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 elure. 
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 IF 
 
 BRIEF REMARKS, 
 
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 BRIEF REMARKS 
 
 ON A PAMPHIiET, 
 
 ENTITLED 
 
 "ARGUMENTS 
 
 TO PROVE THE 
 
 POLICY AND NECESSITY 
 
 OF GRANTING TO 
 
 NEWFOUNDLAND 
 
 CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT 
 
 »» 
 
 t« 
 
 By p. MORHIS, 
 
 AN INHABITANT OF THE COLONY OF NEWFOUNDLAND.' 
 
 % tite Author of ''A View of the Rise, Progress 
 and Present State of the Newfoundland Fishery :' 
 
 "Rien n'est si dangereux qu'un indiscret ami; 
 **Mieux vaudroit un sage ennemi." 
 
 La Fontaine. 
 
 PRINTED AND SOLD BY MOORE AND SYDENHAM : SOLD ALS© 
 BY O. B. WHITTAKER, AVE-MARIA LANE, LONDON, 
 
 1828. 
 
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BRIEF REMARKS, 
 
 Audi alteram partem is a ivise as well as candid 
 maxim, a-nd equally valuable to the supporters of both 
 sides of a question : if Mr. Patrick Morris had not 
 given to the world bis "Arguments to prove the 
 "policy and necessity of granting to Newfouiidland at 
 "Constitutional Govei'nment," the author of "A View" 
 or "AN ENLARGED VIEW," if Mr. Morris is better 
 pleased with the term, "of the rise, prog'ress, and 
 "present state of the Newfoundland Fishery," would 
 have lost many useful hints, and much amusing and 
 interesting matter, which a perusal of that urbane and 
 gentlemanly production has afforded him. He and 
 Mr. Morris have taken different views of a question 
 very simple in itself, and as capable of practical de- 
 monstration as any proposition in Euclid — Whether 
 the island of Newfoundland is hy nature fitted for 
 cultivation to a profitable extent^ and as a general 
 measure of resource to the population^ for thei 
 necessaries of life? Upon the affirmative of this 
 question Mr. Morris grounds his chief argument foi* 
 •©Ionization, or to use his own words, "the necessity 
 
 
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 of oTantina- lo Xpufonndlaud a Constltutiuiral Cii^v^ 
 -ernment •" and he has entlravoiired to support this 
 aflirniative bv avgilinents and quotations t\vawn from 
 various sources, .vitliout any j>reat re^'ard to order or 
 per^picuitv. It is not the intenliou of the author ot 
 the "View," to follow Mr. Morris th.m.oh all hii^ 
 desultory reasoniwg^ and voluuaiHOUS quotations, he 
 certainly wants leisure and inclination, if not talents, 
 for the undertaUin- ; he however, feels himself called 
 upon bv a sense of duty and self respect to enter upon 
 a brief examination of Mr. Morris's work. 
 
 In writing the little worU which has excited so 
 iMUch angrv feeling in Mr. Morris, his object was to 
 show, certaUily in opposition to the representJ\tions of 
 Mr Morris and those who enter into his views and 
 opinions, that Newfoundland can never become a 
 ifveat acjricidtural eomiir^, in consequence of natural 
 obstacles whicb are insurnnountable— that it is fitted 
 by nature chiefly for the seat of a fishery ; such it lias 
 been from its earliest settlement, such it still is, and 
 sugU it must remain as the author believes, for ages 
 y^t to come, and not the less valuable on this account 
 to the mother country, or requiring tess the encopr- 
 aoement and protection of its government. In main- 
 taining this position, be has not relie^l on the authority 
 of his own ipse dmh which certainly could hare 
 very little weight, he uev^r having been in Newfound- 
 land ; but having, in the course oj' a pretty long life 
 <4- business, been in babits of constant intercourse 
 with men of the highest respectability intimjitely ac-^ 
 quainted with the islan<l» jnany of whom had passed 
 

 «i large portion ofthrir livts tlierc mid visileil various, 
 partjTofit, and in till tlircclionf*, he liiw Ibnuikd his 
 opinion oil their itnanlmoHs U^tiiiiony, and he ter^ 
 tainly is not convinced by iMr. Morrif^'s rteoningi 
 thiit'hc has any occasion to tlonbt tliOir uccuvacj or to 
 
 ((nestion their veracilv . 
 
 In his endeavours to invalidate the airtlior's posi- 
 tion, Mr. Morris, in hib '•Ar-uincnts," page lO, aflei' 
 ponrtra>in-' >uth a ^lowin- pencil, tlie manners mid 
 hahits of ancient and modern times, and arraying in 
 atnusin-- contrast, hoop nailed tables, sooty boat's 
 kettles^ tarri/ jackets, check shirts, cod's heads and 
 sound bones, butter firkins and deal benches, sofas, 
 ottmnans, carpeted floors, bread bags and damask 
 tablecloths, black tea kettles, tin cans, rich cut 
 decanters and glasses, spruce beer and callibogus, 
 and the sparkling wines of Portugal and France, 
 and apostrophising our venerable ancestors, he tri- 
 umphantly informs them (if they could rise from 
 their graves) that "Tliey >\ouId see the germ of 
 ^'cultivation bursting, as A were, through the matted 
 "woods, and requiring but the beneficent hand of a 
 "liberal government to train it to future universal 
 ♦'luxuriance/' Now all this may be very fine writing, 
 but is very weak argument, and that government 
 \Vould act unwisely which would suffer itself to be led 
 away by the florid but delusive representations of au 
 interested party, who would make agriculture the 
 stepping stone to colonial rank and importance, and 
 cotomence expensive experiments without some bet- 
 ter assurance that the soil and climate would recjuite 
 the attempt. 
 
 'Jll 
 
Mf.'lj 
 
 Mr. Morris again returns to the subject of agri- 
 culture i»i page 49, and says "I think that any man, 
 '*takiug the map of Newfoundland, and looking at its 
 ♦'geographical situation, will be convinced, from its 
 ••great extent, that there must be land capable of 
 "cultivation, particularly when he is informed that 
 ♦'countries only divided from it by a few leagues of 
 *«sea, abound with rich soil ; that in the interior there 
 "are tribes of native savages who have no intercourse 
 "with civilized man, and who support themselves by 
 •'hunting and fishing ; and that there are thousands 
 «'of deer, and other wild animals in the country, that 
 •'subsist there both summer and winte**." It would 
 seem to have been more to Mr. Morris's purpose, if 
 he had pointed out in what parts of the island, land 
 capable of cultivation is situated, and which, being 
 an inhabitant of the colony of Newfoundland, it 
 may be supposed he is well qualified to do : it is 
 however, an unassuming proposition, and it is readily 
 granted, that there are lands capable of cultivation, 
 and that they are beneficially cultivated as auxiliaries 
 to the fishery, principally as gardens and potato 
 grounds, in some instances more extensively in mea- 
 dows and experimental farms ; but it does not follow 
 that cultivation can ever be successfully attempted as 
 a general measure of resource to the population, and 
 to the extent to constitute Newfoundland a great 
 agricultural country. If large farms have already 
 been cultivated, what has become of the produce of 
 them ? The land in St. George's Bay and on the 
 iBanks of Cod Roy River, is better perhaps, than any 
 
'i 
 
 other in the island, and has been more successfully 
 cultivated, and yet no attempt has ever been made 
 to rear food or cattle for the supply of the St. John's 
 market, although the demand is known to be such, 
 that coasters are constantly trading from that place to 
 the islands in the Gulph of St. Lawrence, for cattle 
 and other supplies ; it is not from isolated spots of 
 cven^cr/i/esoil, that the wants of a large community 
 can be supplied ; neither is it to be inferred be- 
 cause there are tribes of savages in the interior, who 
 support themselves by hunting and fishing, and thou- 
 sands of deer and other wild animals in the country, 
 that subsist there both summer and winter, that the 
 country can ever become agricultural*. 
 
