This work was originally prepared as a doctoral thesis at the University of Oxford, and began as a mere examination of the complications relating to French treaty rights in Newfoundland. It was soon obvious that the subject could not be examined in vacuo, for the influence of the colony of Newfoundland became increasingly apparent. If Newfoundland can be called the Cinderella of the Empire, then certainly Canada was one of the notorious step-sisters, and very often the United States took on the appearance of the handsome prince.

The story of the French shore problems is not merely concerned with international treaties which both Britain and France interpreted to their advantage, but is also much of the story of Newfoundland’s emergence from Imperial proscription.