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Lss diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithoda. 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 »,-. ^ '».-% >■*»•'■ ^■^ /© K'ju^f^^^c c^f<- i^^'r y^-^A^"l:/{'^i .#, R EMAR KS *■■ '^ ./ 11 .X ,'.:;_./'■•-''. ON THE stat^-'OF ■• * '.' , \ '"',■"■■ ■' ; . )^ SOCIETY, RELIGION, MOja^S*^? V «A AND EDUCATION AT ;i 6 <.M ' * ;■? NEWFOUNDLAND^ o^ , , r, IN REPLY TO THE STATEMENTS MADE AT THE 'ti"' .*• V^ <^o . ^ . MEETINGS, AND IN THE REPORTS, *C- -C^ /^. -''^ OF THE NEWFOUNDLAND SCHOOL SOCIETY, And also to a Part of a SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE BISHOP OF CHESTER AT THE Meeting of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, held at the Freemasons Hall^ ' on the 25th of May last. im A ILIS^. My Lord, The strange and most unnatural stories related before your Lordship, whilst presiding at the Meeting of the Newfoundland School Society, held at the Freemasons' Hall, on the 15 th of May, respecting the state of Society, Religion, and Morals in that Country, will be a sufficient apology for the liberty I now take of addressing your Lordship, with a few Remarks, to prove that the imputations cast upon the People of Newfoundland are utterly groundless, and without the slightest foundation. It must be within the recollection of yonr Lordship, that I at that Meeting — with a warmth of feeling and expression in some degree opposed to the solemn and regular character of its proceedings — did indignantly repel the disgusting charges brought forward. With the defence then made, in behalf of the People of Newfoundland, I should have rested perfectly satisfied, but that I observed in a Report of the Pro- ceedings of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, held at the Freemason's Hall, on the 25th of May, assertions made with respect to Newfoundland, by a Dignitary of the Church of England, well calculated to give, currency to the statements made at the Meeting of the New- foundland School Society, and to mislead the public with respect to the true character of the people of that Colony. Being a resident inhabitant of Newfoundland, and taking more than common interest in its welfare, I consider it my duty to re- move, as much as any humble eflbrt of mine can remove, the un- favourable and erroneous impressions which have been made on the public mind ; and when I reflect on the high station which your Lordship holds in his Majesty's Coancils, and that you [ ^ ] may, as one of the advisers of tlie Crown, be called on to decide on the wisdom of grantinjj to the people of NewfonndJand those liberal Institutions which have been jjrantcd to the neighbouring Colonics, I am the more anxious to place their real character before your Lordship. For if the people of Newfoundland are in the savage, besotted state, in wliich they are represented to be, without religious or moral character, it would be the ex- treme of folly to grant them those institutions whicli they are seeking for; and your Lordship would be fully warranted in opposing any such measures : on the contrary, if, as I hope to be able to prove, they are a religious and moral people, remarkable for their peaceable demeanour and submission to the Laws and constituted Authorities ; and that crimes of a public nature are by no means common amongst them, it will, I am sure, be a great inducement, in case the subject should come under your Lordship's consideration, to roromniend to his Ma- jesty's Government, that those rights and privileges which have been granted to other Colonies in their infancy, and which arc the main causes of their rapid advancement in population, wealth, and civilization, should also be granted to Newfoundland. It appears to me, my Lord, most extraordinary, and what I do not perfectly understand, that men, who profess to come forward to promote the cause of Christianity, should commence their labours by violating its fundamental principles. Cha- rity is the foundation on which the glorious structure of our holy religion has been raised by its Divine Founder ; it is the pivot on which it turns; — let those (ientlenicn, who have so repeatedly made such unfounded statements, with respect to the people of Newfoundland, reconcile their conduct with Charity, for in truth, my Lord, I cannot. I presume they would recoil at the very thought of injuring an individual in society, yet they appear to have no hesitation in traducing by wholesale the character of a people. We are told, my Lord, that good name to man or woman is inestimable ; if, then, it is of such impor- tance to individuals, of how much greater value must it be to the people of a distant and unprotected Colony, depending for their welfare and existence upon the will of a great and powerful nation, and separated from it by a distance of 2,000 miles. 1 am quite at a loss to devise the motives of those \ gentlemen ; possibly their object is to represent us as great sinners, that they may have the merit of converting us into very great saints. The truth is, my Lord, we are not very great sinners ; nor will, I fear, the exertions of those on this side the water, who take such an interest in our welfare, ever make us very great saints. We are very much like the people of other countries — not much worse nor much better. It appears to me that the error these gentlemen have fallen into, is, that they arc too fond of sounding their own praise; and I have therefore to recommend, in addition to their zeal in circulating the Holy Scriptures to the benighted inha- bitants, that they will themselves carefully read them. The severe condemnation by our Divine Redeemer of the Scribes and Pharisees, will, I fear, apply to their conduct respecting the people of Newfoundland, and be at tiie same time a cen- sure and commentary on their proceedings. I shall repeat the text for their edification : — " Take heed that you do not your alms before men, to be seen of them, otherwise you have no reward of your Father which is in heaven; therefore when thou dost thine alms do not sound a trumpet before tlicc, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory of men : verily, I say unto you, they have their reward." We read in the Scriptures, that in battle, " justice and courage is a thousand men" — in the conflict in which these gentlemen have engaged, with ignorance, vice, and immorality in Newfoundland, they will find, if they t':Vc Truth and Charity to guide them, that these virtues will he: t; r.n effect equal to the distribution of a thousand Bibles. I fear L have taken up too much of your Lordship's time in making these preliminary observations, and I will now endea- vour to prove the utter falsehood of the charges so frequently brought agaihst the religious and moral character of the inhabitants of Newfoundland. It is not necessary to detain your Lordship with a repetition of the disgusting detail of those charges : I shall endeavour to place the true character of the people before your Lordship, and, by comparing it with the statements made at the late public meetings, your Lordship will be able to form your own judgment on the subject. Newfoundland is the oldest, and, according to the opinions of 8011)0 of the greatest men, tlic most valiinblc Transatlantic possession belonging to liis Majesty ; yet, notwithstanding the proximity of its situation, close connexion with the parent state, and frequency of intercourse, little is known with respect to the country, by cither the government or people of England. For upwards of three centuries she has proceeded in her silent and submissive course, without scarcely a murmur of complaint. Oppressed beyond the example almost of any other country, she has been the inexhaustible source of wealth to those who proceeded tc her shores : she has fully proved the wisdom and truth of a great French writer, who states that " her fisheries are mines of national weaUii, superior to those of Mexico and Peru."* Cities, towns, and whole districts in England have * It must appear most oxtraordiiinry to the transitory ob- server, that a country possessing such inexhaustible sources of wealth, and which has raisce governed as BritonH, and not as a forHaken people, without law or gospel." Hy the Act of the lOth and llth William and Mary, for the these tvisf- and Icnrncil .fu(lt,^'8 was conrided the government of the country, and the administration of justice. [^'/jt/n'ttdh'. 2.] On their arrival they exercised every species of jiower, civil and criminal; they," iered, oppressed, and flogged the people at their pleasure. Wtmt must appear a novelty in legislation, the qualification of the " (Jovernors " and "Judges " of Newfound- land depended on the vessel : the swiftest sailing vessel was sure to make u " Governor." Their other (ptalifications maybe pretty well estimated by referring to page 4.0 of Mr. Reeves' valuable work, where it appears that out of seventy-eight Admirals, (three in each of the twenty-six harbours of Newfoundland, that were then inhabited) only four of them could writr, or keep any record of their proceedings. Mr. Keeves, in page 14!), states, " It has been too often repeated, in the course of this historical inquiry, to need repetition, that the Admirals were the ser- vants of the mcrchauts ; that justice was not to be expected from them ; and a poor planti'r or iidiabitant, who was con- sidered little better than a law-breaker in being such, had but small chance of justice in opposition to any great >V'est Coun- try merchant." Page 164, in speaking of the adventurers, ho states, " that they had been in the habit of seeing that species of weakness and anarchy ever since Newfoundland was fre- quented, from father to son ; it was favourable to their old impressions ; that Newfoundland was theirs ; and that all the planters were to be spoiled and devoured at their pleasure."' I shall conclude my quotations from Mr. Reeves with the fol- lowing, which will be found in page 43 of his History, for •■'i I 1 [9] the pLfpofle of showing thnt it is not irrelevant to my pi'esent purpose to glance at the excesses committed in the olden time at Newfoundland, and which have been continued until within a very short period ; as it proves that the acts of vice and immo' ral'Uy which have been made the subject of so many pathetic ap- peals to the charitable cocietics here, were perpetrated by the ad' venturers, who came to Newfoundland for the Ashing scas'^n, and not by the inhabitants : — " The picture (Mr. Reeves states; here given of Newfoundland is hardly to be heightened by any colouring to be found in the representations made by successive commanders : they are usually in tho same strain ; the griev- ances and complaintj, the remedies and expedients, are uni- formly the same ; and it is a remarkable circumstance in the history of the trade, that many of the papers relative to it, whether coming from the Commanders, (the Captains of his Majesty's shi^i'< on the station,) or from the merchants and adventurers, would apply to later times as well as those in which they originated." I have been particular in quoting from Mr. Reeves, he is well known to the British public, and I am sure will be consi- dered by your Lordship as the best authority; I have done so with the more pleasure, as it gives mc an opportunity of stating that the people of Newfoundland are greatly indebted to him. Ho laid the foundation of every improvement that has or will take place there ; he was the first to throw the shield of tho laws over the oppressed people of that country. It ( aiinot be a matter of surprise to those who may give themselves the trouble of thinking on the subject, that whilst such a state of anarchy prevailed at Newfoundland, little pro- gress was made in religion, morals, or education. Mr. Reeves was appointed Chief Justice of Newfoundland in 1 792 : since that time there has been a gradual, though slow advance- ment to something like rational government. When the power of the Fishing Admirals fell under the execration and contempt of the people. Governors were appointed by his Majesty, who were the Admirals commanding on the sta- tion : they exercised both legislative and executive powers, and sent their officers, who were called Surrogates, on maritime circuits round the island to administer justice, B I [ 10 ] and to expound to the people the abstruse science of the law. The administration of the Admiral-Governors was of little benefit to the country. A comparison with the Fishing Ad- mirals may make a shade or two in their favour ; but the his* torian of Newfoundland must rank them together: the prin- ciples upon which they acted were precisely the same — a pure, unqualified, and unmitigated despotism. Indeed, only that I am not a believer of the doctrines of Pythagoras, I would suppose that the souls of the Fishing Admirals, on their last voyage across the Stygian Lake, were transferred into the bodies of their successors. The government of Newfoundland by the Admirals of the British fleet, exhibits examples of the danger of placing uncon- trolled power in the hands of any man or set of men, and afTords melancholy proofs that English gentlemen, — the repre- sentatives of a constitutional king, — of the highest rank in the truly honourable profession to which they belonged, — did, in the exercise of power, act more like Persian satraps or Turkish bashaws than men who, it is to be supposed, were well read in the constitutional history of their country ; and who, from the benefits they themselves derived from the protection of good laws, should extend the same protection to the people placed under their government and control. Only that it may be ne- cessary, as warning examples to their successors, sometimes to hold up their capricious and arbitrary acts to public exe- cration and contempt, the fame of these distinguished in- dividuals would be better consulted in consigning to ob- livion the record of their government of Newfoundland, and, ever undisturbed, to let it rot in " the tomb of all the Ca- pulets." — [Appendix 3.] Having in such terms of reprobation spoken of the system that 80 long prevailed at Newfoundland, I beg to call your Lordship's attention to the present state of that Colony, which I am happy to say, assumes a more cheering and pleasii'g pros- pect. It may be considered that I have wandered froui the sub- ject with which I set out, by introducing a summary of the Governme:it of Newfoundland ; but in the observations I have made, not only on the history of that country, but of mankind, 1 have observed such intimate connexion between good Govern- 4 \ I t [ 11 ] inent and good Morals, that I could not separate them. To the History of Newfoundland I shall refer with confidence for an illustration of the principles. It will be most pleasing to the divine and moralist, as well as to the legislator, to observe religion, morals, order, and civilization, following in the train of good govemmciik:, and proving to demonstration that they are the consequences naturally flowing therefrom. I fear, my Lord, that there are many who differ with me in opinion, and do not see the connexion. I have indeed observed so many examples of persons exhibiting the greatest zeal for the propa- gation of moral and religious instruction, and the most intense anxiety to secure for the objects of their tender solicitude eternal happiness in the next world, while, at the same time, they are strenuously opposed to any measure calculated to im- prove their condition in this, that I can have no doubt on the subject ; but, my Lord, I have not the slightest hesitation in stating, that though such as these may be very pious, they are not very great, very wise, or very good men. During the government of his Excellency Vice Admiral Sir Charles Hamilton, who was the first resident Governor of New- foundland, and whose mild and benevolent character was in direct opposition to the miserable system under which it was his misfortune to be placed, some flagrant acts of cruelty and injustice were committed by his Surrogates in the out-ports : the injured parties instituted proceedings in the Supreme Court of the Island ; but it was not in the power of that Court to afford redress. The inhabitants took the alarm, and pe- titioned his Majesty and Parliament against the system that had so long prevailed. It must be within the recollection of your Lordship, that the grievances of the people of New- foundland were brought under the notice of the House of Lords, by my Lords Holland and Darnley, and before the House of Commons, by Sir James Macintosh, Sir John Newport, and Mr. Hume ; they finally succeeded, after much trouble, in bringing the true state of Newfoundland under the favour- able consideration of his Majesty's Government. It is quite impossible for me to express how much the people of New- foundland are indebted to those distinguished individuals ; however, I am sure, if they were sensible of the lasting benefits [ 12 J they have been the means of conferring on that country, it MTOuld afford to their noble and generous minds more than a reward for all their exertions. It affords me equal pleasure to state, that when the cloud of misrepresentation, with which Newfoundland had been so long enveloped, was dispelled, and its true state brought under the consideration of his Majesty's Mi- nisters ; they readily adopted measures calculated to confer the most important advantages on the Colony : and when I reflect on the conflicting statements that had been made to them, with respect to Newfoundland — the interest and influence that was used to mislead them — I must candidly confess to your Lordship, that I was most agreeably surprized, not that his Majesty's Mi- nisters had done so little, but that, under all the circumstances, they had done so much. — [Appendix 4.] To the Earl Bathurst, late Secretary for the Colonies, and to the Right Honourable Wilmot Horton, Under Secretary, whose most particular attention have been directed to the state of the Colony, Newfoundland is greatly indebted. Under their auspicies a new era has commenced ; they have annihi- lated the wretched system that so long prevailed, and which blasted the physical and moral energies of the country and the people. To those, my Lord, who are in the habit of speaking and thinking with contempt of every thing connected with New- foundland, this change may appear of little importance : in- deed, I know there are men whose minds are so curiously con- structed, that they think it a misfortune ; but to myself, and to those who imagine they can observe in Newfoundland