 Mr. Morris proceeds, page 50, to support his 
 assertions by quotations from various authorities, both 
 of ancient and modern date, and begins with the re- 
 port of Captain Hayes, second in command to Sir 
 Humphrey Gilbert, who made a voyage to Newfound- 
 land in the year 1583 : this is an interesting docu- 
 ment, in which there is much to admire, and also 
 much to doubt : this report serves to show in the most 
 decided manner, the opinion of this writer, that 
 Newfoundland, is in an especial manner adapted by 
 nature for the seat of a fishery ; he says "Touching 
 'Mhe commodities of this countrie, seruin^ either for 
 *'sustentation of inhabitants, or for maintenance of 
 "traffique, there are and may be made diuers: so and 
 "it seemeth Nature hath recompenced that only defect 
 *fand incommoditie of some sharpe cold, by many 
 "benefits : viz. With incredible quantitie, and no lees 
 
 * See Note A.' 
 
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 **tainctit5 of kindes of fish in the sea and ffe»lt 
 •*watcrf, as Trouts, SAlmoiis, and other iiak to m 
 •'vnknowen : Also Cod which alone draweth many 
 "nations thither, and is become the most famous tish- 
 «ing of the world. Abundance of whales, for which 
 'also is a very great trade in the bayes of Placentia, 
 'and the Grand Bay, where is made trane oiles of the 
 whale. Herring, the largest that haue been heard 
 of, and exceeding the alstrond herring of Norway : 
 "but hitherto was neuer benefit taken of the herring 
 "fishing. There are sundry cither fish very delicate, 
 "namely the Bonito, Lobsters, Turbut, with others 
 "infinite not sought after : Oysters hauing' pearle but 
 "not orient in colour: I took it by reason they were 
 "not gathered in season. 
 
 "Concerning the inland commodities as wel to be 
 «drawen from this land, as from the exceeding large 
 ^countries adhtfuing t there is nothing which our east 
 «and northerly countries of Europe doe yeelde, but 
 "the like also tnay be made in them as plentifully by 
 "time and industrie: Namely, rosen, pitch, tarre, 
 "8ope ashes, deel boord, mastes for ships, hides, furres, 
 **flaxe, hempe, corne, cables, cordage, linnen cloth, 
 "iB6ttal», and many more. All which the countries 
 **will aford, and the soyle is apt to yeelde." 
 
 To what extent the various commodities here 
 enumerated, can be proctired from the "exceeding 
 "large countries adioyning," and the advantages of 
 procwing them from those cmintries ai^ much better 
 underetood now than in the time of Captain Haye«, 
 it id c«f tftin that moat of them liave nev€f yet been 
 
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 pmcured from NcwfouncJland, to ai>y profitable p<jr- 
 pose, and it will hardly be contended that a trade i« 
 ihem, if they could be procured, can ever conae in 
 competition with the more valuable pursuits of a 
 
 The next authority cited is that of tlie highly 
 respectable and intelligent man and able judge, Mr. 
 Chief Justice Forbes, whose opinions must alwajs be 
 received with attention. 
 
 In a statement made to the Colonial Department, 
 in 1822, he says, "As a general remedy, whatever 
 ''tends to revive the fisheries, must also have the effect 
 "of relieving the people. It were desirable that with 
 "the view cf opening some auxiliary employment t© 
 "tl>e inhabitants of Newfoundland, every restraint 
 "upon the cultivation of thesoil should be I'emoved, 
 ''and every encouragement given to the breeding of 
 "sheep, cattle, and other live stock. 
 
 "The necessity of cuhivating the soil, as an aux- 
 "iliary to the fishery, is n«>t disputed, nor is there 
 "any existing law which prohibits it ; but there is 
 *^none to encom'age it ; and there is still maintained 
 "!« the island an ancient opinion, that it is against 
 "the policy of Government — as if that could be called 
 "policy, vvhidi in a country overstocked with people, 
 "and 4ls»tresse(J for food, would prohibit so plain a 
 "dictate of natural law as that of raising subsistence 
 "from the earth. ^* In this every thinking mind ac- 
 quainted with the subject will agree, and none more 
 conlially than the Poole Merchant^ upon whom Mr, 
 Morris has, nevertbelegs, l)eeu pleased so lavishly to 
 exercise liis vitiipprative powers. 
 
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8 
 
 
 
 As an auxiliary to the fishery, (and it must here he 
 observed that Mr. Forbes, whose object is the revival 
 of the fisheries, as a means of reheving the people, 
 only recominends cuhivation ^'as an auxiliary to the 
 fishery^') so far as the cuhivation of the soil can be 
 made profitable, let it by all means be pursued, but 
 let it be so pursued upon the means and resources of 
 those who see occasion and opportunity to attempt it, 
 and not at the expence of the Government, to be ulti- 
 mately repaid in the shape of taxes by the people. 
 
 In addition to his practical recommendation of 
 cultivation, as an auxiliary to the fishery, Mr. Forbes 
 in conclusion, oifers his speculative opinion ; "As a 
 "broad proposition," he says, "it may be maintained, 
 "that if the fishery were to be taken up as it is, de 
 ^'' facto, and a system adapted to the present state of 
 "things, openly avowed and directly pursued by the 
 "local authorities, Newfoundland 'Tould become, what 
 "it ought to be, a prosperous ijttlement, subsisting 
 "itself by internal resources." 
 
 With all possible respect for tbe opinions of Mr. 
 Forbes, it may be allowable to observe, with due 
 deference to the opinions of Mr. Jflorris, that nei- 
 ther the known and acknowledged character of the 
 soil and climate, nor the long experience of past times, 
 warrant the conclusion, that the population of 
 Newfoundland can ever derive subsistence from the 
 internal resources of the island, or that Mr. 
 Forbes's benevolent suggestions for the welfare of • 
 the inhabitants can in that respect ever be realised. 
 Mr. Morris next quotes (page 57) from the 
 
**^ 
 
 (( 
 
 14 
 
 memorial of the Committee of the inhabitants o( 
 Newfoundland, presented to Lmd Batburst, in De- 
 cember, 1822. as follows : "11 is admitted by every 
 person conversant with th- affairs of Newfoundland, 
 •that the trade and fisheries are not capable of afford- 
 ing employment and subsistence to the large popu- 
 "latlon thathas grown up in the country. If not, it 
 ♦'becomes a most important question, how are they to 
 ♦'be supported ? In reply, the Committee state, the 
 *'soil affords ample means, and it is only by its more 
 "general cultivation the present population can be 
 "maintained in the country. In Newfoundland there 
 v»are millions of uncultivated acres, capable of pro- 
 educing food for a population much greater than it 
 
 •'now contains." 
 
 '^n no one instance where skill and industry have 
 "been employed in improving or clearing the soil, 
 "have they failed amply to repay the cultivator." 
 
