, within eight months or earlier if possible.
In witness whereof his Excellency Monsieur Paul Cambon, Ambassador of the French Republic at the Court of His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India, and His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, duly authorized for that purpose, have signed the present Convention and have affixed thereto their seals.