all the elements necessary for the fourdation of a great commercial country, the late changes in its government afford real and unmixed pleasure. Short as the period is since the commencement of the present Government, it has gained the affection and the confidence of the people. The distinguished individual now at the head of the Government, has already done more to promote the internal improvement of the country than had been done by his predecessors from the days of Cabott down to the time of his appointment. The administration of justice is placed in the hands of men of professional education ; and I have no hesi- l^ation in stating, that in no part of his Majesty's dominions can f [ 13] , a poor or a rich man obtain justice, and justice according to the laws of England, with greater facility or with more purity than at Newfoundland. Having endeavoured, though, I fear, in a very imperfect manner, to connect the state of morals with the Government of Newfoundland, and to show that the one advanced in an exact ratio with the other, I shall now take a view of the present state of society in that country, which will more fully illustrate the principle, and prove to demonstration the statement I made in the beginning of this letter — that the charges brought against the religious and moral character of the people of the Colony by the orators of the Newfoundland School Society, and others, are, to speak most charitably of them, the pious inventions and fabrications of wild and visionary enthusiasts. The first authority which [ shall give your Lordship as to the true character of the people of Newfoundland, is the Rev. Mr. Anspach, who for some time kept a seminary at St. John's, for the education of young gentlemen, and was afterwards appointed missionary from the Society in this country for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. He had the care of the district of Conception Bay, containing from twenty- five to thirty tb^iisand inhabitants, where he acted in the double capacity of Minister of the Church of England and Surrogate or Judge; and, from his long residence, had the very best opportunities of forming a just estimate of the character of the people.N He states, in his History of Newfoundland, page 477, that " if the character of the natives of Newfoundland in general agreed '.vith those of Conception Bay, which he had greater opportunities to appreciate during a residence of upwards of ten years among them, no where can a race be found more remarkable for indefatigabie industry, for contempt of danger, for steadiness of temper and of conduct^ sincerity and constancy of attachment, and a strong sense of religious duty. The popu- lation of Newfoundland, with respect to religious professions, consists of members of the Church of England, of Roman Ca- tholics, of Presbyterians, of Independents, and of Methodists." In page 468 the same author states, that " the natives^ of both sexes f are equally remarkable for their ingenuity and industry; the women, besides the very valuable assistance which they [ 14 1 afford during the season for curing and drying fish, generally understand the whole process of preparing the wool from the fleece, and of manufacturing it, by knitting it into stockings, caps, socks, and mittens. Their worsted stockings are strong, and well calculated for the climate. The women are also charac- terized by a steady attention to their domestic duties, and correct- ness of conduct in every point of view." In the name of charity, my Lord, I call upon you to place this character of the people of Newfoundland, particularly of the female character, in opposition to the disgusting statements made at the Meeting of the Newfoundland School Society ; and I am sure your Lordship will at once admit that Mr. Anspach's authority is worth that of a ship-load of such puny orators, and of volumes of reports of speeches made by men, who, as I stated to your Lordship at the Meeting, knew nothing of the people of whom they presumed to speak. The justice and correctness of the general opinions given by Mr. Anspach, I shall endeavour to prove by the incontro- vertible evidence of facts. Crime committed against the peace of society is, it will be admitted, a test of the general cha- racter of the people of every country. If the people of New- foundland are judged by such a test, a judgment the most favourable must be given. For twenty-five or thirty years, in a population of upwards of 100,000, not more than three or four malefactors suffered death ; and I believe the crimes for which they suffered were more of a private than of a public nature. House-breaking, street, or highway robbery, are crimes never heard of in Newfoundland; notwithstanding that pro- perty is less secured and more exposed in that country than it is in most others. It is a very extraordinary fact that during the time that the late chief justice Forbes (now chief justice of New South Wales), whose venerated name will ever live in the grateful recollection of the people of Newfound- land; and the present chief justice (R. A. Tucker, Esq.), the successor to his talents and his virtues, presided in the criminal courts, a period of ten years, the severest punishment inflicted by them on any culprit was a few months imprison- ment, although during the greater part of that time the poorer t i I 15 J iP classes of the population were suflering great privations from famine and other causes. I have had frequently the pleasure of hearing these learned, upright magistrates from the bench, congratulating the people, particularly the labouring classes, on their orderly and peaceable conduct ; and having had the honour, in some degree, of en- joying their friendship, I have heard them more fully express the same opinions in private. I fear, my Lord, that when I state the absence of public crimes at Newfoundland, and add that the greater part of the working population are Irish, and the descendants of Irish, and that I have known frequently three or four thousand emigrants, in one season from Ireland, in a state of destitution, thrown into the town of St. John's, I shall shock the faith of some of the members of the New- foundland School Society. But, my Lord, it is the truth ; and 1 must say, in justice to the wealthier portion of the community at Newfoundland, that if the Irish of the poorer classes in that country were not orderly and peaceable, they would be unde- serving of that character for gratitude and generosity which even their bigoted calumniators, by the way of a make-weight in the opposite scale, sometimes give them credit for. Invari- ably the greatest kindness and sympathy have been exhibited by the higher orders at Newfoundland for the distressed Irish ; and it is only a just tribute to them to say, that they are above the paltry distinctions of countries or of creeds — that they have long ago committed bigotry to the shades. Of late years, my Lord, when the people of Newfoundland began to have minds of their own, and to think for themselves, much opposition was given in the out-ports to the kind of justice administered to them by men who were, if possible, less ac- quainted with the principles of English law, than they were with the principles of justice, and who handled an act of par- liament pretty much in the same way that a highlander would handle his Andrew Ferrara: cut and slash on every side. The people began to think that plundering and flogging were not very agreeable things, and were opposed to their rude ideas of justice. The consequence was, resistance was made to many of the iniquitous decisions. [/^ppendLv 5.] Breaches of the peace and acts of violence were committed. It was no un- [ J6] common thing at some of the out-ports for conflicts of a serious nature to arise; the judge, supported by all the constituted authorities, and well armed, endeavoring to carry \m just judgments into execution on the one hand ; and the people, armed with their long sealing guns, resisting the predatory invasions of their rights and property on the other. In most instances the judges and their party had to make precipitate retreats, though it might well be supposed that from their know- ledge of warlike tactics they would have a decided advantage over their opponents. Tliis opposition on the part of the in- habitants of the out-ports, to the decrees of the Surrogate Courts, was very much misrepresented, and tended to injure their characters. I am not now, my Lord, speaking of the olden times at Newfoundland ; I have merely stated what I know to have occurred in some of the out-ports within the last seven years : but, my Lord, it is most gratifying for me to have to add that these acts of violence are not now heard of. A system of jurisprudence has been established which guarantees justice to the ])eople ; and so deeply rooted is that opinion amongst them, that I have no hesitation in saying that our present ve- nerated and beloved Chief Justice might open his court in the most distant parts of the island, and that the people them- selves would carry his judgments into execution. They know that he will not permit " laws to grind the poor, or rich men to rule the law." Having stated the absence of crime at Newfoundland as a proof of the moral character of the people, I shall conclude by giving a summary of the state of religion and education. The inhabitants of Newfoundland, are either English, Irish, or Scotch, or their immediate descendants ; and, as it has been stated by Mr. Anspach, they are divided into a great variety of religious sects; — religious instruction is conveyed to them by clergymen of the Church of England ; numerous missionaries from the Me- thodist Society in this country ; a Roman Catholic Bishop, resi- dent at St. John's, with numerous clergymen of his persuasion acting under his authority in all parts of the island ; and, lastly, clergymen of the Presbyterian religion. The clergymen of the Church of England and of the Methodist Society are supported in a great degree by the Society for the Propagation of the Gos- t «7 1 t pel in Foreign Parts, and by the Methodist's Missionary Society; those of the Catholics and Presljyterians are, I believe, entirely supported by the voluntary contril)ution3 of their flocks. I spc \k only the general opinion at Newfoundland when I say, that a more pious, moral, and zealous body of clergymen there is no where to be found ; and the consequence of their pioua labours is, and I state it confidently, that in no country is the genuine principles of the christian religion more uniformly respected. The people are most remarkable for attention to their religious duties; and though divided into various sects, that bitter sectarian hostility, so frequently seen among peo]>le of other countries, claiming a higher degree of civi- Uzation, and loudly proclaiming to the world their perfection in christian doctrines, is not observed amongst them. The peo- ple of the various religious congregations at Newfoundland have coujplied with the recommendation of our divine master,— they love one another. It is, my Lord, a distinguishing feature in the character both of the clergy and laity at Newfoundland, that they are more anxious to become good members of the Church of England^, good Methodists, good Presbyterians, good Catho- lics, ill short, good Christians, than to make proselytes to their respective sects. If any clergyman at Newfoundland, no mat- ter what his creed, attempted to vilify the religion of his neigh- bours, he would be condemned by the enlightened christians of that country. Each religion at Newfoundland stands upon its own intrinsic merits : and if it would not be considered pro- fane I would say, that tiie principles of free trade in religion has been adopted in that country, much to the advantage of ge- nuine Christianity. Thus though christians at Newfoundland never interfere with their neighbours' creeds, I am sincerely of opinion thfit they have found out the true secret of prosely- tisra : they recommend their different religions by the prac- tice of christian charity ; and, possibly, their plan would be worthy of the imitation of those gloomy bigots who imagine they cannot propagate theirown favourite opinions without com- mitting the greatest outrage on the feelings of those who differ from them, and with whose consciences they have the daring temerity to interfere. C [ 18] It is possible, my Lord, that atiy general stntcment of nine, with respect to the christian charity that prevails at Newfoundland, may not pass current, as good autho- rity, unless substantiated by some facts, which, without doubt, will bring the matter more fully before your Lordship's mind. It is a very general custom at Newfoundland for the labour- ing classes, and others, in the winter season, as a compliment to the clergyman, to bring him from the interior a quantity of wood for fuel. The friends of the clergyman of the Established Church at St. John's, some short time ago, proposed, what is there called a general huul of wood for his benefit. I had the gratification of hearing the good, pious, and venerable Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church address his numerous congregation, and request of them that they would join in the haul of wood, and that their general exertions in behalf of his brother of the Established Church would be more gratifying than any thing they could do for himself. The day of the haul of wood it was most gratifying to observe the Roman Catholics uni- ted with their brethren of every other religious persuasion, moving immen»e masses of wood in the direction of the house of the worthy minister. The great body of the working people were Irish, or their immediate descendants, and I can assure your Lordship that it warmed my heart, though the mercury was fifteen degrees below zero, to observe the perspiration float- ing down their manly brows whilst vying with the people of other countries, and other religions, as to who should pay the greatest compliment to the respected individual. The quantity of wood hauled out by the united efforts of the people was great indeed; but it would be an act of injustice to the indi- vidual for whose nominal benefit this haul of wood was made, not to state that it was soon conveyed from his residence to warm the cheerless cottages of the poor, the sick, the widow, and the orphan. One or two other facts will more fully prove the good un- derstanding subsisting between the numerous religious societies in Newfoundland. It is not unusual for the clergymen of the various religions in that country, on particular occasions, to [ in * attend at the Roman Catholic chapel to hear a religious dis- course ; and it is only a very short time ago I observed the Roman ('atholic Bishop, robed in his canonicals, at the Esta- blished Church, attending to a religious discourse delivered by the worthy clergyman of that communion. I could recount many other acts, both on the part of thd clergy and the laity, of Christian liberality, which I have no doubt would shock the prejudices of the bigots of all parties. Thank God, religious discord, if it ever existed at Newfoundland, is completely crushed, and exists there no more. It is only in the putrescent and fetid soils of the old countries that infernal plant can flourish and luxuriate, spreading its noxious vapours, and causing ruin and desolation within the sphere of its influ- ence. It is, my Lord,, an exotic, and will not take root in the young soil of America, though it may be wafted across the " waters of the vast Atlantic" by the eloquence of my lord Bishop of Chester, and his compeers at the Newfound- land School Society. I shall conclude my remarks on the state of religion at Newfoundland, with only one observa- tion : That I must have, in this letter, stated many falsehoods to your Lordship, or my lord Bishop of Chester must have been most grossly imposed upon to be induced (no doubt from the representations made to him) to say, in his speech at the meet- ing of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, that " that island (Newfoundland) in respect to christian instruction, was in a state approaching to destitution." [/ippen- di,r, 6.]