 If it be admitted by way of argument, the only 
 way in which it is admitted, that the trade and 
 fisheries are not capable of affording employment 
 and subsistence to the population, it is not in the 
 want of encouragement to cultivation that the cause 
 should be sought after, but in the extensive privileges 
 ceded by treaty to France and America, whose fisher- 
 men swarm on the coast, and rival those of Britain in 
 foreign markets. There mo^ be millions of unculti- 
 vated acres, capable of producing food, and two 
 reasons may be assigned wliv they have never been 
 cultivated— one, founded in the superior advantages 
 of prosecuting the fishery— the other, that cultivation 
 extended beyond its proper limit oi an auxUicmj to 
 
 Mill 
 
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 10 
 
 the fishery, has nev<n* repaid the labor and expf nee ;• 
 and as tlie opHii(»!» that the produce of the soil loill 
 never repay the labor and expence of cultivation as a 
 general measure of resource, is borne out by many 
 facts in direct contradiction of the assertion that, 
 *^ where skill and industry have been employed, it has 
 never failed,'^ it is not probable that the business of 
 the fishery will be speedily superseded by agricultural 
 experiment. 
 
 Mr. Morris (page 61) adverts to the speech of the 
 honorable Judge Des Barres, at a public dinner, who 
 says, "I approve of agriculture, as forming one of the 
 **best auxiliaries to the trade and fisheries." I'he 
 opinion of the honorable Judj^e Des Barres upon a 
 legal question, would be entitled to our respect and 
 attention, to what extent his agricultural attainments 
 may qualify him to claim our assent we are ignorant ; 
 it is to be observed however, that he speaks of agri- 
 culture in no other light, than as "wic of the best 
 ^^auxiliaries to the trade and fisheries ;" and that 
 the shori portion of his speech quoted by Mr. Morris 
 is couched in terms of great moderation and good 
 sense, qualities that do not always characterise the 
 effusions of speakers or writers on the subject. 
 
 The author of the "View" had lately a conversa- 
 tion with a Gentleman who happened to pass a part 
 of the last autumn and the early part of the winter, 
 at St. John's, who told him that he was one day 
 dining with a friend, a most respectable merchant, 
 who happened also to be an experimental agricultu- 
 rist, anu that in the coui-se of the dinner, the worthy 
 
M. 
 
 11 
 
 host called the aKeiition of hi« guests to an abundant 
 supply of vegetables tVoui his own farm, and expa- 
 tiated oil their delicacy, and particularly of his turnips, 
 when his lady, good humouredly shaking her head, 
 
 said "vc?7/ trite Jlr. , but remember that 
 
 '•'every turnip ivc bring to table costs us a dollar,'' 
 The honorable Judge lies Barres, who was stated to 
 have been one of the company, may perhaps remem- 
 her the circumstance. 
 
 In page 04, Mr. Morfis says, "The last example 
 *'l shall give of the advantages of cultivation is, that 
 »'after the ruinous years of 1815, 1816, and 1817, 
 "which brought many of the mercantile houses to 
 ^'bankruptcy, and caused those merchants who were 
 •'able to stem the ruinous torrent which rushed upon 
 *'them after the treaties with the French and Ameri- 
 "cans came into operation, by which far the best 
 "portion of the fisheries were ceded to them, to re- 
 "verse the system which themselves and their ancestors 
 "had pursued for centuries, of supplying the people 
 with food, clothing, and every necessary ; they found 
 that the produce of the labour of the people was 
 inadequate to repay them for their advances, and 
 "at once shut the door of their warehouses, refusing 
 
 "them even bread." 
 
 To rebut the charge of inhumanity so broadly 
 advanced by Mr. Morris, and so insidiously aimed 
 against the out-harbour merchants, and to falsify the 
 assertion, that they at once shut the doors of their 
 whorehouses upon the poor, and refused them even 
 bread, it would be sufficient to refer to their ledgers. 
 
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 12 
 
 the heavy balances on which during the tlive.^ distress- 
 ing years alluded to, would instantly satisfy the im- 
 partial enquirer that the contrary was the fact ; some 
 amongst the poor, who wanted industry to cultivate 
 their gardens and potato grounds, and principle to 
 endeavour by that means to avoid getting into deht, 
 were no doubt refused ; but such only >a ere refused 
 supplies by the merchants' houses witli whom they 
 had been in the habits of dealing. 
 
 Such are the authorities quoted by Mr. [Morris, to 
 sanction the opinion that the soil and climate are 
 favorable for the purposes of cultivation, and that 
 Is^ewfoundland will, ere lorn), become a great agri- 
 cultural countrij. It is hoM ever to be observed, that 
 the only one of these authorities that ventures to re- 
 commend cultivation with any other view than as an 
 auxiliary to the trade and fisheries, is that of the 
 Committee of the inhabitants of .Newfoundland, in 
 other words the Committee of the inhabitants of St. 
 John'i, the metropolis, and the onlt/ town in the 
 island. Where and by whom this Committe was 
 constituted we are not informed, but it may be confi- 
 dently affirmed that the inhabitants of St. John's 
 only, had any share in it, and that the inhabitants of 
 the island generally had no knowledge of the appoint- 
 ment. This Committee broadly maintains, that in 
 Newfoundland, there are uncultivated lands amply 
 sufficient to produce food for a population much 
 greater than it now contains. It has been remarked 
 that this question, the pivot upon which the argument 
 jlurns, is simple in itself and capable of practical 
 
 , ■;* 
 
««• 
 
 13 
 
 demonstration : let His iMajesty's Government offer 
 a grant of 10,000 contiguous acres, to be selected by 
 the grantee from any one situation amongst the mil- 
 lions of uncultivated acres, upon the condition that 
 he shall bring them into cultivation, or that in failure 
 thereof, at the expiration of a certain term, (sufficient 
 of comse to allow the experiment to be fairly made) 
 the grant shall be annulled, and the land with any 
 improvements made on it, revert to the crown. Does 
 iVJr. Morris believe that any prudent practical agri- 
 culturist would accept it? Would the patriotic Mr. 
 Morris hiniself accept such a grant ? If not, the natu- 
 ral conclusion would be, that as a profitable pursuit, 
 the obstacles to cultivation are insurmountable, and 
 that the agricultural capabilities of the island, can only 
 be called forth by gradual operations of the inhabit- 
 ants, such as are now and have long been in progress, 
 in oardens and small farms : and how these operations 
 are to be accelerated or facilitated by a colonial legisla- 
 tive uovernment, is certainly not very apparent : Mr. 
 Morris and the Committee inform us bi/ making 
 roads and bridges ; but it is difficult to conceive to 
 what good purpose either could be applied, in the 
 present state of settlement of the country ; it is 
 admitted by the Committee, that "it is only on the 
 ♦'margin of the coast that cultivation has been at- 
 tempted," and that "the interior remains unexplored;" 
 and it is a striking fact and worthy of notice, that after 
 a lapse of three centuries since the discovery and 
 setdement of the island, there is not, with the excep- 
 tion of the immediate vicinity of St. John's, a garden 
 
H 
 
 If u 
 
 
 f 
 
 
 * h 
 
 ii 
 
 
 i4 
 
 ^ potato growod, of a house at the distance of a mile 
 from the shore; this fact serves at least to shew, that 
 1he advantages of soil and climate have heen insufficient 
 either to induce the inhabitants to explore the interior 
 with a view to agriculture, or to outweigh the more 
 solid advantages of prosecuting the fishery. It will be 
 replied however that -the baneful effects of the system 
 *cof government hitherto adopted have discouraged 
 ♦^settlement and agriculture, ana paralyzed the eiier- 
 -c.ies of the people." That "by the Western Char^ 
 4er no inhabitant was allowed to live within six miles 
 *'of the sea, and might under its authority be driven 
 *'out of the country." Let us have a colonial legisla- 
 ture to authorize the making of roaxls through the 
 interior, and the face of the country will soon be chan- 
 ged and population increase almost in a tenfjld pro- 
 portion. ^^ ith submission to Mr. IVIorris however, this 
 would be to reverse the natural order of things— that 
 improvements in civilization should keep pace with 
 the wants of the people is perfectly right and natural, 
 but not that they should outrmi ^hem. The II esiern 
 Charter was granted about 200 years ago, and re- 
 newed and confirmed, and further rules added to it at 
 several subsequent periods ; by this Charter all plant- 
 ei-s were forbid to mhabit within six miles of the 
 shore, from Cape Race to Cape Bonamsta : if it 
 tv^ere not a waste of time to bestow further considera- 
 tion upon this long obsolete charter, whose peaceful 
 ashes have b^n disturbed by Mr. Morris, to be set 
 inari'^ again»t the Western Merchants, it might be 
 argued, that if by its resitrictions the people ^v<^l^ 
 
f 
 
 15 
 
 prevcrited from settling" within six niiks of the shore, 
 there was the greater reason i^ hy they should have 
 extended tlieir views to ttie interior, and have foimried 
 settlements for the purposes of agriculture, beyond 
 the prescribed limit ; but the plain fact is, tliat the 
 planters never dreamt of agricultiue ; ihe Ji^ her t/ was 
 then, as it is now, and as if must necessarily continue 
 to be, the chief object of pursuit ; and it is moreover, 
 a known fact, that the interior of the island, so fur as 
 it has been explored, is found to be barren land, in- 
 tersected with swamps and morasses, often extending 
 to the vicinity of the bays and harbours, that would 
 render any attempt at general cultivation fruitless. 
 
 It would 1)6 tiresome, if we were disposed to it, to 
 follow Mr. Morris in the tortuous windings of his 
 motley work, in which tragedy, comedy, and farce, 
 are so happily blended, that we are at a loss which 
 most to admire: in one part he declaims, with heroic 
 dignity becoming a child of Melpomene, against the 
 ♦'blasting influence of mercantile monopoly," and the 
 ♦'avarice, tyranny, ignorance, and prejudice,'^ of the 
 monopolists ; in another, in true comic vein, he 
 depicts the manners, habits, and costume, of their 
 venerable ancestors, and contrasts them with the ele- 
 gances and refinements of their successors ; again he 
 facetiously displays the author of the "View*' as just 
 aroused, like the renowned Dutchman, from a com- 
 fortable doze of some twenty years ; and now de- 
 nounces the Poole merchants, as binding Newfound- 
 land *'in chains of worse than feudal despotism," 
 and in the plenitude of his virtuous indignation. 
 
 II 
 
 SI 
 
 if: ■ 
 
Itf 
 
 w 
 
 predicting that her people will no longer be their 
 slaves; forgetting perhaps, at the moment, that the 
 distance between a slave owner and a slave ship 
 owner, upon the scale of moral propriety, is not ira- 
 
 mea&urable*. 
 
 We can only afford time for a few passing remarks 
 on some of the most prominent features of : '- 
 Morris's work, and shall then take our leave of him. 
 
 The gross and insulting language with which Mr. 
 Morris has thought proper to assail the merchants of 
 Poole, it would be derogating from their known re^ 
 spectal)ility to notice otherwise than by contempt; if 
 Mr. Morris fondly supposes that it will do him credit 
 either as a writer or a gentleman, he is to be pitied for 
 his self-delusion, as much as he is to be contemned 
 for his impotent virulence : he h.is chosen to become 
 the champion of a party who have long been striving 
 to acquire a little fancied importance, by the establish- 
 ment of a legislative government in Newfoundland, 
 rerkless of the consequences of such a measure to the 
 fishert/, the only object that can be pursued with a, 
 fair prospect of advantage ; and it mast be confessed 
 that he is not scrupulous about the means to be used 
 to attain his end: he has quoted Blackstone, he has 
 quoted Mr. Fox, Mr. Burke, and Sir James Mackin- 
 tosh, he has flattered Mr. Huskisson, and Sir Thomas 
 Cochrane, and loaded with indiscriminate abuse all 
 those who differ in opinion with him and his party : 
 what success may attend his meritorious labours, time 
 will show : that His Majesty's Government will, 6^ 
 nuch means, be convinced of the necessity of a colowal 
 
 legielaiiu'e, is not very probable. 
 
 • Now B. 
 
1^ 
 
 This question, divested of the verbiage with 
 which Mr. Morris has enveloped it, is, whether New- 
 foundland, in its existing state of settlement and 
 improvement, requires a Colonial legislative Govern^ 
 ment?—am], if the existing state of the settlement 
 floes not require it, whether the probability of future 
 improvement would justify the granting of such a 
 Government? If, in either case. His Majesty's Mi- 
 nisters are convinced of the necessity, ihey will, from 
 a sense of public duty, grant such a government ; and 
 the merchants of Poole will bow with submission to 
 
 the /?af. 
 
 It has been shewn, we think beyond contradic- 
 tion, that the population of the island (large as it is) is 
 dispersed along the very margin of the coast ; and 
 that, with the exception of the vicinity of St. John's, 
 there is not a house to be found, or any vestige of 
 settlement, at the distance of a mile from the shore i 
 and that the interior of the island, as far as has been 
 ascertained, is unfavourable, if not altogether unfitted, 
 for cultivation :— that the cli.nate is uncongenial to it, 
 is well known, and is confirmed by the fact, that m 
 the present year (1828), so late as the beginning of 
 May, the snow laid on the ground, and the frost was 
 so intense, that the common operations of domestic 
 o-ardening couUl not be commenced* : — that cultiva- 
 Tion, as an auxiliary to the fishery, has long been 
 pmctised, and to as great an extent as the wants or the 
 inclinations of the inhabitants hav.^ prompted them to 
 pursue it, and that there is no restriction to its future 
 and unli nited extension :— it has further been shewn, 
 
 D * Note C. 
 
 
18 
 
 that i\ie fishery, from the first settlement of the island, 
 has been the only object of pursuit^i*, and that, from 
 natural causes, no other object can be pursued with 
 advantage ; and, it may be added, that the habits of 
 the people combine with natural obstacles, to pre- 
 vent Newfoundland from becoming an agricultural 
 country, or even a commercial one, in any other sense 
 than as connected with the fishery. 
 
 From these premises, it is assumed, as a natural 
 conclusion, that the existing state of settlement and 
 improvement, does not call for a Representative Go- 
 vernment. Mr. Morris allows (p. 38) that "the repre- 
 ««sentative body would not have any very difficult 
 "subjects to legislate on, further than the propriety of 
 "making roads and bridges, and other local improve- 
 «'ments, and affording due encouragement to the 
 "trade, fisheries, and agriculture of the country.'' 
 The propriety of making roads in a country, the in- 
 terior of which, in the course of three hundred years, 
 has not invited a single settler to establish himself at 
 a greater distance than a mile from the shore, must, 
 we think, be ?i difficult subject: it must be equally 
 difficult to devise what kind of encouragement could 
 be afforded to agriculture, in a country which nature 
 has precluded from becoming generally agricultural. 
 Where bridges are proposed to be built, we are not 
 informedt: Mr. Morris will perhaps have the kindness 
 to tell us, in the next edition of his "Arguments.'* 
 Such encouragement as the trade and fisheries re- 
 quire, it is hoped His Majesty's Government will see 
 the necessity of, and be pleased to afford, without the 
 
 ♦ Note Dj - " "*' ^ 
 
 t ilVlS tit. 
 