\ The next subject which I shall call your Lordship's atten- tion to, and which shall conclude all that I have to say on the subject, is the state of education for the poor ; Charitable institutions; and the liberal support which the inhabitants generally afibrd to objects requiring charity ; and which I request you will place in juxta position with the statements made by the orators at the Newfoundland School So- ciety meeting, who want to monopolize to themselves credit for all the education, all the morality, and all the religion, in that country ; though, even according to their own account, they have not yet made much progress, or they would not boast of 1 [ 20 ] one of their inaHtcrs in Nowfoiindlaiid succocding, after a \v«)rUl of pains, in procuring a female there, " diacrret and elcanly," and fit to be raised to the important situation of his " maid of all work." This I know is a world of cant : but, my Lord, of all the cant, in this canting world, the hiipocritUnt cant of religion and charity is the most intolerable. In the year 1802, during the government of admiral, now Lord Gambler, there was a school established for the education of the poor at St. John's, under the denomination of a '* Protest- ant and Roman Catholic School." This school owes its origin in a great measure to Lord Gambler ; and, I believe, he was as- sisted in his laudable object at the time by the Roman Catholic Bishop, Doctor O'Donnel, and by others of influence then in that country. It has since been supported partly by aid from the local government, and by voluntary subscriptions on the part of the inhabitants. I have had a share in the management of the school for some years, as one of the stewards, and I can state, that the children educated there reflect the highest credit on the establishment. The present master of the school was educated there : and for talent, and attention to his duty, is not second to any holding a similarsituation at Newfoundland. From 250 to 300 children are educated at this school, which is under the direction of a general committee, consisting of the clergymen of the various religious persuasions, and the princi- pal gentlemen of St. John's. Schools for the Poor have been established at many of the out-ports } and, I have been informed, by a pious and worthy clergyman of the Methodist society, that they, the Methodist mi- nisters, were authorized by the parent society in £ngland to es- tablish schools in all parts of the island. And, further, that they had liberty to draw on the parent society for sums equal to what might be subscribed by the iidiabitants for that purpose. In consequence, many schools have been established in various parts of the island, by the clergymen of the Methodist persua- sion ; who are, in Newfoundland, most zealous and indefatigable in the discharge of their duty, for the benefit of the people of their congregations. y [ 21 ] There &rc innny schools also in the out-ports supported by tlie Society for the i'ropiigatioa of tlie (toMpel in Foreign I'urts. The clergyuieii of all the other pcrsiiuHioiiH have schools for the education of their respective poor. There is a charitable society at 8t. John's ; the Benevolent Irish Society, established as far back as 180ti, by Colonel, now General Murray, late Governor of Dciiierara, and James M'Braire, Esq. now of Tweed Hill, Berwick, who were the first presidents of the society, and are now vice patrons, and have, since their departure from the island, been most liberal supporters of the institution. The object of the society is, in the first place, to give relief to the aged and infirm ; to encourage industry among the poor ; and to promote education and good morals. Since the establishment of the society there has been expended for charitable purposes upwards of jf 8,000 ; and the society have invested in the public funds, in the names of trustees, James M'Braire, Esq. Thomas Meagher, Esq. and myself, j^ir)00, besides ^200 balance of interest remaining in the hands of the agents of the society in this country. The society is supported by the annual payments of members ; but a great part of the money expended has been the voluntary subscriptions of the labouring classes of the Irish, and their descendants, through- out the island. In the distribution of the funds of the society, they confine their issues to such infirm and aged persons who, from these causes, are deemed incapable of earning their support. The undivided attention of the society has been directed to the encountgemcnt of industry among the labouring classes ; they have used every argument and persuasion to induce the people to clear and cultivate the soil, and, as a further induce- ment, the society engaged in their individual, as well as in their aggregate capacity, to procure small lots of ground for the poor and to assist them in clearing it; and, lastly, to give them seed to plant therein. The society have, for some years, faithfully redeemed this pledge, as far as their very limited means allowed them ; and it is impossible for me adequately to state the im- portant benefits that arise to the poorer classes in Newfoundland from the measures adopted by the Irish Society ; not so much in y I 22 J the direct aid given to the poor, but in the example of succciis- fnl industry f^ivcn to others, and which, thank God, is extending itself in every part of the island ; ^'A the poor people are raising themselves, by their own exertions, from a state of wretchuti pauperism to one of comparative comfort and independence. The fishery on the coust until of late years was the only support of the inhabitants, if it were successful they were enabled to pro- cure food for themselves and iamilies ; if it failed, they were ])lunged in distress, and had to eke out a M'retched existence during the dreary period of a cold Newfoundland winter. Though last year the fishery was a complete failure, little or no distress has been experienced; none i \, t ' ^r ')v those persons who have attended to the cultivfiiivc to state that individual members of that society, indopendei. ly of their annual dues, have subscribed very large sums for tli' erection of the new school. Some subscribed jf 100, others J. "'0, nnd the other members have subscribed ])roporti(>nably. In addition to the subHcriptions of the mem- fn'rs of the society, m<)> libera' donations have been given, un- solicited, by his Exrcllcn< V, Sir 1 liomas ('ochrane, V. W. Bren- toii, Esjj. his secretii'v, tlu Chief .'nstict, the .Judges, the At- toriu' (leneral, the ( rgynu i of t\. ■ different religious pcrsua- sionH, and many other ^'cntleui n of th iirmy, navy, and town. It may be necessary for mc, to st u*, tlui though the title of the S()''iety is Irish, there is no 'ti^ iik )n whatever made in thr distribution of tli charity tftv tlu rules they are bound to " afford relief to the unfortua*M o, all nations, as general philanthropy is the object of the ; iety;'" and as the society is patrt ni/ed by every man of rank u»« ortn in the country, it is the b' st proof that they religious!) UNcrvc these rules \i\ every partic lar. [^ppctulir, 8.] The. • are other charitiiblc institufc as ^ St. John's and the out-pori '^ ; and I have ample eviileno' '" prove, if necessary, that no where is charity more genera practiced than it is by the gene ous inhabitants of that count«\. This, 1 ly Lord, is the case that I Im^ endeavoured to make out for tlie calumniated people of Nev» I'luindland, if I have faile«l, the fault alone is to be attributed o the incompetency of the adv(M-ate. In the course of my remarks I have made use of some laniruage that may be considered harsh and severe ; I have particularly to request, that it will alone be placed to the account of those individuals of the Newfoundland School Society, who, from tluir connexion with Newfoundland, or local know- ledge, knew, or ought to have known, that they were uttering un- founded, and most slanderous imputations ; for them, and them alone, the language is intended. To those good and benevolent men, who, like your Lordship, generously came forward to I 7f I t 24 ] promote the great caiise of education at Newfoundland, I, in coniiuon with every person interested in the welfare of the Colony, must feel truly grateful ; and I most sincerely hope that any expression that may have fallen from me, in the course of this letter, will not prevent them from continuing their support. The Institution, under good management, is calculated to do much good, and I am not without some hopes that my proving that the people in that country are not the half-savage monsters they have been represented to be, will be an additional induce- ment to the enlightened and liberal public of England to extend their benevolence to the oldest, and, until of late, the most neglected of their Colonial offspring. However, I must candidly confess to your Lordship, that I would not condescend to notice the " trash" circulated by the itinerant orators of the Nevrfoundland School Society, at their Meetings in this country and in Ireland, but that I considered it of great importance to the future welfare of the Colony, that the erroneous impressions generally prevailing respecting it should be removed ; and my great object is to prove that the people of Newfoundland are peaceable, moral, and religious ; and are ripe for and in a fit situation to receive those enlightened and liberal institutions which have been granted to Colonies of much less importance in their neighbourhood ; and without which it is vain to hope that the country can make much progress in population, wealth, and internal improvement. l.Jppendh' 9.] For the life of me I cannot discover one principle of reason, or sound policy, in with- holding from Newfoundland some sort of local Government calculated to rouse its dormant energies : it would, or I am grossly in error, promote at the same time the interest of the Mother Country, the merchants, and the inhabitants ; there are no conflicting interests, and it can be made as clear as the sun at noonday, that any measure calculated to foster the neglected internal resources of the country, would also promote the best interests of the trade and fisheries, [^^ppcndlv 10.] and make the Colony a more valuable appendage to the British Crown. In conclusion, permit me to say, that I have made no st.itc- uients in the course of this letter, that 1 do not know or believe [ 25 j to be true : that, indeed, my Lord, must be a miserable cause that requires the aid of falsehood to support it : humble as the individual is, who has the honour of addressing your Lordship, he would disdain to have recourse to such means to support that cause which, above all others, he has most at heart, the happiness, welfare, and good government of the people of New- foundland. I have the honour to be, My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient, Most humble servant, Somerset Hotel, strand, PATRICK MoBBl8< London, June 2Srd, 1827. il I If 1 if 1» p APPENDIX. Note 1. Page 7. In making such serious charges against the adventurers it is necessary for mc to give proofs ; or accusations so shocking to humanity w^ould scarcely gain credence with those not acquainted with the history of Newfoundland. For the truth of my state- ment I have only to refer to the proclamation of Governor Montague, issued on the 6th of May, 1766. It states, " that it has been represented to his Majesty, that his subjects re- siding in Newfoundland, instead of cultivating a friendly inter- course with the native savages inhabiting the island, as might be for their mutual benefit, treated the said savages with the greatest inhumanity, and in some instances had destroyed them without the least provocation j that it was his Majesty's royal will and pleasure that the governor should express his Majesty's abhorrence of such inhuman barbarity." Little is known of the state of the Aborigines j they have re- sisted every attempt to form a friendly intercourse. It is sup- posed, and most justly, that they were treated so barbarously on the first settlement of the island, that they fled to their woods } and the recollection of the cruel treatment experienced by them, has been transmitted from generation to generatii)n, which accounts for the unconquerable antipathy which they have ever entertained against their more civilized brethren. Some years ago Lieutenant Buchan, of H. M. S. Pike, was sent on an expedition by the governor to the interior of the is- land, for the purpose of forming a friendly intercourse with the natives. He proceeded in the Pike, I believe, to the Bay of Exploits, where he laid up his vessel for the winter ; and taking with him a sufficient armed force, proceeded by land towards the interior. After traversing a great part of the country, he came up with a tribe of the Indians, whose camp he sur- rounded ; not understanding their language, he conveyed to them by signs the friendly object of his visit, which in a short time they appeared perfectly to understand. After con- I [27] I a siderable negociation, it was agreed that Lieutenant Buchan should leave two or three of his men, as hostages, with the sa^ vages, and that an equal number of them should proceed with him to his ship, to carry the presents to the camp, with which he was furnished by the governor. The Indians proceeded with Lieutenant Buchan on board the Pike, where every attention and kindness Was shewn to them. The presents were got ready, and Lieutenant Buchan and his party proceeded on their return, accompanied by the Indians ; but when they got within a short distance of the camp the Indians suddenly darted into the woods and fled j and when Lieutenant Buchan and his party got to the camp they found it deserted by the Indians, and the head- less bodies of the poor fellows who had been left as hos- tages lying on the ground. It is uncertain whether the Indians when leaving their party, had concerted the murder of the hostages, or whether they smelt the biood of the murdered men when they approached the camp. This relation of Lieutenant Buchan's expedition will be found substantially correct. In 1820, Captain Buchan, (the officer before mentioned) with H. M. S. Grasshopper, was sent on another expedition, by his Excellency Sir C. Hamilton, for the same purpose. After spend- ing the winter in fruitless exertions, he returned the following year to St. John's, without meeting with any of the natives, though he found traces of them in many parts that he traversed. Note 2, page 8. The transactions of the Fishing Admirals would scarcely be credited were it not that they are authenticated by evidence that is unquestionable. On the arrival of these Admirals in their respective harbours, they selected for themselves the best situations for carrying on the fishery. The ceremony they went through in taking possession of property was by planting a green bough on any place they took a fancy to, and it was without further ceremony wrested from the unfortunate pos- sessor. If any of the inhabitants attempted to clear the ground, and plant a few potatoes for the use of themselves and fami- lies, they were sure to bring down the vengeance of these little tyrants : a green bough was immediately struck into the oflending soil, and the seed torn from the ground ; for they h... i\ [28] dreaded nothing more than the improvement of the soil, appre* hending that it must interfere with their monopoly in sup- plying the people with provisions. Being the judges in all cases, if any of the planters were indebted to them for supplies, whether from the badness of the fishery, or other causes, and were not likely to be able to pay all their other icreditors, these just judges proceeded to the premises of the '0 person, and sent away fish, oil, and every thing else of value they could find, which they put on board their ships, and with which they proceeded to England, paying the other ere- ditors with a " flying top-sail." ■^ --* ..'-^ Note 3, page 10. The Governors appointed by the King generally came to Newfoundland the latter end of June or beginning of July, and returned to England on the 25th of October. Their arrival was dreaded by the inhabitants as the angry visitation of offended power more than as a dispensation of the just laws of a Prince who was considered the father of all his people. To give some faint idea of the u. aner in which an English King was represented in Newfoundland, I have only to state that the inhabitants were not permitted to cultivate the soil, nor were they allowed to build houses on their ground ; and, what must appear most extraordinary, they were not allowed even to repair their old houses. Clearing an acre of ground, building a house, putting a shingle on the roof to protect the inmates from the " pelting of the pitiless storm," or a brick upon their chimneys, was sure to bring down upon the delin- quents the most dreadful vengeance. Shortly after the arrival of the Governor, in each year, he took a circuit of St. John's, and it would be in vain to attempt to give an idea of the alarm of the inhabitants during his perambulation ; for if he observed a new house built, an old one repaired, or a few new bricks used to repair an old chimney, he ordered it instantly to be razed to the ground, and the offending party might consider himself leniently dealt with if he was not shipped off by the first vessel that sailed. These statements, I fear, will not easily obtain the credit of persons who have not been in Newfoundland \n these halcyon days. During the govern' T i t [29] ment of Sir John Duckworth, there was a very respectable shopkeeper lived in the most public part of the town : his house was so very bad that he ran the risk of having all his goods spoiled by the weather : he made frequent applications to the Governor for leave either to repair the house or to build n new one; but no such leave would be granted. He then hit upon a bold expedient ; he privately built a new house inside the old one, when it was finished he managed, early \ one morning, by employing a great many hands, to have the old materials carried away ; and his Excellency passing along in the course of the day, found a new house erected as if by magic, staring him in the face, and setting his authority at de- fiance. The joke was such a good one, that his Excellency v)aa most graciously pleased to allow the rebellious house to rest unmolested on its foundation. The Governors claimed not only the power of regulating the property of the country ; they fan- cied they had authority, under the old customs, and particularly under the " glorious and immortal Act of the lOth and 1 1th of William and Mary," to send out of the country any man, woman, or child, that they thought proper. Note 4, page 12. Being in London at the time the last Judicature Bill was passed for Newfoundljind, I had some opportunities of knowing the difficulties which stood in the way of the Colonial Ministers coming to a correct judgment on the state of that Colony, from the conflicting and opposite statements that were made. A change at that time appeared to all parties as absolutely ne- cessary for the government of Newfoundland. Some persons (whose names I could not learn) recommended a system of their own for that purpose, and the heads of a bill were drawn up accordingly on the plan proposed by them ; but such a hetero- geneous mixture of despotism and absurdity never before was planned for the misgovernment of a people. It was more objec- tionable than the former system, for this obvious reason, that under its provisions all the excesses of the former Governors could be legally acted over again under the sanction of an Act of Parliament. Mr. Wilmot Horton was pleased to admit me, in coinpany with Mr. Dawe, to an audience to discuss the pro- i f T [30] visions of that bill, and I denounced them In such strong lan^ guage, that I fear, for the time, that I had forgotten that 1 was in the presence of a Minister of State. Mr. Horton did not inform us that he would make any alteration ; but when the bill came to be printed, I presume from the united interference of my Lord Darnley and the other friends of Newfoundland, nearly all the objectionable parts were omitted, and the Act rendered as benclicial to the country us it is honourable to the distinguished individuals who presided over the colonies, and who, I am sure, only required correct information respecting the country, to do it ample justice. Note 5, page 15. It is only common justice and candour for me to state, that the gentlemen of the Navy, generally speaking, had an indisposition to be elevated to the bench of justice, and, with a few exceptions, they acted with great humanity and kindness to the inhabitants. It would be a gross libel on the noble character of British seamen for me to attempt to insi- nuate any thing to the contrary ; and in denouncing the con- duct of Surrogates in Newfoundland, I wish to be particularly understood as alluding to other persons, of dubious