19 
 
 intervention of a legislative assembly. From the same 
 data, vvc as naturally come to the conclusion that 
 the probability of future improvement, by means of a 
 representative government, is too slender and proble- 
 matical to warrant the adopting of a measure, to 
 uhich, whether considered in a political or commercial 
 
 Ux: 
 
 there are many and powerful objections. 
 
 These are the conclusions that the Author of 
 the "View'' lias arrived at, ujion a deliberate consider- 
 ation of the questions of Cultivation and Representative 
 Government : he has no personal views to promote, 
 and is no otherwise interested in the questions than as 
 they may tend to the public good ; if he is wrong, he 
 has a mind open to conviction by dispassionate argu- 
 ment ; and he is alike indifferent to the sneers and 
 the vulgarisms of coarse scurrility. He has no inten- 
 tion of again taking any part in the discussion of this 
 question ; and it only remains for him now to offer a 
 few observations on some other points adverted to by 
 Mr. Morris, and a few remarks on the want of candour 
 displayed by him in his quotations from the "View,'' 
 in the course of his arguments*. 
 
 In the first page of his work, Mr. Morris assumes 
 that the granting to Newfoundland a Constitutional 
 Government, "can alone save her from falling, at no 
 "very distant period, a victim at the feet of the young 
 "and aspiring Republic of America." This is a start- 
 ling prediction, and we sought, with fearful earnest- 
 ness, in the subsequent pages, for the dread proof of 
 its probable fulfilment ; and, at length, in (p. 87) we 
 find the following passage. "1 state as a fact, that has 
 
 • Not« F. 
 
 il 
 
20 
 
 '*appearwl dear to CTen intelligent man in Newfoum!- 
 •'land, who ever gave himself the trouble of making 
 "observations on the subject, that tiiat colony is a 
 "stepping-stone to the United States of America ; that 
 "in consequence of the difficulties in the way of making 
 "settlements in Newfoundland, the fishermen and 
 ^'other emigrants, in a short time direct their course to 
 "the United States, carry with them often the fruits of 
 "their labour at Newfoundland ; but always, what is 
 "more important, the experience and knowledge 
 "which they have gained from their employment in 
 ^''the cod and seal fisheries.'' And he adds, "1 am 
 "prepared to prove that, for the last fifteen years, 
 "the great bulk of our fishermen, not less than fiom 
 "forty to fifty thousand, have emigrated to America*." 
 Beyond this point, even to the end of Mr. Morris's 
 elabor4te production, we find not a single syllable in 
 ^elucidation of this portentous prophecy. 
 Parturit mons, nascilur ridiculus mus ! 
 
 We are ignorant of the source from which Mr. 
 Morris derived the information that has enabled him 
 to prom, that forty or fifty thousand fishermen have 
 cmio-rated to America in the course of a few short 
 vears- and candidly confess that we are not prepared 
 from any auihmiic records to prove the inaccuracy 
 of his statement ; but we venture, without fear ot 
 contradiction, to affirm, that if he attempted to prove 
 the emigration of owe tenth of the number, withm the 
 last twenty years, he would fail : but grantmg bun, 
 iw way of argument, an emigration to the full extent 
 Jf his assertion, it would prove nothing for the pomt 
 
 • Note Q. 
 
 mm 
 
he is labouring- to establish. As well might the sup- 
 porters of the Corn Bill contend that the United King- 
 dom would, at no very distant period, fall a victim 
 at the feet of the ymimj and aspiring republic of 
 America, because countless thousands have, in the last 
 twenty jears, emigrated from her shores to North 
 America : and yet, Great Britain has a constitutional 
 oovernment, and England and Ireland at least, are 
 «reat agricultural countries. 
 
 Mr. iMorris, like many an ingenious advocate, 
 over zealous in a weak caus€', adopts, without hesita- 
 tion, arguments, however fanciful or extravagant, if he 
 thinks they may by possibility serve his purpose, and 
 contribute to obtain the darling object of his hopes— 
 A House of Assembly, in which, of course, he and 
 his friends are to have seats, and to vote and expend 
 money, and make St. John's a little paradise, where 
 they and their descendants, "the wise and the good*," 
 with their "beloved Governor" of the day, and sur- 
 i-ounded by Houris, uiay sit and enjoy celestial music, 
 and call upon the poor industrious fisherman to pay 
 
 the piper. 
 
 In page 19, Mr. Morris sa}s, "Should they ven- 
 "ture into the presence of our beloved Governor, who 
 "their hopeful descendants have endeavoured to de- 
 "fame and vilify." If any expression in the "View" 
 should have been construed into an attempt to defame 
 and vilify the Governor, the author would indeed feel 
 extreme regret ; he trusts it is not in his disposition 
 to defame or vilify any one, much less the constituted 
 authorities of his country, towards whom he has never 
 
 ♦ "Arguments," vaje 19. 
 
 I 
 
^■v, 
 
 i ' 
 
 s 
 
 
 n 
 
 22 
 
 failed in respect An humble individual, he cannot 
 of course boast the honour of any personal knowledge 
 of Sir Thomas Cochrane, or of his public or private 
 character; from the report of common fame, he 
 believes him to be an honourable and intelligent man, 
 sincerely disposed actively to promote the welfare of 
 the inhabitants of Newfoundland; and, however he 
 may differ from him in opinion, as to the means to be 
 adopted for the purpose, he feels the most perfect 
 respect for the motives by which he is influenced. 
 Any observations, that may seem to bear allusion 
 to the Governor, were never for a moment meant to 
 apply to Aim; but they were intended to apply to 
 such flatterers as Mr. Morris, and the writer in the 
 Newfoundland Public Ledger, who "buzz and 
 "flutter round the ears of great men^I^"," and sometimes 
 succeed in urging them to measures, which, if left to 
 their own unbiassed and more correct judgment, they 
 would have avoided. 
 
 From the rank in life that Mr. Morris is repre- 
 sented to move in, the author would naturally have ex- 
 pected the candor and amenity of manners that usually 
 distinguish those who are accustomed to respectable 
 society, and that his quotations would be made at 
 least correctly and fairly ; a few instances will serve as 
 specimens of Mr. Morris's candour. 
 
 In page 20, he says, "he states, that the imper- 
 "fect information of official men, whose transitory 
 acquaintance with the place, acquired during their 
 "limited periodical residences, does not qualify them 
 "to take an enlarged view of the subject." 
 
 • ♦'Arguments" page 99. 
 
 t( 
 
<( 
 
 (( 
 
 23 
 
 If the reader will take the trouble to turn to 
 page 5, of the "View," he will find the passage really 
 to be as follows : "The causes of this manifest want of 
 "correct information on the subject, are to be traced to 
 "the discordant testimony of parties, whose conflicting 
 "interests have prompted them to give contradictory 
 "views of the soil, climate, and local capabilities of the 
 "island, and of the social, moral, and commercial 
 relations of its inhabitants, as best suited their several 
 purposes, either to support or oppose such measures 
 "as have been recommended to, or deemed necessary 
 "to be adopted by, His Majesty's Government ; and 
 "the imperfect information of official men, whose 
 "transitory acquaintance with the island, acquired 
 "during their limited periodical residences, did not 
 qualify them to take an enlarged view of the sub- 
 ject." A satisfactory proof of the correctness of the 
 former portion of the author's observations may be 
 found in the lucubrations of Mr. Morris himself, 
 whose purpose it did not suit to bring that part of the 
 passage into notice, hoping perhaps by the omission 
 to raise against the author the imputation of attempt- 
 ing to "c?c/ame and vilify^^ official men: the insidious 
 substitution of the words place and does,, instead of 
 island and did^ would not be worthy notice, but to 
 shew the spirit, in which the quotation was made. 
 
 In page 21, Mr. Morris proceeds — "But before I 
 "take further notice of his "Enlarged View," I will 
 "just point out one statement of his, to shew how ex^ 
 ^Hremely correct has been his information respecting 
 Newfoundland, and which will prove how little faith 
 
 (( 
 
 a 
 
 il 
 
 If 
 
 «( 
 
(C 
 
 (( 
 
 4( 
 
 C( 
 
 u 
 
 »'Iiis theoretical opinions are entitlecUo uhon lio be- 
 »'trays such gross ignorance of fixcts.'' 
 
 In page 15, he states that "An act was passed in 
 1792 by which power was given to the Governors, 
 cwith'the advice of the Chief Justice, to institute 
 'Courts of CivilJurisdiction, &c., and that in this way 
 'the judicature of the island was conducted, until the 
 year 1824;'* and triumphantly adds — "Now it 
 'happens that the act of 1792 was repealed by the 
 "act of the 49th of the late King, under the authority 
 "of which the country was governed till the promul- 
 "gation of the act of 1824.'* Jyow it happens that 
 the act of 1792 was not repealed by the act of the 
 49th of the late King, but had expired a few dav^ 
 previous to the date of it; and it also happens that the 
 country was not governed under the authority of that 
 act, it being only an act to continue and establish 
 Courts of Judicature. ^ „ 
 
 The reader is again reqrested to refer to the 
 ccView " and he will see that in the preceding page 
 th- author had been concisely tracing the progress 
 of the administration of justice, from the year 1750,^ 
 and had, in page 15, brought it up to the passing of 
 the act of the 33d Geo. 3, in the year 1792. And m 
 the subsequent paragraph he adds-"By this last act 
 empower was given to the Governor, with the advice of 
 "the Chief Justice, to institute Courts of Civil Juris- 
 ccdiction, to be called Surrogate Courts, in different 
 "parts of ihe island, as occasion may require, with 
 .'power to hear and determine, in a summary.y/ay. all 
 "suits and complaints of a civil nature. And in thi^ 
 
25 
 
 «^vay tlie judicature of the island was conducted until 
 the year 1824, when an act, &c." Mr. Morris has 
 contrived ingeniously, the author wishes he could say 
 ingenuously, to advert to three distinct paragraphs in 
 five short lines ; and endeavoured to give them the 
 semhlance of consecutive narrative. 
 
 The author having arrived at the period when 
 the institution of courts of civil jurisdiction was sanc- 
 tioned by act of Parliament, had completed the ob- 
 ject he had in view, and had no occasion to notice 
 the act of the forty ninth : and had forty nine acts of 
 Parliament been passed between 1792 and 1824, he 
 should not have noticed one of them, unless some 
 change had been made in the mode of administering 
 justice ; he therefore, adds, in the concluding distinct 
 clause of the paragraph— "And in this way,"(that is, by 
 surrogate courts, under the authority of an act of Parlia- 
 ment,) 'the judicature of the island was conducted 
 »'until the year 1824." If iMr. Morris can now make 
 any thing of this discovery of the author's gross igno^ 
 ranee of the existence of the act of the 49th Geo. 3, 
 he is very welcome to all the advantages of it. 
 
 The act of the 49th Geo. 3, ch. 27, was dated 
 30th March, 1809 ; the preamble recites, " Whereas 
 "an act was made in the Thirty-third year of the reign 
 "of his present Majesty, intituled An Act for establish- 
 ''ing Courts of Judicature in the Island of New- 
 'foundland and the Islands adjacent; which by 
 "several subsequent acts has been continued until the 
 "Twentj-fifth day of March, one thousand eight 
 "hundred and nine ; And whereas it is expedient that 
 
 E 
 
 if 
 
 I J 
 
 ! ) 
 
 !i 
 
^, 
 
 1P 
 
 « .' 
 
 26 
 
 utbe provisions oftl.esaicl act should be amended, and> 
 ^^thelike Courts of Judicature as ^ere therebv insti- 
 -tuted, be established and made perpetual And by 
 the second action it is enacted, "That it shall be law- 
 -ful for the Governor of the Island of INewfoundland, 
 -from time to time, to institute Courts of Civil Juns- 
 -diction, to be called Surrogate Courts, in d.flrerent 
 "parts of the Island of Newfoundland, and the Islands 
 "aforesaid, as occasion shall require, with full power 
 "and authority to hear and determine, iw the like sum- 
 ^^mary imy. all suits and complaints of a civil nature, 
 "arising within the Island of Newfoundland. 
 
 The author of the "View" had, in page 19, ob- 
 served, "that the surrogate courts, with all their im- 
 "perfecticns, generally exercised their authority bene- 
 "ficially for the people, and uere conducted cora- 
 "paratively at a little expence ; and that a large majo- 
 -rity of the c^ses which are brought into a court of 
 "justice in Newfoundland, are of a imture that may be 
 "best disposed of by a summary process, such as was 
 "practised by these courts." Mr. Morris, in page 28 
 of the "Arguments," without fairly quoting the pas- 
 «a-e which would not probably have suited his pur- 
 pole', makes a very disingenuous allusion to it, and 
 represents the author as "lamenting over the downtal 
 "of that summary justice, under the authority of 
 "which the poor inhabitants of Newfoundland were 
 "plundered and oppressed for centuries :" and, after 
 pourtraying, in sombre colours, the enormity of the 
 oppressors, giving the rein to his imagination, he calls 
 in the aid of "Indian savages,^' "wandering Arabs, 
 
^r 
 
 -'Persian satrap^;' and -Turkish bashaws," to lieighleii 
 
 the picture. 
 
 The cau(hd reader is again requested to turn to 
 the "View," page 19, and to compare the passage 
 alluded to widi Mr. Morris's version of it ; and then 
 to form his own judgment, as to the degree of confi- 
 dence that the opinions or assertions of a man are 
 entitled to, who could deliberately be guilty of so gross 
 a perversion. The author is as great an enemy to 
 swmnary justice, In Mr. Morris's sense of it, as he is 
 himself; has as great an abhorrence of Oppression, 
 and as true a love of genuine rational liberty. If Mr. 
 Morris sliovdd ever have the ill fortune to be entangled 
 in any of the courts of hiw, either in Newfoundland 
 or the mother country, he would probably become at 
 least as strenuous an advocate for summarf/ proceed^ 
 
 inns as the author is. 
 