character, appointed to fill that office, and not to the gentlemen of the Navy. At the same time, it must appear preposterous to any one of the least reflection, that gentlemen educated in a pro- fession which separates them more than any other from the relations of civil society, should be fitted for dispensing the abstruse science of the law. It would, as was remarked by Sir James Macintosh, when presenting the petition of the in- habitants of Newfoundland to the House of Commons, be as ridiculous for naval officers to turn judges, as it would be for lawyers or judges to take upon themselves the command of a British Fleet. In the last year of the government of Sir C. Hamilton, Captain M— — was appointed Surrogate, and was, as usual, ordered by the Admiral to proceed on a maritime circuit with his frigate, to dispense law to the inhabitants of the out-ports. The gallant Captain remonstrated with the Admiral, and represented his utter incapacity ; but, as I believe it is usual in the navy, the orders were peremptory. . [31 ] Under tliese circumstances, Cuptain M applied to the Chief Justice, Mr. Forbes, for advice ; and after stating his dis- tressing situation, the Chief Justice recommended a plan for his adoption, by which ho would at the same time conform to the orders cf his superior officer, and save his conscience from the charge of taking upon himself an office which he considered he was not competent to All. Mr. Forbes observed to Captain M , " The Admiral and the law both unite in saying that you must be a Judge — That you must proceed on a maritime circuit, and open Surrogate Courts — You must obey — But," said Mr. Forbes, " I know of no law that obliges you to decide any case that you don't understand ; and you are entitled to the privilege of all other Judges — You can take full time to make up your mind." Captain M— — retired with a light heart, exclaiming, " A Daniel, a very Daniel come to judg- ment." He proceeded according to his orders, opened his courts in the different harbours, heard the pro's and the con's, but took especial care that he did not give one solitary de- cision. This gallant officer who, in defence of that flag which ■ " has braved, a thousand years, The battle and the breeze," would shed his blood to the heart's core, yet had not sufficient courage to do an act of injustice. ^ There were other naval officers not quite so squeamish as the above gentleman, and who, stumbling upon an odd volume of Blackstone, or Burns' Justice, were quite anxious to display their legal lore ; imagining they were competent to decide cases involving principles of law the most intricate, connected with the Bankrupt Laws, Bills of Exchange, and the Law of In- surance : some of them in the course of a month or two de- cided three or four hundred cases ; and it may be with great truth said, they knocked them off the reel at the rate of twelve knots an hour. I recollect one case in particuLar, of a Surrogate in an out-port, who by some unaccountable accident decided right ; but he gave so many wrong reasons for doing so, that on an appeal to the Chief Justice, Mr. Forbes, he considered it necessary for the ends of justice, to quash the proceedings and order a new trial. [32 ] Note 6, page 1 9. When reading my Lord Bishop of Chester's speech nt tht; of the Society for the Propagation the G i\ meeting Foreign Parts, I took it for granted that his Lordship was guided by reports that had been made by some of the mission- aries at Newfoundland. Tliough intimately acquaint . with the greater part of them, there were some of whom I had no opportunity of forming an opinion ; and it occurred to me, that it was possible there might have been a " Judas" amongst them, who, for the hope of base lucre, did betray the trust reposed in him, and unjustly traduced the character of the people. I am grsitified beyond measure to have it in my power to say that there is not the slightest ground for the suspicion expressed in my letter. The Report of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, is now before me, for which I have to thank a Rev. Clergyman of the established church, by a referrence to which it will be seen that the clergy- men at Newfoundland report most favourably of the state of religion in that country. The Rev. Mr. Coster, the Arch- deacon, speaks highly of the state of religion ; and most par- ticularly of the charitable disposition of the people, " as ready to give, and glad to distribute." Tliey entered with j)romptitude into hip proposals for the relief of those " who were ready to pe- rish ;" and there was not a single instance in which the means of relief came too late. This truly pious and worthy divine recommends the practice of charity, by precept and example too; he has displayed the greatest anxiety for both tlic spiri- tual and temporal intert st of the people in his district, and has shewn the greatest indifftrence to his own interest — " Far other aims his heart had leHrn'd to prize. More bent to raise the wretched than to rise ; Careless their merits or their faults to scan. His pity gave ere charity began." The Rev. Mr. Blackman, in the Report, gives an interesting account of his journey to the south-west part of the island. This gentleman assures the Society, that " notwithstanding the very disagreeable means of proceeding from harbour to har- bour, often in tempestuous weather, his journey has afforded [33] him sincere satisfaction. The kindness and hospitality of ev«ry pers under whose roof he sojourned, their readiness in for- ivardiiig liis views, and their exertions in every way they thought conducive to the more easy completion of his mission, were no ungrateful contrasts to the misery of a small boat, and other inconveniences ever attendant on casual conveyances by water." The Rev. Mr. Bullock, missionary at Trinity, reports most favourably of the progress and state of religion and education in his district. The Rev. Mr. Chapman, from Twillingate, complains of his church being too small for the people on many occasions, and praises these good christians, as well for their behaviour during the time of service, as for the respect paid to him at all times ; and concludes with observing, that he is well satisfied with his situation. The Rev. Mr. Laugharne, whom I am happy to call my friend, and to whose laborious exertions I can bear ample testimony, says, " that the three out-harbours, under his care, are, with re- gard to religion, in a very Nourishing state. The churches at Por- tugal Cove and Petty Harbour are crowded to excess : indeed, at the latter place they must, if possible, again enlarge the church." Here then is the united testimony of the clergymen of the es- tablished church at Newfoundland, opposefl to the statement of my Lord Bishop of Chester. Where, in the name of wonder, I would ask, did he obtain his information respecting the state of religion in that country ? Orators as well as poets are allowed sometimes to take romantic flights 5 but before his Lordship, by a figure of rhetoric, swept away the religious character of the people of Newfoundland, he ought to have read the Reports of the very Society he was addressing, and which were, point blank, opposed to his inspired oration. The rjports of the respective clergymen of the established church at Newfoundland, reflect the greatest credit upon them, and must endear them still more to the people of that country, of every religious persuasion. My testimony in their favour ought to be considered conclusive by my Lord Bishop of Chester, as I am one of that class of christians (Roman Catholics) whose admission to political and religious rights his Lordship so eloquently and so unjustly op- poses. m m i i [34 ] 'J'he following Letter, from Archdeacon Coatcr to the Lord Bishop of Nova Scutia, presents such a comprelicnsive view of tlie state of religion in Newfoundland, that it is extracted entire from the Report alluded to : — •* My Lord, " I have, during the past summer, visited three out of the " five missions which, exclusive of my own, are jill that have •• been as yet ])eruianontly established by the Socitty for the " Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, in this island ; " and have the satisfaction to be aljle to affirm that I found the " several missionaries, entrusted with the care of them, all " doing their duty, and the work in all of them proceeding, to *' all appearances, prosperously upon the whole. In the long- " establ'jhcd mission of St. John's, I found tlie church well at- " tended, and every thing conducted in a regular and orderly " manner. In the extensive districts of Conception Bay, and •• Trinity Bay, as well as in Bonavista Bay, in which I myself " reside, new churches and school-houses are continually •• springing up, and there appears to be little difficulty in prc- *' vailing upon the people, by the offer of some pecuniary as- " sistance from our society, to contribute all that is necessary " on their part for the erection of such buildings, whenever they " are called upon to do so. This is tlie more to their credit, " when their very limited means, in this time of extensively pre- *• valent distress, are considered, and indicates a disposition " which, with due exertion on our part, may be improved to " their everlasting advantage. The three out-harbours in the " neighbourhood of St. John's, which have now for some time " enjoyed the advantage of the freciuent visits of a clergyman, " are by this time, eacli of them, provided with a place of wor- " ship, either appropriated exclusively to our use (.is in the case '* of Petty Harbour and Torbay), or one which we use conjointly " with the preachers of the Protestant Dissenting Societies " (as in that of Portugal Cove). The church of Petty Har- " bour, though built, I believe, not long ago, has been lately " enlarged for the accommodation of an increased congrega-^ '* tiou. The two remaining missions of Twillingate and " Ferryland I have not yet visited, and, conseciuently, for i^ [ 3f. •* an account of tlieir uditiun ■ laast refer to the reports of " their respective mi onaries. 'Tie report which hiis been *• made to ine respt t ^'err l.md is favourable upon the " whole 5 but it is to be regretttcl that no progress seems to " have been made towards the erection of a church by the in- *' habitants of that place, though they have had for a cc isider- " able time the benefit of a clergyman's residence, who is pro- " perly anxious on the subject. The missionary at Twillingatc " expresses much satisfaction at the state of things in that re- " mote district. The religious dissentions among the people " had greatly abated. There is now no organized sect of Pro- " testant Dissenters in the place. A building, which was for- '* merly used as a Dissenting place of worship, has been con- " verted into a Sunday School-room ; and those who used to " frequent it, now attend the church. The Sunday School is " in a very fl(mri8hing condition, consisting of one hundred and " twenty-six children. " The daily schools fittached to the established church, and •' in part supported by our society, have not hitherto attained, " generally speaking, a very prosperous state. Wo have been " under a disadvantage in having no central school in the island, •' in which the teachers we employ might be instructed in the •' Mcidras system. " There is now a prospect of improvement in this respect, " and we may hope that ere long our schools will put on a more " pleasing appearance. I ought not, however, to omit to mcn- " tion that 1 never heard the answers in the Church Catechism " better given than by a number of the scholars belonging to a '• charity school, which has been for a considerable time esta- " blished in St. .John's, at a public examination in the church *' while I was there. It was plain that great pains had been taken " with the boys, and that they had greatly profited by it. ** The school in ]U)navista does not succeed in proportion to *• the pains bestowed on it ; but that is ovv'.ig to causes of a " nature oidy temporary, and I do not apprehend that we shalJ " always have cause to complain of it. The nuserable poverty " of the far greater part of the over population of the place has " left great numbers without tlie means of providing even dc- '* cent and necessary apparel for their children, so that many ill r [3(i ] " of them couKl not now be sent to school, how luiu li «o«ver " they ini^ht desire it. I am fully nwarc of tlic iiii|vortancc of " this brniieh of our duty as ministers of rcligiou, and shall do " my utmost in its discharge both within my own district and " elsewhere. " When the nature of tlie ground we occup\ , smd the small " number of labourers employed on it are considered, I trust your *' Lordship will sec no cause to be dissatisfied with the statw " of things I have described. It is undeniable that considerable *' good is done with very small means. In each of the three *' extensive bays above mentioned, another missionary is greatly '* wanted, and I have received the most (irgent applications " from the inhabitants of more than one large and populous dis- " trict for a resident missionary. A memorial most numerously " signed, has just been presented to me from the inhabitants *• of a part of Trinity Bay, which well deserves the Society's *' earliest attention. " Until the wants of these districts can be effectually sup- " plied in the way they desire, all is done that can be done by " the appointment of the fittest men that can be found, as Lay- " readers and Catcchists. " I have lately made an appointment of this kind, to which I •• request your Lordship's sanction. It has not bee?i made " without due enquiry into the fitness of the person recoin- " mended to me, and after the answers I have received to those •' enquiries, I can entertain no d«.ubt on the suiyect. Every " care is taken, both by myself and my brother missionaries, ** that the persons holding these situations fulfil tiie duties of " them ; and, so far as I can learn, in general they do so to the " extent of their abilities. '• Upon the whole lean conscientiously give it as my opinion, " that the religious afl'airs of this portion of the diocese are di- " ligently and zealously managed by the several agents of our " church and the Society, and ever thing is in a state of pro- " gressive improvement. " I have the honor to be, " My Lord, " Your Lordship's obedient, humble Servant, *• Georor Costkb." 1 [ ^7 ] AW 7, page 22. Tlio most «1ocp footed prejudices have OKlstcd, nnd do exist, with rospt'ct to tho cliiimte and Hoil t,f Newfoini second their views ; andthc point which they invariably put to the government, (^for govcrnmenta as well as individuals have their weak sides) was, that a move- able fishery, the precise fishery they carried on themselves, was the only means of increasing seamen ; and, that if a resident fishery was encouraged, it would be ruinous to the British navy. By these preposterous and ridiculous arguments the mono- polists completely gained their object with the government ; and this alone can account for the monstrous power placed in the hands of the first rulers of Newfoundland, and for the re- giUations, sanctioned by the government at home, which prevented the inhabitants from cultivating the laud, and which absolutely gave power to the commanders to force the people from the country. These were the barriers to the improvement of New- foundland, and not the barrenness of the soil, or the severity of the climate. Soon after the effects of the ruinous treaties with the French i.i J [38 ] and Americans, in 1814 and 1818, came into opperation, the mo- nopolists had to contend with rivals whom they could not op- press and persecute ; — the consequence was, a universal panic, and a general crash among them. Those that were not coni' plctely ruined, had to withdraw their capital from the trade, or trt employ it in a way directly opposed to the system adopted by them for centuries j they were obliged to employ it in a way that must operate to encourage settlement and improve the country. During " the panic" in 1815 and 1816, in the New- foundland trade, the monopolists on this side of the water had sufficient influence to get a committee of the House of Com- mons to enquire into the state of Newfoundland. The ob- ject was, to persuade the government to grant a bounty. Mer- chants from all parts, I believe, were examined before the com- mittee ; they were loud -n their complaints of the ruinous state of the trade ; but when asked if there was a possibility of improving the soil at Newfoundland, they were unanimous in their opinions that it was impracticable. After all their exertions, the government, fortunately for Newfoundland, gave a deaf ear to their application for a bounty ; and on finding themselves disappointed in that, they threw the country and its inhabitants over-board — they might perish for aught they cared; and, indeed, two or three winters since that period they were reduced to a most perilous state; for if vessels with supplies of provisions were delayed, in some instances only ten days, nothing could possibly prevent tlic greater part of the people perishing from famine. The causes which I have men- tioned will be sufticient to any reasonable mind to account for the soil of Newfoundland not l)eing generally cultivated, and for the ridiculous prejudices that exist with respect to both the climate and the soil. The opinions of any man, though he may be worth two or three hundred thousand pounds, can have very little weight against the evidence of facts; The best argu- ment that can be adduced, that the soil of Newfoundland is ca- pable of agricultural improvement, is, that it has been improved ; and the fact of a poor man in tiiat country clearing a few acres of ground, and comfortably supporting himself and a large fa- nifty by its produce, must carry more weight with it than the opinions of a host of such interested men as were examined I [39 ] before a committee of the House of Commons ; and who, I believe, were very rich, very respectable, but even as far as their own interest was concerned, proved that they had more money than brains. The agricultural improvements that have taken place since the inhabitants have been thrown upon their own resources, must set the question of the practicability of improving the soil of Newfoundland at rest for ever. Fine farms have been cultivated in the neighbourhood of St. John's, in Conception Bay, St. Mary's Bay, Placentia Bay, St. George's Bay, and in every part of the island; and I state, without fear of contradiction, that in no one in- stance, where labour, skill, and industry have been used in cultivating the soil have they failed in amply repaying the husbandman's toil. Potatoes, turnips, and esculent roots of almost every description are produced in Newfoundland, and of the very best description. Oats, barley, and wheat, where they have been cultivated with care, have ripened, and come to per- fection. I have exhibited to corn-factors in this country samples of the produce, and they assured me they were of the finest de- cription ; and it is a fact can be proved, that potatoes and oats grown in Newfoundland now command at St. John's a higher price than articles of the same kind imported. The meadow ground in Newfoundland, is very fine, and I have heard good judges state that the quality of the grass, and its produce, in many instances was equal to good grounds in Ireland, and better than the generality of ground in Scotland. I have got a small estate in the neighbourhood of St. John's, part of which I farm ; I have planted annually, for the last four years, from sixty to seventy barrels of potatoes, and they have averaged in pro- duce twelve to one 5 and 1 have been assured by others, that they have frequently had twenty and twenty-five barrels of pota- toes produced frou? one barrel. There is a very fine farm ad- joining mine, owned and cultivated by Messrs. William and Henry Thomas, one of the first mercantile firms in St. John's. They have a Scotch steward, a Mr. Read, to manage their farm, a man of intelligence and well acquainted with the principles and science of agriculture. This farm has produced, under the ma- nagement of Mr. Read, most excellent crops of hay, oats, wheat, barley, and potatoes ; in fact, that gentleman has most unequi- [40] vocally proved that the soil of Newfoundland is capable of great improvement. By the advice of Mr. Read, the Messrs. Thomas have got a grant of 200 acres of new ground in the neighbour- hood of St. John's, from the governor ; and, I understand, that though they only commenced clearing it in October last, there will be fifty acres of it under cultivation this present year. The labour and expense of clearing the ground at Newfoundland is by no means so great as might be supposed j I have been as- sured by many, that the produce for the first year, under a judicious management will more than pay the expense. The Rev. Mr. Brown, the Roman Catholic clergyman residing at Ferryland, gave me a statement of the expenses that he was at in clearing 10 acres of land, in which he charged for the labour of clearing and planting, the manure, and the seed j and by his statement, there was a profit of six or seven pounds in the very first year's produce. I regret that I have mis- laid his paper, or I should have given the account in his own words. The same opinion I have heard from my much esteemed friend. Dr. Carson, an individual to whom Newfoundland is indebted for her agricultural and other improvements more than to any other person, and who has been indefatigable in his exertions to remove the obstacles that have been raised against the cultivation of the soil : he has frequently assured me that the first year's produce will pay the expense of clearing the land. But when I speak of the practicability of cultivation in New- foundland, I have more particularly in view the industrious individuals who will labour themselves at the soilj it is for the comfort of such persons, and to give employment to them, that the friends of Newfoundland are so anxious for culti- vation, (jlentlcmen farmers seldom, even in this country, make much money by their out-lay of capital ; and I by no means wish to be understood as recommending farming as a profitable speculation in Newfoundland, for I am fully of an opinion that *' He who by the plough would thrive. Himself must cither hold or drive." The labouring classes at Newfoundland who of late years have turned their attention to cultivation have been made quite inde^ [ 41 ] pendent, and many of them have accumulated considerable pro- perties. I could, if necessary, bring such a host of evidence to prove the truth of this statement, that the sceptics themselves would believe. The soil of Newfoundland is not as good as the soil in the neighbouring colonies ; but when the advantages of the home market for the produce, created by the trade and fisheries, is taken into account, it leaves not the shadow of doubt >ut that ground in a state of cultivation in Newfoundland is of far more intrinsic value than ground in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward's Island, New Brunswick, or the Canadas. Newfound- land has been the chief market for the produce of the neigh- bouring colonies, which are all agricultural, and more particu- larly for the colony of Prince Edward's Island. I have no hesitation in statini,' that more money has been paid by the people of Newfoundland for the last twenty years, for agricultural produce, to the inhabitants of Prince Edward's Island, than would this day purchase the fee simple of that island. As a proof . that I am not singular in my opinion with respect to the value of ground at Newfoundland, I may remark that Major Green, the Town Major at St. .John's, (a keen farmer,) and who has large tracts of land of the very best description in Nova Scotia, of which country he is a native, assured me that though the land there was better than at Newfoundland, that he would sooner have ten acres of land, in a state of cultivation, near St. John's, than a farm of a hundred acres in Nova Scotia. The Local Government at Newfoundland have taken off some of the restrictions on the cultivation of the soil ; and the Governor gives every facility in his power to those who may be inclined to look for grants ; but until there are roads, or some power or authority to make them, it is in vain to expect that much progress can be made in agriculture. The Governor may make grants of land, but if there are no means to get access to it, few will accept of the boon ; the want of reads through the country, must, in itself, operate powerfully against the general cultivation of the soil. Some short time after ray arrival in town, a gentleman in the representation of a borough in the west of England (raised to importance by the capital accumulated in Newfoundland) did mc the honour of calling on me, to get some information r i i'j [ 42 ] respecting Newfoundland ; and he, I am quite sure, would be very anxious to do all in his power to promote the interest of that country, inasmuch as it suited the views, or rather the prejudices, of his constituents. Soon after entering on the dis- cussion of Newfoundland affairs, we were as "distant as the poles asunder :" with unfeigned astonishment he asked me what we wanted with roads at Newfoundland; — with equal astonish- ment, I promptly replied " To walk on them." If the honourable gentleman had asked me what we wanted with bread at New- foundland, I should have as promptly replied, " To eat it." Note 8, pa/a-e 23. The Irish at Newfoundland arc desirous to extend the bless- ings of a moral and religious education to the poor of all per- suasions, and to do so in such a ninuner as not to give the slightest cause to suspect the purity of their motives and inten- tions. In the school established at St. John's, precautions have been taken to prevent any thing like undue influence in the religious instruction of the children : by the rules, they are only to receive instruction on that most impor- tant head in such manner, and from such books, as may be approved of by the clergymen of their respective religions ; on certain days in each week the children are to receive such in- struction, either at their respective places of worship, or in some part of the establishment, where the children of each religion are separately instructed. The clergymen of all reli- gious persuasions can at all times enter into the school, examine the books and the children, and satisfy themselves that every thing is fair. The friends of this establishment, vvhich I ha\e no doubt will be of the greatest benefit to the country, con- sider it of the greatest importance to give every satisfaction on the score of religion, to act up to the spirit and letter of their rules, and not to make a profession of liberal prirciples, ;ind at the same time to be insidiously working to promote particular views. Such base conduct is a violation both of the laws of God and man : it is a vain attempt to promote the cause of truth by falsehood and fraud. Institutions for the promo- tion of religion and education, above all othei s, should act most faitlifuUy up to their professions : they should not only be pure. [ 43 ] but, like CcHsar's wife, beyond suspicion. In consequence of the unhappy differences that have existed in Ireland, with respect to the mode of conveying instruction to the poor, the Irish at Newfoundland, wisely profiting by the melancholy example, have endeavoured to steer clear of those rocks and quicksands, which the pious and take men in Ireland, who take such an interest in the future welware of that idolatrous race, are sure to run bump against whenever they attempt to educate the poor. The Scriptures, with notes and commentaries, and with- out notes and commentaries, are permitted to be placed in the hands of our children at Newfoundland, as it may meet the approbation or suit the views of their parents and religious instructors. I know of no despotism more to be abhorred, than that ipecies of despotism which is attempted to be exercised by those Quixotes in religion and education in forcing children to read books because the// approve of them, and in opposition to the wisiies of their clergymen and parents, their natural in- structors in matters of religion. The Irish at Newfoundland have adopted such rules for the government of their schools as will secure to the children of the poor a religious and moral education on the one hand, and, what is of almost equal impor- tance, j)romotc that harmony which happily exists between the professors of all religions on the other. The Roman Catholic Bishop, Dr. Scalluu, has given his sanction aod liberal support to this plan of educating the children of all religions in the same establishment. Very little is known in this country about the state of the Roman Catholic religion at Newfound- la (l. The greater part of the people are Irish, or descendants of Irish ; and not having any veri/ great inducements to return to their oivn unhappy cuuntri/, more of them have settled at New- foundland than of any other country. The greater part of them arc Roman Catholics. The first Roman Catholic Bishop that was appointed for Newfoundland was Di. James O'Donnel, who I believe arrived in that country in 1784. At the time he arrived, religion and morals were at a very low ebb, particu- larly amongst the Irish, as there were no regular clergymen of the Roman Catholic persuasion to instruct them. In a very short time, by his pious and zealous exertions, a most wonder- ful change was brought about. He is considered, a'ld justly, to i II C'»4 ] be the Apostle of Newfoundland. He was assisted in the mis- sion by some clergymen that were equally eminent for their piety and learning. Dr.O'Donnel was not more remarkal)le for his wisdom, piety, and zeal in promoting the genuine prin- ciples of Christianity amongst t)ie people, than he was in con- ciliating the prejudices of those who were opposed to him on his arrival at Newfoundland. Any one who looks back to the degraded state of the Catholics forty-three years ago, will not be surprised at a Roman Catiiclic clerg)'man meeting with some obstacles on his first arrival in a colony where those in autho- rity, and many others, had the most frightful opinions respect- ing the order to which he belonged. But he soon surmounted all his difficulties : some of his opponents he remonstrated with ; some he argued w«th ; and some he laughed at. He was not more distinguished fo. his piety and learning, than he was for his suavity of manners and his wit. In a very short time his great- est enemies bec.ime his greatest friends : he gained the unbounded confidence of the Governor, the then constituted authorities, and the affection and love of all classes of the people j and to this day the Protestants speak, if possible, more affectionately of him than even the members of his own church. The name of the " Good Bishop O'Donnel" will be long remembered by the people of Newfoundland — and indeed he was good: — he possessed as much of the milk of human kindness in his com- position as any man that ever lived, and, like Dr. O'Lcary, " would as soon quarrel with a mau for the colour of his coat as he would for his religion." . He gained the affections of the old and the young ; — •• Even children followed, with endearing wile. And pluck'd his gown, to share the good man's smile; His ready smile a parent's warmth cxprest. Their welfare pleased him, and their cares distrest. To them his heart, his love, his griefs were given. But all his serious thoughts hail rest in heaven." He laid the foundation of the Catholic church in Newfoundland on the most solid basis. To the judicious, wise, and bene- volent conduct of Dr. O'Donnel, on his first arrival, may i4 t.45] justly be traced the cause of that harmony which now hap* pily exists amongst all denominations of Christians, and which I most devoutly pray may long continue. Dr. O'Donnel was succeeded in the mission by Bishop Lambert, whose piety, zeal, and exertions to promote the good work of his prede- cessor were incessant ; and on his retiring from the country, the present Bishop, Dr. Scallan, was appointed. His learn- ing, unostentatious piety, and most strict attention to the high and important duties of his station, have gained for him the respect and admiration of those who differ with him ou religious points, and the love and veneration of his own people. Dr. O'Donnel and Dr. Lambert received a small stipend, some paltry 50/. or 60/. from Government, which has been, from what cause I cannot suppose, discontinued to Dr. Scaliau ; though I understand the late Governor, Sir Charles Hamilton, most strongly recommended to Lord Bathurst the Lontinuation of it. As a Roman Catholic, I rejoice that it has been discon- tinued : the Roman Catholics of Newfoundland are both able and willing to pay their Bishop and clergy, and I trust they will long remain, there and elsewhere, " Unplaced, unpensioued, no man's heirs or slaves." The Roman Catholics at Newfoundland, under the direction of Dr. Scallan, are very numerous : he has clergymen esta- blished in different parts of the island, supported by the people, nearly in the same way that the parish priests in Ireland arc supported by the contributions of their flocks. The Vicar-Ge- neral acting under Dr. Scallan, the Rev. Mr. Ewer, resides at Harbour Grace, the principal town in the large and most im- portant district of Conception Bay, containing from four io five thousand iidiabitants. Mr. Ewer is the oldest Roman Catholic clergyman at Newfoundland : he was acotemporary of Dr. O'Don- nel, and has done much for the promotion of religion and educa- tion. He has expended upwards of 5000/. in building a chapel, a house for the residence of his clergy, and a steeple, whic*^ is an ornament to the town ; and is now about establishing %. school, on a large scale, for the education of the poor at Har- bour Grace. Those who know him, and there are many in this country who do know him, will agree with me in saying, that i I [46 ] in iiis person is united the divine, the scholar, and the gentle- man. There are many other clergymen of the Catholic church established in all parts of the island, and whose labours arc far above any praise of mine : they are indeed good shepherds — they take care of their flocks. A person going to Newfoiii'dland, unacquainted with the true character of the Irish, and only judging of it from the vile calum- nies which are so industriously circulated in this country, must be struck with the contrast. In Newfoundland the Irish Roman Catholic clergy are pious, learned, and liberal : the Irish Roman Catholic people are religious, moral, and peaceable. Surely it cannot be the climate or the voyage that has caused tliis change; no, it can be traced to a very different source : there they are protected by the government and the authorities ; justice is administered to them without affection or favour ; the higher orders (English and Scotch, as well as Irish) treat them kindly, sympathize with them in their afflictions, and relieve their wants. It is, then, the evident interest of the Irish at Newfoundland to be orderly and peaceal)le ; they can as quickly discern their interest as most people. It is a mat- ter well worthy of consideration amongst the higher orders in Ireland, whether, if they treated the people in the same kind manner at home, they would not make them a suit- able return. No one thing struck me, during my residence at Newfoundland, with more surprise than to observe how soon the Irish got clear of their local fends and prejudifes after. their arrival. Bigoted Orangemen and bigoted Roman Catholics, just reeking from that stew of religious and political l)igotry, after a few months' residence in Newfoundland become the best friends, laugh, or rather weep, at their folly, and fairly acknowledge that in their own country both Protestants and Roman Catholics, Orangemen and Papists, have been used as puppets by the jugglers behind the scenes, for the purpose, of perpetuating the misery and degradation of their native country. The Irish character is little understood, and is most fcmlly traduced. I do not blame Englishmen for having prejudices, because I know the apostolic zeal that has been used to mislead their honest hearts and gen«'rous minds ; but I wish I could comntand language to express my contempt of those renegade 1 [ 47 ] Irish who draw tlicir existence from the heart's blood of the people, and who are loudest iu their charges against them — " Oh ! for a tongue to curse the slaves." They pretend, good souls ! to feel the greatest anxiety for their countrymen's eternal welfare, whilst at the same time they are, to a man, opposed to tl-eir civil and political rights. They oppress and grind the people in this 'vorld, I suppose, for the purpose of giving them a stronger zest for the joys they are so anxious to procure for them in the next. When I hear of these arch hypocrites preaching and whining over the l)eniglitcd state of the Irish, I compare them to the cro- codiles on the