 * In a note, page 63, of the "Arguments," Mr. 
 Morris asserts, that "it has been said by the author of 
 »'the "Enlarged View," that it is only round St. John's, 
 "the capital, that any thing like cultivation has taken 
 "place." It has not been so said :— if the reader has 
 patience, (and he is assured it shall not be further 
 taxed), and will once more turn to the "View," 
 page 11, he will find the author's words to be--"and 
 "that, at the present moment, the only appearance of 
 'cultivation, which Newfoundland exhibits, should be 
 'confined to gardens and potato grounds, which the 
 'inhabitants have cleared near their residences, except 
 at St. John's, and some other principal settli.^ 
 
 (Ci 
 
 cc. 
 
 (d 
 
 lb 
 
 3IEN1S. 
 
 )} 
 
U»\*> 
 
 28 
 
 Numerous other instances might be pointed out 
 of Mr. Morris's talent for perversion : but tlie author 
 is tired of the subject, and presumes the reader is not 
 less so ; he, therefore, leaves Mr. Morris to the solace 
 of his own reflections upon the exposure of his fla- 
 grant, gross, and wilful, misrepresentations : he is 
 naturally averse to controversy, and has reluctantly 
 entered upon these remarks ; but he trusts that he 
 shall never he found wanting in courtesy to a candid 
 adversary, nor ever shrink from an uncandid one. 
 
t 
 
 V 
 
 )t 
 
 e 
 I' 
 
 is 
 
 y 
 
 le 
 (I 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Note A, page 5. 
 
 The race of native Indians is now reduced to probably a few 
 hundreds. It is a source of melancholy reilection, that the indige- 
 nous inhabitants of a country, so peculiarly adapted to their 
 habits, and suited to their subsistence, should have become almost 
 extinct ; and that the few efforts made to open an intercourse with 
 them, for the purpose of promoting and encouraging amongst 
 them the arts of civilization, should have failed : but it is difficult 
 to conceive, how the existence of this remnant of a once numerous 
 savage people, is to prove the advantages of soil and climate for 
 the purposes of cultivation ; the argument would equally apply 
 to the Fins of Lapland, and the Esquimaux of the Arctic regions: 
 neither is the existence of deer, and other wild animals, more 
 conclusive. The Highlands of Scotland abound with deer, and 
 the forests of Germany with bears and wolves ; but nobody ever 
 dreamt that either would therefore become a great agricultural 
 country. 
 
 Note B, page 16. 
 
 The disturbed state of society in Newfoundland, alluded to in 
 p. 64 of the "Arguments," did not originate in the resident popu- 
 lation of the island, but in the turbulent and very natural clamours 
 for subsistence of distressed and starving strangers, brought out 
 principally from Ireland, in passage vessels, generally crowded 
 almost to suffocation, and exposed to filth and wretchedness that 
 would disgrace a slave shipy and sometimes landed in a state of 
 disease shocking to humanity, and productive of consequences 
 so alarming and fatal, as ultimately to call for legislative 
 

 If 
 
 hi 
 
 30 
 
 I 
 
 -,.,torfercnce. These miserable sufferers, left by their imi^orters, U* 
 *eek a precarious eu.pWyment, >vhich, if obtained, end..! xv.th 
 the fishing season, having no resources at the expiration ol it, 
 broke out into acts of violence, which compelled the merchants lo 
 shut the doors of their stores, and to guard them from outrage, 
 as the only m^aus of preventing the waste and spoliation ot their 
 property. 
 
 Note C, page 17. 
 
 The winter commenced early in December, and the fro&t 
 ^yas intense and continual; the thermometer often standing at 15 
 degrees below Zero. 
 
 Note D, page 18. 
 
 it is probable that cultivation was attempted by some of the 
 «arly settlers, under the first charter, but abandoned, in conse- 
 quence of the insurmountable difficulties attending it, and its 
 being found incompatible with the more profitable pursuits of the 
 fishery. 
 
 Note E, page 18. 
 
 The erection of bridges, over the brooks in some of the bays 
 and harbours, would no doubt be very benel.eial, and it would be 
 desirable that the Grand Jury should have power to direct such, 
 and other local improvements, at the expence of the district. 
 
 Note F, page 19. 
 
 Many more instances of Mr. Morris's -false reasonings" and 
 incorrect assertions might be adduced ; but it is presumed that 
 those already adverted to, will be sufficient to satisfy the candid 
 reader. We may however, in addition to them, observe that in 
 page 10, Mr. Morris, quoting from the Memorial of the Com- 
 mittee, says, -The adventurers to the other colonies had the 
 ™ mprovement M cultivation of the soil to lock to as the chief 
 
31 
 
 "source of wealtli and commerce, and even if they wore snecest- 
 •*ful enough to realise a sufficient sum to enable the m to Tetiiv, 
 **theij could not carry awaij their imprnvcmerts along with 
 *Hhcm ; the country teas at least so much bcnrfted by them:" 
 Neither have the Newfoundland merchants who havt; been fmlu- 
 nale enough t« be enabled to ret>re, carried away their improve- 
 ments with them; at least such has not been the pr.ictice of the 
 Poole merchants, scarcely an instance having occurred of any one 
 of them having retired without leaving behind him a considerable 
 capital to continue the trade that he had established ; there have 
 been many instances of St. John's merchants luivinof retired, some 
 of them to the United States, with the whole of their large for- 
 tunes, realised in Newfoundland. 
 
 In page 25, Mr. Morris says, **l shall just prove his un- 
 "blushing effrontery in asserting that the naval Surrogate System 
 *'was less expensive than the present ;" and accordingly, in page 
 26, he states the annual charges for the Chief Justice and Sttr- 
 ro^ates as laid before the House of Commons, in February 1824, 
 amounting to £1730. If the reader will refer to the estimates of 
 the charge of defraying the civil establishment of the island of 
 Newfoundland, for the year 1828, as voted in the present session 
 of Parliament, he will find — 
 
 Sidary of the Chief Justice £1200 
 
 three Assistant Judges at £700 p. ann. each, 2100 
 
 Attorney General 450- 
 
 Clerk to the Supreme Court 400 
 
 Clerks to ;.ie District Courts 850 
 
 5000 
 
 <( 
 
 not speaking of the expence of hired Vessels to convey them to 
 **iheir respective districts*." 
 
 To a common understanding it may appear that the author's 
 assertion "that the naval Surrogate System was less expensive 
 "than the present," is fully borne out by these statements, but 
 Mr. Morris's is wo common understanding, he adroitly brings in 
 the expenditure of the naval establishment for the island, amouut- 
 
 * ."AigHmcnti»," page 26, 
 
32 
 
 UM 
 
 ing by his account to £72,000 per amiuin, uvA throwing- into the 
 bargain a serious loss of ships and lives, charges the whole cost 
 to the administration of justice by surrogate courts. The author 
 will not charge Mr. Morris with unblushing effrontery ; but, he 
 really thinks, this has a good deal the appearance of modest assu- 
 rance. Mr. Morris again, in p. 28, obBerves— "I would just as 
 **soon expect that thelnquiaition would be established at Newfound- 
 "land, as theSurrogating System restored." The author is not such 
 a visionary, as to have ever entertained an idea, that the administra- 
 tion of justice, by Surrogate Courts^ would again be resorted to; 
 he was aware that there were many and serious objections to 
 them : but, in treating of the system of judicature, it was neces- 
 sary to notice them ; and he did otter an opinion, that this form 
 of judicial proceeding would, imder proper regulations, he per- 
 haps the best adapted for a Jishery, and he still does entertain 
 that opinion ; and he is much deceived and misinformed, if many 
 highly respectable characters, both in this country and Newfound- 
 land, do not agree with him, and regret that the summary mode 
 of proceeding, practised in those courts, has been superseded Ly 
 the more dilatory and expensive processes of District Courts. 
 