banks of the Nile, who cry over and devour their victims at the same time. Note 9, page 24. It must appear extraordinary to those not acquainted with the cause, that Newfoundland, the eldest born of his Ma- jesty's colonies, the most faithful, and the most important, should, until this day, be without a government efficient for any local purpose whatever. Such governments were granted to the other colonies in their infancy; and the same power was granted to those colonies iu the neighbourhood of Newfound- land which fell into the hands of the liritishi at a very late pe- riod, and which formerly belonged to the French. It was the policy of England, as a thing of course, to grant to her colo- nies the power of making such local regulations and laws as they thought proper, and to manage their affairs in their own way. Unfortunately for Newfoundland, the withering and blasting in- fluence of mercantile monopoly prevented her from reaping the advantages of the wise and generous policy adopted by the pa- rent country to the other colonies ; the consequence 'las been, that with respect to internal improvement, the country is in little better state than it was three hundred years ago ; and until those liberal institutions are granted to Newfoundland, so ne- cessary for the good government of ev "ry enlightend country, it is indeed vain to hope for improvement. It is only under the fostering care of a local government that the trade, fisheries, and agriculture of the country cr > advance ; it would give life to the dormant energies of the .untry, which are now Ian- '1 i [48] guishing for the want of such cncoiirngcment. No mnn is more ready to admit, than I am, that his Excellency, the present go- vernor, is most anxious to promote the internal welfare of the country ; and that he possesses both wisdom and talents of the very first order, which qualify him to bring a new country into existence. But he is stopped at the threshold j the glorious prospect lies before him, but the system presents an unsurmountable barrier. If Sir Thomas Cochrane was armed with that constitutional power which is placed in the hands of the governors in the other colonies, and, r.mch as I respect him, I trust that no other power will even be placed in his hands (better that discord should prevail for ever), he would soon give to Newfoundland a very different aspect. At present, before the slightest permanent regulation can be made, he has to re- commend to his Majesty's ministers to have an act passed in the Imperial Parliament ; — he will then have to wait two or three years before the ministers can spare time to attend to his re- commendations : But, after devoting his best attention to the subject, and obtaining an Act of Parliament to meet the locality, when it arrives in Newfoundland, it is found quite wide of the object intended. But no matter how rit'iculous in some parts, how cruel and unjust in others, it is pressed on the people ; it operates like the persecution of Percrustas : — " if too short, stretch it — if too long, lop it." Every Act of the British Parlia- ment hitherto enacted for the local purposes of Newfoundland, has most miserably failed in its object. Having, I trust, as orthodox opinions of the omnipotence of P.irliament as any man, I do not hesitate to state, that any future attempt at legislating in this country to meet the localities at Newfoundland will more fully prove its folly. it may be necessary to give an example, to prove the ab- surdity of legislating for a distant colony without a know- ledge of its localities. Immediately after the destructive fires of 1816 and 1817, which nearly destroyed the town of St. John's, the Governor and the Chief Justice consulted the principal inhab'tants, on the necessity of having some regula- tions for the reb>iilding of the town in respect to the disposi- tion, breadth of the streets, and fire breaks, so as to prevent as much as possible any future fire spreading to the same ala uing ^ L J9 1 extent: and accordingly a memorial, praying for an Act of Parliament to meet the exigency, was forwarded to England by the first vessel. After two or three years, an Act of Parlia- ment arrived ; in the meantime the principal part of the town had been rebuilt. The Act had a retrospective operation from the date of the application ; and the consecpieucc was that it failed in its object, and the town of St. John's, is in n great degree built in direct violation of the provisions of an Act of Parliament. In the same Act there is a clause which directs that when parties build with wood, tho streets arc to be fifty feet wide ; with stone, forty feet : one iran builds with stone, he pitches his house ten feet in front of his neighbour, who builds with wood — how admirable ! But " Order is heaven's first law." tf, for the sake of argument, wc admit the competency of the British Parliament, will they have time, or will they spare time, from the great subjects that every day come under their consideration, to attend to the trumpery cases that will be daily submitted to them for tho local regulation of a few people residing two thousand miles distant, of whom they know — I would almost be inclined to say, for wjiom they care — no- thing ? Or is the minister of the colonics aware of the trouble he is bringing upon his back by such a ridiculous system ? He must know, as the situation of the people at Newfoundland improves, their demand for lociil regulations for their se- curity and comfort will increase ; and he may rest per- fectly satisfied, that from year to year he will be pestered with application!) from Newfoundland. The drafts on his patience and attention will be so great, that I do believe that if he had no other business to attend to, the affairs of Newfoundland will give him quite sufficient employment ; except he wisely throw them off his shoulders on the people themselves. Local legislatures have been granted to the Canadas, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward's Island, Bermuda, Ja- maica, Barbadocs, and, I believe, all the English Islands in the West Indies. No man of thought will deny that Newfoundland is of more importance than any one of these colonies ; and viewing the country with reference to the advantages that have c m lu'uii derived to the paieiit euuiitry, from her trade and fisheries, and more partic-uhirly us tlie grcnte.st and heot nurHury for Heauien, the country h of more value to Knglnnd than the (!anadas, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Kdward's Island, \)ut toj;e- ther, even thouj,'h wc uhould throw half a dozen of the slave islands in the West Indies in along with them. 'I'hose who are in the habit of associating Newfoundland with eternal frost and snow, and know nothing but that the dogs are excellent ; and others who pretend to know cve.y thing about it, but who are so wedded to the old system, that they cannot think or speak rationally on the subject, will treat this opinion with ridicule. To the unprejudiced it will not appear (pnte so visionary. There is in Newfoundland a population of upwards of 10(),00U Dritish subjects, with manners and feelings as much British as if they were one people. Go where you will in the neighbouring colo- nics, and you must observe amongst the people strong symptoms of the American character growing up amongst them, whilst a stranger arriving at St. John's, or any other of the popidous towns in Newfoundland, must be struck with the British cha- racter of the people, and imagine he was entering a town in England or Ireland. Yet to such a country, to such a people — \i'lio amongst the convulsions, and wars, and changes that have taken place around them, have clung most faithfully unto the pa- rent stock — is denied the advantages freely given to others, certainly not more deserving of protection from the iiinnt state. The policy which weighed with the (J(t\ nuicnt and prevented them from extending a good govenmi-ut to New- foundland, was that miserable and ridiculous ^i\*. \ which op- posed settlement on the ground that a sw^ut^ry fishery, a fishery carried on by residents would not pimmttc the growth of seamen so much us a transitory or moveable fishery ; as if the trade and fishery of a people were not better calculated to make seameut han that confined to a few monopolists. There is nothing so easy, as to prove that a resident fishery and a resident popu- tion is best calculated to promote the growth of seamen. The grounds there were for the former policy of England towards Newfoundland no longer exist : when the flag of independence was raised in America, it was evidently the clear and obvious interest of England to give every encouragement to settlement and population in Newfoundland, to form a counterpoise to the »' ( 51 ] rapidly incroaHing power of that young and haughty ri'|iublic, which has, cvrn in its very infancy, the hardihood to avow its fiivourit(; object, at no distant day to grapple with mighty Kiiglnnd for the dominion of tlic ocean. I cannot iiclp tiiinl : for the Americans than for the British. I do not nlludc to the fisheries carried on by the Americans and French, agreeable to their treaties, and which they are encouragliig by bounties, and by every other means, and for no other purpose than to increase their marine j but it is our own fisheries, the British fisheries, that I say are a better nursery for them than even their own, arising from the effects of the policy so long adopted. In consequence of the discouragement given to agriculture, the fishermen have no means of making a settlement in the country, and after they make a little money, or, what is a more effectual cause, after an unsuccessful fishing season, they endeavour to get to America (the United States). Within the ;last twelve or fifteen years, not less than forty or fifty thousand of our best fishermen emigrated to America ; their places have been rapidly filled up by emigrants from Ireland, England, and other places, but as soon as they accumulate a little money, and gain a know- ledge of the fishery, they follow in the tide of emigration to America : and what is most extraordinary, for a great many years after unsuccessful fishing seasons, the local Government here procured passages for thousands ; which has caused the remark to be made by many, that Newfoundland is a stepjiing- stone for America, and that it is that country which is reaping the advantage of her fishermen, if there is an advantage in them, and not the parent country. The only way to prevent the departure of the fishermen from Newfoundland, is to give them the means of settlement, which can only be done by a more general encouragement to tlie cultivation of the soil in New- foundland. There are millions of uncultivated acres, and if they are susceptible of improvement, it appears to me far better policy in his Majesty's Government to encourage emigration and settle- ment there, than in the Canadas, or :iny other of the Colonies divided from the American Republic only by an imaginary line. It appears to me that any outlay of capital on the part of tiie Go- vernment to encourage emigration and agriculture in Newfound- land would be much better secured than in (Canada : Newfoundland is an island, and can be at all times protected by the superior navy of England. Immense sums have hecn expended in improving .nnd defending Canada and the other Colonies in the immediate neighbourhood of the United States ; and I think it may b? [63] I I fairly asked of the English Minister, whether the money that has been expended in the improvement of Canada, and the other provinces, did not as effectually promote the ambitious views of the republic of the United States, as if it was laid out in the improvement of New York or Boston. It may be stated, that this expenditure is for the purpose of enabling a success- ful defence to be made in the event of an invasion on the part of the Americans. I fear that canals or locks, no matter how large they may be, must present but a weak barrier to the am- bition of that power, from whom more danger is to be appre- hended from the federal principles of their Government, (which insidiously pretends to conquer only to give froedon and independence) than even the power of their arras. It is only a native Government, that will identify itself with the country and people, that can promote the prosperity of Newfoundland, and give inducements to the seamen and fishermen to remain there. I am clearly of opinion that the establishment of such a government must be of equal advantage to the parent state ; vvltat would forward the interest of the one would be equally advantageous to the other. If I saw thfit granting a local re- presentative government to Newfoundland would be opposed to the interest of the mother country, I should consider her case as hopeless : for the first consideration with an English ivlinister (and with none more than witii the distinguished individual who has lately been placed over the Colonies) is his country j the second is his country ; and the third is his country. How- ever high my opinion of that individual is, I fear, if justice to Newfoundland was placed on the one hand, and the interest of England on the other, even he would incline to the side of his country. However, I am quite sure, if he turns his liberal and enlightened mind to our neglected situation, he will see that jus- tice can be done to Newfoundland without compromising, in the slightest degree, the interest of England ; but, on the f^ntrary, be the most effectual way to promote her welfare. It is time to take us in Newfoundland out of leading strings ; three hundred years is in all conscience a sufficient minority. We are now of sufficient age to take care of our private affairs. The arguments, if arguments they can be called, which have been, from time to time, adduced against our obtaining a ; [54 1 local Government, are, first, that we are not able to pay the expenses of such a government; that there are no roads by which the members could travel to the seat of the government ; and, lastly, that we have not sufficient material amongst us to form legislators. God knows, if those that use these arguments had the same opinion that I have of the qualifications necessary to make a legislator, they would not make such a fuss about it. These are the only arguments that I have heard against the establishment of a local government at Newfoundland, they are so contemptible I shall not reply to them — our opponents may have the full benefit of them. As I have before stated, local governments have been ceded to all the other English Colonies. It has been given to Ber- muda, containing only twelve thousand inhabitants, eight thou- sand of whom are slaves ; and to the other Slave Islands ; to Prince Edward's Island, containing only thirty thousand inhabi- tants, and to many other places ; whilst from Newfoundland alone the advantages of such a gov,:: 'iipnt have been withheld. The just and statesmanlike rcas( , ; of Mr. Baring on the subject of Colonial legislation, wi ...« presenting a petition a few days ago, in the House of Commons, from the inhabi- tants of the Cape of Good Hope, expresses so much better what I would wish to say, that I cannot resist the temptation of inserting his words ; they bear particularly on the situation of Newfoundland, and say all that can be said on the subject : "The Right Honourhble Gentleman had said that there were other Colonies in which the same system of Government pre- vailed. That Avas true, and disgraceful it was to this country. But the colony of the Cape of Good Hope was different in its character from the Colonies to which the Right Honourable Gentleman had adverted. It was not inhabited by the stewards of individuals, who themselves, perhaps, resided in Portman- square. It was settled by English farmers, by men of English habits and feelings. It was not circumscribed in extent like a West India island. Its population might eventually ha aug- mented to many millions. The cases, therefore, were wholly dissimilar. The Right Honourable Gentleman talked of the Cape not being ripe for the enjoyment of free institutions. It never would be ripe unless these institutions were introduced. The same had been said of South America. It was with a country as with a child. Unless a child were placed on its legs it never would be able to walk like a man. Unless free insti- tutions were introduced into a country, it could never become capable of enjoying them. Imbecility must continue to be the character of any country not inoculated with the principles of strength." These arguments of Mr. Baring are unanswerable, and must set the ((ucstion, as far as argument is concerned, at rest for ever. It is full time to do justice to Newfoundhind ; her internal resources have been too long a prey to a withering monopoly, which blighted and blasted every gerni of improvement in the bud. It professed to be a " nursery for seamen to man the Ikitisli Navy," but instead of fostering the infant committed to its care, it most unnaturally gorged itself on its vitals ; and now, after three centuries of folly, injustice, and misrule, aban- dons it, and throws it into the arms of the powerful and ambi- tious rivals of England. Then, before it be too late, let it be pl:iced under the care of its natural guardians. There are a suf- ficient number of intelligent honest men in Newfoundland to manage their own aft'airs ; they caimot mistake their way ; the old beaten path lies before them ; the beacon light of the con- stitution will direct them in their course; they will not have to send to Egypt or Greece for laws ; it will not be necessary to have a Solon or a Lyciirgus amongst them ; they have not to apprehend the cruelty of a Draco, or the tyranny of a Decemvir ; they will have no visionary systems or theories of government to adopt, it will only l)e required of them to form their infant government on the principles, and under the mighty shade of the British Constitution. i I! I !^ M'otc 10, prtge 24. In reviewing the past and present state of Newfoundland, I have used such strong language in speaking of the mercantile influence which so long governed there, that it may be supposed that 1 am prejudiced against the trade of that country ; but so far from being opposed to it, I am most anxious to promote it, by every means in my power. I may be permitted to state, that [ am a merchant, carrying on business at New- [56 ] fdundland, and that I am deeply interested in the prospci'lty of the trade. I have always looked upon the trade and fisheries as the main stay of the country, and the foundation on which its future prosperity must be laid. 1 have the most unconquerable hatred to monopoly, because it has been opposed to the true in- terests of commerce. I am an advocate for the cultivation of the soil, because I think agriculture will be found the best aux- iliary, and the most effectual support of trade. 