 In page 46, Mr. Morris says, **I do not hesitate to state that 
 an advantage has been conferred on the trade and fishery of not 
 less than £200,000 per annum, by the liberty of importing pork, 
 bread, flour, and other provisions, for the use of the fishery, from 
 the Continent ;" but he has omitted to inform us which Continent 
 he means, whether tlie old or the new ; and, in his illustrations, 
 he has quoted the prices of provisions at New York, as well as at 
 Dantzic and Hamburgh.— Mr. Morris seldom hesitates to state 
 any thing that he thinks may serve his purpose. — We are, of 
 course, ignorant of the ratio of profit that he is accustomed to 
 take ; but if he has ever realised a share of £200,000 per annum, 
 upon his proportion of the imports, it is not very moderate, as 
 the following statement will prove. The aggregate importation 
 of provisions into Newfoundland, for the year ending 31st Decem- 
 ber, 1827, was, 
 
 Bread, 169,296 Bags, 
 Pork, 22,000 Barrels, 
 Butter. 8000 Firkins. 
 
33 
 
 Of flour there is no return ; and there seems to be sonie doubts 
 whether it is not inclucUd in the quantity of Bread ; but, admit- 
 ting the importation of that article to have been 70,000 barrels, it 
 is evident that, upon any moderate scale, and the competition in 
 the trade precludes an immoderate one, the profits, over and 
 above what would have been derived from the same articles im- 
 ported from this country, could not amount to one fourth part of 
 the sunj stated by Mr. Morris ; and, when it is considered that 
 the markets of Canada were open to us, and have been indeed 
 largely resorted to (in the present year at least), it may be doubt- 
 ed whether the intercourse 'vith the European Continent has been 
 an advantage to the trade of one eighth of the sum stated. It is 
 also to be remarked, that Mr. Morris, with his usual disingenuous- 
 ness, has stated the price of pork at New York, where it was 
 at 35s., while, at Dantzic and Hamburgh, it could not be pur- 
 chased for less than 55s. per barrel*. 
 
 In the same page (40), Mr. Morris, again quoting from the 
 Committee, says, "It is well known, that the mercantile houses 
 ♦'which accumulated all their capital in this trade, have, in prosper- 
 *'ous times, ruade profits of from 20 to 30,000 pounds in one year." 
 It may be asked, is it probable, that agricultural speculations 
 will ever afford such profits? But, admitting the profits to 
 have been large in prosperous iimeSf there has been a long suc- 
 cession of adverse times, in which few of those engaged in the 
 trade could boast of projits. 
 
 Note G, page 20. 
 
 This is not very intelligible — Are we to understand Mr. 
 Morris to say, that for the last fifteen years the great bulk of 
 our fishermen have annually emigrated. — Mr. Morris says, "that 
 "in consequence of the difficulties in the way of making settlements 
 "in Newfoundland, the fishermen, and other emigrants, in a short 
 "time, direct their course to the United States." AVhat difficulties 
 are in the way of making settlements ? What other emigrants 
 
 * Tljese observations are not meant to disparage the giant of His j\Iaj<'s- 
 iy'i Government : it was a bonus to the trade ; and the merchants enter- 
 t^tJa a i' roper sense of it. 
 
u 
 
 Ah'tct thfeir course to the United States ? Indeed if a critical 
 examination of Mr. Morris's work was the object of these remarks, 
 there would be found matter sufficient to put somewhat in jeopa:dy 
 his literary fame, as a few instances may shew— In page 4, he dis- 
 claims any intention of imposing upon the Right Honorable Gentle- 
 man to whom he addresses his "Arguments," by "false reasomng," 
 or *^fahe facts r -hi page 12, he says, "the people feel the 
 •'blessings of an equal administration of the laws, andthehappi- 
 "nesa of independence ;" but adds, that "they can only obtain 
 "emancipation from bondage by claiming their rights." It must 
 be presumed that the people aheady enjoj/, because ih,y feel 
 the blesssiugs of an equal administration of the laws, and the 
 happiness oi independence; and yet, it seems, they have to obtain 
 emancipation from bondage// In page 19, he says, "Should they" 
 (i.e. the ghosts of the fishing admirals J "venture into the presence 
 "of our beloved Governor," however great their astonishment may 
 be sapiwscd to be, at being ushered to such an interview, it may 
 Tery naturally be presumed that His Excellency would not feel less 
 astonishment at such a visit, and would be little desirous of pro- 
 longing the audience. In page 20, we find, "As a proof that the 
 present generation of Poole is worthy of their renowned sires." 
 In page 64, we are told— far the best portion of the fisheries were 
 ceded to them ; i. e. the French and Americans. 
 
 Page 73 exhibits specimens of logic of rather a novel charac- 
 ter :—" While men's minds are constituted as they are at present, 
 •'and until they are changed by a fiat of the Deity, they will be 
 "influenced by the passions that agitate them ; their interests and 
 •'prejudices, and, I hope, a desire to promote the happiness of 
 "mankind, will direct their conduct; so long as these various mo- 
 ••tives govern the minds of men, so long will they come in collision; 
 •'and there is, in my opinion, no remedy for the evil, in a general 
 "sense, but for mankind to throw themselves at the feet of abso- 
 •♦lute despotism, and submit, without murmur or complaint, to its 
 •'capricious will." Human interests and prejudices, and a desire 
 to promote the happiness of mankind, form a strange combination 
 for practical use. Mr.Morris's proposition \s-Men's mindt will be 
 influenced by the passions that agitate them, and their interests 
 andprrjudiccsanda desire to promote the happiness of mankind 
 
 If 
 
35 
 
 will direct their conduct : but, as long as these various motives 
 govern the minds of men, so long will they come in collision : 
 ERGO, the only remedy for the evil, is for mankind to throw 
 themselves at the feet of absolute despotism f ! ! The author's 
 remarks on this part of Mr. Morris's "Arguments" are, however, 
 offered with great diffidence, for he confesses he does not under- 
 stand them. 
 
 In page 74, which abounds with grammatical curiosities, wc 
 are told, "There is no science so essential to the happiness of 
 "mankind as the science of legislation, and none in which less ira- 
 "provement has been made; but the rapid advances in every 
 "other, has dragged along even that sluggish science :" and, again, 
 "VVhether the establishment of local representative Governments 
 "have been, an improvement." Mr.Morris adds, "I do not hesitate 
 "to lay it down, as abroad proposition, that if the governors of His 
 "Majesty's colonies of the present and former days, only evinced 
 "the same desire and anxiety to do justice to the people under their 
 "respective governments, as His Majesty's Ministers do to pro- 
 "mote the interest and happiness of the people of their countries, 
 "that those colonies which are now separated for ever from the 
 "British crown, would form a component part of the :mpire, 
 "and a murmur of complaint would not be heard from any of the 
 "others." Mr. Morris, like Owen Glendower, can "call spirits 
 "from the vasty deep;'* and, having conjured up the ghosts of 
 the fishing Admirals, to introduce them to the Governor, he now 
 invokes the maw<?« of the governors of /ormer days for the pa- 
 triotic purpose of again uniting to Great Britain her for ever 
 separated colonies ! 
 
 Risum tcneatis amici ? 
 
 I' IMS. 
 
 Moore and Syd-:-r;hain, F f inters, l*ooIe.