1 am quite sure that they ro hand in hand } ihey are not opposed to each other ; so that by being the friend of the one, I am not the enemy of the other. My object at present is to take a short view of the trade and fisheries of New oundland ; to account for the causes which so suddenly brought :uin on the greater part of those engaged in the trade ; and, lastly, to sul.»niit what I conceive the best means that can l)e adopted to avert the danger that is to be apprehended from the competition of the French and Ame- ricans (more particularly of the latter) which is continually sapping and undermining the foundation of the trade and fishe- ries. The importance of the Newfoundland trade and fisheries, and the great extent to which they mjiy be carried, have seldom been duly considered or justly estimated. During the reigns of Ed- ward the Sixth, Elizabeth, James the First, Charles the First and Second, tiicre are many legislative enactments which most fully acknowledge the great national importance of the New- foundland fisheries. The act of the lOlli and lUh of William and Mary, which secured the monopoly of the adventurers, yet most fully acknowledges the value of the trade, and the im- portance of the fisheries, as the best means to increase the revenues of the empire. The preamble of the act of the 18th of his late Majesty, George the Third, entitkd •* An Act for the Encouragement of the New foundland ''ishcries," states that they have been found to be " the best nurseries for able and experienced seamen, always ready to man the Koyal navy when occasions require ; and tliat it is of the highest national im- portance to give nil due encouragement to the said fisheries." Sir Josias Child, who wrote his work I believe in the early part of the reign of Charles the 2d, was fully impressed with the advantages of the trade and fisheries of Newfoundland. Tiie f f \ [ ''7 \ author of Considerations on the Trade of Newfoundland, in- Bbrted in CliurcliiU's Collection of Voyages, observes, that " in the reign of Queen Anne the French had so increased their riches and naval power as to make all Europe stand in fear of them ;" which plainly shows, that twenty years quiet possession of this trade is capable of making any power the most formid- able by sea and by land, by the equally increase of men, ships, bullion, &c. He states that " the naval power of France, and which enabled her for a time to fiercely contest with England for the dominion of the ocean, owed its foundation and support to her Newfoundland fisheries." In the course of the negociations for the definitive treaty of peace concluded at Paris on the 10th of February, 1703, France unequivocally acknowledged her sense of tlie importance of the Newfoundland fisheries, by sur- rendering and voluntarily giving up all claims to the extensive country of Canada, stipulating, as an equivalent, for the privi- lege of fishing on the coast of Newfoundland. The wisdom of the French ncgociators cannot be questioned ; the posses- sion of the Canadas would be a source of weakness to France, the fisheries of Newfoundland are ? source of her strength. In the treaties entered into with the French at the close of the late war, the negociators appear to have retained a due sense of the importanre of the fisheries, by stipulating that they should have the right of fishing on the coast of Newfouiidland, from Cape Ray to Cape John, with the sovereignty of the small islands of St. I'ierre and Miquelon. It is well known that the great Col- bert, in his anxious endeavours to promote the trade and marine of Frtincc, seized with avidity on the means presented to him by the fisheries of Newfoundland. Abbe Haynall states that the fisheries of Newfoundland are mines of wealth, superior to those of Mexico and Peru j and Mr.Burkc observes, " the most valuable branch of trade we have in the world is that with Newfoundland.'' In the same speech (on American affairs), he emphatically ex- claimed, " that the Newfoundland trade, which is one of your greatest and your best, is hardly so much as seen on the Custom House entries, and is not of less annual value to the nation than j^400,()00." There is a living opinion still greater than these, Mr. Huskisson, who has frequently, and particularly on a late occasion, acknowledged the value of the trade and fisheries of H [58 1 Newfoundland. Authorities might be multiplied to prove what in itself is a self-evident proposition. That the trade and fisheries, whether we look on them' in a national point of view, as a great nursery for seamen, or in a commercial one, as an in- exhaustible source of wealth, are of the greatest importance and value to Great Britain. As early as the reign of Eliza- beth there were 260 ships employed in the trade and fisheries of Newfoundland ; in the succeeding reigns the trade and fisheries occupied the attention of the English people. " Political events (observes Mr.Forbes) conspired to raise the fisheries of Newfound- land to an unusual height of prosperity during the late war, the naval ascendancy of Great Britain gave her subjects exclusive possession of the fisheries ; in the hands of one nation they in- creased in size and profit far beyond any thing which could have been anticipated by the ^lost sanguine speculator." To give an idea of the extent of the trade and fisheries when in the sole possession of England, I shall give in round numbers a statement of the value of Exports from Newfoundland, in 1814, viz. £. s. d. 1 ,200,000 quintals of fish 40*. . . 2,400,000 20,000 ditto core fish 12*... 1 2,000 6,000 tons of cod oil 32/... 192,000 350,000 sealskins bs... 87,500 4,666 tons seal oil 36/... 171,876 2,000 tierces salmon 51... 10,000 1,685 barrels mackrel 30*... 2,527 10 J 4,400 ditto capelin sounds and tongues 20*.. . 4,400 2,100 ditto herrings 25v... 2,622 10 Beaver, otter, and other furs, 600 Board, plank, and hct<~'ing . . 300 Pine timber 500 400 puncheons berries 2,000 £2,886,326 A correct idea may be formed of the great extent of the Newfoundland trade in this year, when it is taken into consi- deration that the imports alone must nearly equal the value of *0 1 _r" K^T^- in I I f 59 ] the exports. Mr. Burke, in the speech before alluded to, states timt the exports from Great Britain to North America and the AVest Indies were in 1704 569,930 1772. The exports to North America and the West Indies 4,701,734 To Africa 866,398 jg5,557,132 The export trade of Scotland in the year 1772 was 364,000/. If this statement, be correct, the value of the exports from Newfoundland in 1814 was 2,31G,396more than the whole of the exports of England to America and the West Indies in 1704; more than half as much as the exports to North America, the West Indies, and Africa, in 1772 ; and more than eight times as much as the exports from all Scotland in 1772. To use again the words of Mr. Forbes, extracted from a pa- per now before me, " Viewing Newfoundland from the van- tage ground which the commerce of Great Britain has at- tained, it seems diminished to a mere speck in the horizon, and almost unworthy of attention ; but it should not be for- gotten that the Asheries were one of the first nurseries of that naval strength which has gained for England the command of the seas, and with it the trade of the world.'" It would not be fair for me to state these opinions, from Mr. Forbe 's manuscript, favourable to the view I have taken of the importance of the fisheries, if I did not also give the opinions of the same high authority, and from the same paper, when they have an opposite tendency : " In its natural state (Mr. Forbes says) a fishery is perhaps the poorest of all branches of trade It is well known that the use of fish in Catholic countries is founded in a religious ob- servance, which, however time may have interwoven with the habits and necessities of the people, time, in the same manner, is capable of eradicating. These dangers may be remote, but they are certain ; they may approach slowly, but they will ap- proach progressively j and, reasoning from analogy, there is no reason why as little foreign fish should not, in the course of a few years, be consumed in Spain, Portugal, and Italy, as is at ;. I t 60 ] )>rescnt consumi'd in Circat Britain." Tlie opinions oi Mr. Forbes on subjects connected with Newfoundland, or on any other subjects, deserve the greatest consideration, but I hcpe his opinion with respect to the ricketty foundation which our fisheries have to rest on, has been given without that deep con- sideration for which he is so remarkable. It is well known that the obligation of abstaining from flesh-meat is not a fundamental principle of the Catholic religion : it is a matter of discipline, and the Bishops have power to dispense with the obligation. If the Pope is such a determined enemy of England as some presons whose imaginations arc continually haunted with the dread of Pope and popery, pretend to believe, must it not appear extraordinary that he has allowed the people of Catholic coun- tries to be the principal consumers of a staple article of com- merce, and which has been a support to the naval power of England. It would be, indeed, a serious cause for alarm, if the existence of the Newfoundland trade and fisheries depended on the will of the Pope, or any other potentate. Fish is con- sumed in all the southern countries in Europe and America, as a principal article of food ; and good fish is prized as much in Portugal, Spain, and Italy, the West Indies, the Brazils, and the other countries in America, as beef or bacon in England. The well-beloved Ferdinand has taken much more effectual means to prevent the consumption of fish in Spain, than if the Pope was fulminating bulls for eternity ; he has laid a very high import duty on it of from 1 5s. to 20,v. per quintal. Yet a con- siderable quantity of fish finds its way into Spain, and the con- sumer there has to pay double as much for a pound of New- foundland salt fish, calculating the nutiitious qualities of both, as in England is paid for a pound of the best beef or bacon. Newfoundland fish is exported to the Brazils, where it ia sometimes consumed at a most extravagant rate by the people of that country. In our own West India Islands the slaves, who are all Protestants, consume large quantities of fish, and, as far as I can learn, thej prefer it to salt beef and pork. In warm climates, salt beef becomes as hard as mahogany, which is the cause of Newfoundla.id fish being preferred to the junk beef of South America. These, and many other proofs which I could adduce, will be sufficient to prove that Mr. Forbes' opinions are [ 61 1 i liable to objections. When Mr. Forbes says that •' a fishery is the poorest of all branches of trade," he must mean a fishery in a rude state of society ; certainly not such a fishery as raised Holland in arts, arms, and science, nor such as those now car- ried on by England, France, and America. In addition to the cod fisheries of Newfoundland, there is another fishery, of a modern date, the growth of the last twenty or twenty-five years, which bids fair to rise to great magnitude and importance. It is little more than twenty-five years since the first vessel sailed from Newfoundland to the seal fishery ; and for many years after there were not a score vessels out of the island : of late there have been from three to four hundred vessels employed in that trade. The greater part of these vessels arc built by the natives themselves, rigged by them, and they proceed in them to the seal fishing. When first they com- menced, it was considered a good voyage if they brought in five or siK hundred seals, now some of the vessels bring in as many thousands. This is a most important branch of the Newfound- land fisheries ; and it is particularly calculated to form steady and adventurous seamen. Along with nautical knowledge, they learn the use of fire-arms, as a great part of the seals are killed by shooting at them. When the number of men employed in shallops and open boats, and those employed in eight hundred sail of vessels engaged in the foreign trade of the country, are added to those employed in the sealing vessels, a correct idea of the vast importance of the fisheries may be formed. Having attempted to give some idea of the extent and importance of the Newfoundland fisheries, I shall now endea- vour to account for the causes which so suddenly reduced the country from tiie height of commercial prosperity to one of almost universal ruin. In accounting for the difficulties with which the British fishery in Newfoundland has been so long struggling, the first subjects which claim our attention are the treaties with Fr.ance and America, entered into at the end of the late wars. By looking at the chart, it will be observed that the French have a much greater extent of coast, from Cape Ray to Cape John, with the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, than was reserved for the British ; and that part of the coast of Newfoundland ceded to the French, is by far the best for car- ! II t [ 62] rying on the fishery. This is an opinion so generally acknow- ledged in Newfoundland, that it will not be questioned. The rights given to the Americans of a joint right of fishing with the British, have raised even more dangerous rivals. Here I shall take the liberty again to quote from Mr. Forbes' paper. " Another cause of the difficulties of Newfoundland is the admission of American citizens to participate in the British fisheries. It would be improper to ofler any remark upon this measure, further than to enumerate it among the causes which have co-operated to produce the depression. As an act of policy, it was doubtless founded on wise consideratiouH of general benefit ; but the effect has been to raise up new and powerful competitors in the fisheries. Americans have many advantages over British fislicrmon ; they obtain their outfits at a cheaper rate, they have certain local encouragements in tho nature of bounties, they have a home market for their fish, they are unfettered by the necessary restraints of a colonial trade, they have the means of employment during the winter, and are not compelled to charge the expenses of the whole year n\ton the labour of a few months in the fishing season. Advantages, which arc more than sufficient to, counterbalance the facilities of our local situation, and which must have been severely and extensively felt in their effects, had they not in a great measure been neutralized by the continued over production of the British fisheries, and the immense sacrifices of British capital." The French are equally active in promoting their Newfound- land fishery, and it is carried on by them to an extent scarcely to be credited : they are enabled to supply their fishery entirely from France ; labour, provisions, salt, and other neces- saries, are there to be had on very low terms. Along with these advantages the French Government like the Americans, give bounties; so large, that I understand they defray all the expenses of catching and curing the fish. The effect of those treaties will at once account for the sudden ruin that came upon the trade of Newfoundland. It was quite impossible for the British to contend successfully with rivals that had the best fishing stations, supplies at little more than half the price, and, to add to their other advantages, large bounties from their respective Governments. I am not surprised at the French MjMMHHMI MtHte f 63 1 giving bounties ; but knowing that the principles that regulate the American government in that particular arc opposed to the system of bounties, 1 am a little surprised that they should de- viate from their general policy, and grant bounties to their fishermen : it can only be accounted for from the desire they have to increase their marine. The Americans are too wise to carry on any branch of trade that is not able to support itself, unless they have some important object in view. Thc;r object is the same with that of the French — to make seamen as quick as possible — no matter at what expense. My Lord Cas- tlereagh, when concluding these treaticH, did not appear to have been governed by the natural policy of England ; he stipulated for no advantages ; he surrendered into the hands of her rivals the best portion of a trade and fishery, which has been found to be the best " nursery for able and experienced seamen to man the royal navy." He was not aware of the disastrous consequences that were to flow from these treaties. No British Minister would give up an iota to any prince or power, that could in the slightest degree interfere with the maritime pre-eminence of his country. This chivalrous generosity to the Bourbon is not much to be wondered at ; but that ecjual privileges should be surrendered to the Republi- cans is inexplicable. An Entrlish Minister once asked if trees grew upon tiiu banks uf Newfoundland : the Ministers who concluded these treaties !tad just as much knowledge of the country as Lord North, who, it is said, made the inquiry — it is the only way their folly can be accounted for. The reduction in the value of tie staple of the country—the extravagance and want of economy conseipiont upon the bloated prosperity of former years — the difficulties that all classes found in retrenching their expenses and conforming themselves to their altered situation— -the folly and over-trading of the merchants, still intoxicated with the recollection of their golden days — contributed to hasten the effects that immediately fol- lowed : — A general stoppage amongst the merchants, houses of the greatest credit and longest standing suspending their pay- ments — dishonoured bills, to the amount of 4 or 500,000/. thrown back upon the country — the property of the indorsers sacrificed to pay them — the savings of the labouring classes, which were t 64 J very considcrnhlo, and were in the hands of the mcrchnnts, swept awny, and they thrown out of ctnidoymcnt. These events operating in conjunction with the effects of the treaties before alluded to, paralyzed the energies of the people, and reduced the country to a state of torpid despondency. The losses of the merchants descended in regular gradation tlirough every class, until ruin and bankruptcies became almost univer- sal. These great calamities were succeeded by the devastating fires of 1816, 1817, and 1819, which followed in such alarming and regular succession, and appeared only to have been want- ing to make the work of desolation complete. The great calamities with which Newfoundland was visited, from the bankruptcies of the merchants, the losses by fire, and other causes, would be temporary in tlioir effect, as the trade of the country would soon regain its wonted vigour, but for the competition of the French and Americans, arising out of the disastrous treaties of 1814 and 1818. These are in continual operation ; they meet the merchants, like their evil genius, wherever they proceed ; and are continually undermining and sapping the foundation of the trade and fisheries of the island. This is not an exaggerated state of the case, any one who knows the state of Newfoundland must feel that it is true, and if it be the true state of the case, the point for determination (using the words of Mr. Forbes) is not an issue between dif- ferent interests at home, but between the fisheries of Great Britain and the fisheries of France and America ; whether the oldest settlement in America, the first fruits of the naval enter- prise of England, shall be maintained, or allowed to fall a victim to ambitious, aspiring, and powerful rivals. It may be asked, how it has come to pass that the fisheries have continued to be carried on under the pressure of those domestic calamities, and what is stated to i)e worse, Ute com- petition of our foreign rivals ; and if they were so numerous as they have been represented to be, how comes it to pass that the British did not desert the island, and leave the fisheries altogether in the hands of their rivals. There is no one thing easier to be proved, than that the effect of foreign competition was in itself a sufficient cause to drive the British fishermen from the shores of Newfoundland ; and that the fisheries have been [ «.' ] preserved l»y a resident populatiuti, who were driven, prolmhly more from lu'ccsRltv than choice, to h)ok to the cultivation of tliu soil for ii f^rviit portion of their food ; it was the auxiliary Hiip- port drawn from that sotircc that has been the means of preserv- ing the tradt; and fisheries of Newfoundland from falling alto- gether into the hands of the F'rench and Americans. To prove the correctness of this opinion, it is only necessary to state the advantages that foreigners jmssess over the British. The American proceeds on his fishing voyage supplied with the cheap produce of his country, in many cases with the provisions produced from his own farm ; his government gives him a bounty (|u!t(! c(pud to the v\hole amount of his outfit. The French obtain their supplies of provisions and salt for little more than half tlu; price for which Itritish fishermen could obtai.i them ; they have the best j)arts of Newfoundland to fish at i labour i c'heap n ith them : added to these advantages, the French (Jo\ i iment grants a considerable bounty, more than e(|ual to \Ui: value of the fish. i !• ! French and ..icricans have, along with their home con- r imp: Ion, all the priiici])al markets open to them in Spain, Italy, the West Indies, and South America, on ccpuU terms with the Ikitish. There is some little advantage, of ten or fifteen per cent, in favour of the British in l*ortugal. Here it may not be improper to remark the difference between the New- foundland trade and that of any of the other Colonies, which will shew its value, and its independency of support even from the mother country ; and that all it requires is fair play, a clear stage, and no favour. It will also prove that it was not on slight grounds that the opinion of that great statesman, Mr. Burke, was formed, when he exclaimed from his place in parliament that the Newfoundland trade was the greatest and best be- longing to England. The British is the chief market for the consumption of the sugars and rum of the West Indies ; the timber and corn t. the Canadas, and the other colonies ; and the monopoly is secured to them at an immense cost to the ?^nglish people. The United Kingdom consumes little, comparatively speaking, of the produce of Newfoundland, though she was bound to take nearly all her supplies of provisions and manufactured goods from the British [ 66] market. She suffered most severely from the monopolizing principles of the colonial system, without receiving an equiva- lent like the other colonies in the supply of the British markets. But to return to the proposition that I have been endeavour- ing to prove, which is, that without a wide deviation from the policy that has been so long pursued towards Newfoundland, it is quite impossible for the British engaged in the trade and fisheries to make head against the competition of their rivals, supported as they are by the immense advantages nhich they possess. To make the matter more intelligible, a calculation is submitted, shewing the expense of carrying on the fishery at Newfoundland on the old system of a Transitory Fishery, and on that by the Residents depending wholly for their support ou the pro duce of the fisheries. Transitory Fisherv. — Statement of the Ejcpenses of four fisher- men, employed on the old system of a Moveable Fishery , g^i^'^i^f!' credit for their catch offish. Dr. Cr. £ a. d. £ s. d. To Passages of 4 By 240 quintals of Fishermen frpm Eng- fish (which is CO quin- land 16 tals for each man, and Hire of a Fishing- is more than the av- Boat, to cover the erage catch for the expense of anchor, last 10 years) at 10.v. roads, cordage, out- per quintal. . . . 120/. fit, &c 20 Charges of dry- Provisions for 4 ing and curing men, from the 10th the fish, at 3*. May to the 10th Oct. per quintal. . . . 36/. during the fishing sea- 84 son, at 12/. 48 Loss to the mor- Hooks, lines, chant or planter on seines, 30*. each . . 6 whose actouut such Cost of catching fishery has been car- bait for 4 fishermen 6 ried on /104 Wages of 4 fisher- men, 20/ 80 Passages to Eng- land, 3/. each .... 12 £188 £188 I [67 ] SKDiiNTARY FiSHERY. — Statement of the Eapenses of Four Fish- ermen, at Newfoundland, carrying on the fishery on their own account, and depending on the profits of the voyage for their sole subsistence, giving credit for their catch offish. Dr. Hire of a Boat . . Provisions for five months while engaged fishing Boots, slops, and clothing, bl. for each man Bait £ s. d. 20 48 20 .6 Cr. 240 quintals of fish at 10*. 120/. Charges of cur- ing, 8cc. 3«. 36/. Loss on the voyage without one shilling wages for the men or any means whatever to support them and their families for the remainder of the year £ s, d. 84 10 £94 ^^94 I have made these calculations on an average catch of sixty quintals of fish per nmn, and on very moderate expenses for the voyage. My own experience in the trade enables me to state that tlie average is more than it really was for the last ten years, and the expenses stated, particularly in the latter calculation, are much less than they have been generally. I have had more frequently a loss of 40/. or 50/. in supplying four men in the fishery, than 10/. as given in this calculation. These state- ments will be sufficient to prove the effects of foreign competi- tion, and at what an immense sacrifice of British capital the fisheries of Newfoundland have been carried on for some years ; and the utter impossibility of supporting them, were it not for the auxiliary support the inhabitants have been enabled to pro- cure from the culture of the soil. It is not the least extraordi- nary feature in this trade, that notwithstanding the reduction in price, and the ruin of most of the merchants engaged in the fishery, the catch of fish has not fallen much short of what it was in the most prosperous years. In 1814, when the price was 40s. per quintal, the catch did not exceed 1,200,000 quintals ; in 1820, when the intrinsic value of it was ■l I :< [ 68 ] not 10«. the catch amounted to 1,001,159 quintals, and, 1 be- lieve, in every year since, the catch averaged from 800,000 to 1,000,000 quintals : the average catch per man in these years falls far short of the catch in 1812, 1813, and 1814. Calculating on the catch, I have no hesitation in saying, that since the Peace there have been as many or more hands employed in the catching of fish than during the war, when there were such tempting prices for the commodity : but the people had grown up in the country, and they must catch fish or starve. To this large catch of fish many attribute the low state of the trade and fisheries in the country ; and think that the population of New- foundland is too great j that the catch of fish is too great ; and that both should be reduced. If these men had the monopoly in the supply of fish, they might (and I am sure they would if they could) govern themselves |)y the policy of the Dutch in destroying their spices — and lieave the surplus quantity of fish back into the sea ; transport the people out of the country, and consign it to eternal sterility and barbarism ; and they would only then act upon the same principles on which Newfoundland has been governed for centuries. But, thank God, the reign of the monopolist is no more. To prove the fallacy of the arguments for a reduction in the population, and the consequent catch of fish at Newfoundland, it is only necessary to state that the Americans and French would increase their catch in tlie exact ratio with our decline, and if we left off catching it altogether, they would supply all the markets in tlie world. The only means left to us to pre- serve the fishery is to increase the quantity as much as possi- ble, and to catch it at the lowest possible price; this may in time wear out the patience of the French arid American govern- ments, and they may get tired of givirg bounties when they find them not suflicient to attain the object which I have no doul)t they have h.id in vievv — the annihilation of that branch of British commerce which they know, possibly better than we know our- selves, was the foundation, and is the best support of our naval greatness. The advantages of a resident fishery and a resident popula- tion, over the transitory fishery carried on by the French and ' I '^ .tJ-Llilmtii'*.! L 69 ] '\ 4 Americans, are so great, that 1 am sangt.ine enough to hope we shall be able to surmount all our difficulties, provided the means are used which we have in our hands to foster and sup- port it. The late Acts introduced by Mr. Huskisson, which allow the importation from foreign parts of supplies of provi- sions for the use of the fishery, against which an ignorant, un- just, and unmeaning clamour has lately been raised by the advo- cates for the shipping interest, are of the greatest service to the trade and fisheries ; and, no matter who has a right to complain of the effects of these measures, the shipping interest is, iis well as the fisheries, greatly benefitted by them. The advantage of obtaining supplies to the fishery on mo- derate terms, with the additional support it must derive from the general cultivation of the soil, will, I have no doubt, soon have the effect of enabling us to support tlic trade and fisheries against our more favoured rivals. The advantage of cultivation as an auxiliary to the trade and fislieries will more fully appear by the following opinions of Mr. Forbes. " As a general remedy, whatever tends to revive the fisheries must also have the effect of relieving the people. It were de- sirable that witli the view of opening some auxiliary employ- ment to the inhabitants of Newfoundland, every restraint upon the cultivation of the soil should be removed, and every cucou- rageiwent given to the breeding of sheep, cattle, and other live stock. " The necessity of cultivating the'soil, as an auxiliary to the fishery, is not disputed, nor is there ciny existing law which j)r(>liibits it; but there is none to encourage it ; and there is still maintained in the island an ancient opinion, that it is against tlie policy of (Government — as if that could be called policy which, in a country overstocked with people, and dis- tressed for food, would prohibit so plain a dictate of natural law as that of raising subsistence from the earth. " This cannot be, is not, the policy of the British Govern- ment ; and nothing is wanting but a fair apprehension of the case to induce its enlightened rulers, not only to remove every shadow of obstruction from the cultivation of the soil, but to encourage and protect it by every means in their power. To preserve the transient fishery has been found impracticable ; to 1 f % l! i' [70] attempt to revive it would be to slmt our senses against the light of reasoi. and the lessons of experience. As a broad pro- position, it may be maintained that if the fishery were to be taken up as it is, li^/ttcto, and a system adapted to the present state of tilings, openly avowed and directly pursued by the local authorities, Newfoundland would become what it ought to be, a prosperous settlement, bubsisting itself by internal resources, drawing its manufactured supplies from the mother country, and repaying her care by a valuable trade, and a numerous raco of seamen, trained for her service, and ready to attend her first call in the defence of the empire." It may appear somewhat :'< igular that I sliould in a letter, t o professed object of which was to defend the religious and moral character of the people of Xewfoundland, introduce disquisitions on the History, (jovernment, TraH ;, Fishery, and Agriculture of the country. To some it will apoear extraneous ; others I fear viil be more severe, and say that I should be prosecuted for high-treason, for daring to dispute doctrines made venerable l>y th>.;ir antiquity, and sanctioned by Kings, Parliaments, Go- vernors, and legions of Admirals, Vice Admirals, and Rear Ad- mirals. But if they only reflect tiiat it is not often one writes a book, and that many people judge more from the size than the nmtter contained in it, they will not blame me for stuffing as much as possible into this ; and it will be a consolation to them to reflect, that by my rashly flinging myself into the field of conflicting opinions, my punishment .vili tollow uu the heels of my ofTence. It is a consolation, however, to find that some of the opinions w Inch 1 have ventured to give are sanctioned by men of sound judgment ; and, what is better, of generous and bene- volent hearts ; who can feel for their fellow men in every (juar- ter of the globe — in the frozen regions of the north, as well as under the burning sun of the south. These reflections arise out of a letter, put into my hands by my much valued friend, Charles Fox Bennett, Estj. which he received from a man, who, without any connexion whatever with our country, yet feels most warmly for our welfare, and has taken up the most correct view of our situation. 1 observe by the style of the letter that this generous stranger belongs to the Society of Friends, v.'hich lessens my surprize at his taki g such a warm interest in our welfare. -e.- [ 71 J I think 1 have noticed more truly pliilanthropic men belonging to that society, in proportion to their number, than amongst any other. Without the consent of the writer, or of my friend, Mr. 13ennctt, I have taken the liberty of inserting the letter, which merits attentive consideration. My dear Friend, " CnARf.Es Bennett, " Shaftesbury, 18th 3 mo. 1827. " Thy brotlicr, Tiiomas Bennett, junr.'s letter, dated St. John's, l.'itli January, 1827, affords a pleasing account of some little iui[)vovenient going on in Newfoundland, by forming a new line of communication, or at least of its being commenced, between Portugal Cove in Conception Bay, and St. John's, which he thinks will be conducive and cncoumging to tigricul- tural hpirit and exertioii. He also mentions a proposed bridle path to Placentia. It is only surprizing that useful and be- neficial works of this kind have been so long neglected or so little pursued there ; but the old restrictive and partial system of government and of management has been too slowly super- ceded l)y a more liberal mode of proceeding. '' I know not how the resident mercantile part of the popu- lation in Newfoundland would be disposed to favour any ma- terial steps for the increase of cultivation and of coloi.ization, in that island, but I rather marvel that it should be wholly overlooked in any plans t'lat have beei^ proposed for relieving this country from some part of its superfluous population. Newfoundlaiid is, indeed, v.istly inferior to Upper Canada in soil and climate, and, in loss degree, to Lowerdinada and Nova Scotia, or New Brunswick : but the facility of access is much greater, and some tracts may be found, and have indeed been pointed out, as far superior to the peninsula in which St. John's is situated, and indeed preferable in soil to any of the southern parts of Newfoundland. ** Among the highly interesting topics of discussion in Parlia- ment and in the public journals, one, and not the least of them is the question of emigration ; particularly as it was brought forward by Wilmot Horton, Esq. I rather admire that he did not think of Newfoundland, or of some corner or inlet of I [ 72 ] " it, as a refuge for a few of his destitute Irish or Englishmen. " 1 do not apprehend that you want much increase of your nuiii- '• ber at St. Joiin's, or amongst the settlements in the neighbouring " bays ; but it" the officers of government were empowered to " establish a I'tlle colony, by way of commencement, or experi- •• nioiK, n the lands adjacent to the Bay of Exploits, or to " White's Ray, or oth ;i place on the eastern coast, or rather " more in tlic interior, and people it at first with a few of the " it u' and cleverest of your labouring hands, or with ? few of "such people from this country (including Scotland and Ireland) *' such a colony miyrht ""^rm a nucleus or a receptacle for ♦he ad- " Jition or admission of other persons of a more common stu.np, *' either its Rfttlers, or as servants to the former. The bays on " the westei ? side of St. George, and of Islands, might ac- " commodate a similar colony ; and, in course of time, settie- *' ments might be made further northward, on both sides of the " island, in proportion as the people become accustomed to the *' climate and other circumstances. " It is remarkable (as I believe I have mentioned in convcr- *' sation) that some of the most favoured parts of Scotland, in " both soil and climate, arc situated considerably northward, " particularly Moray and its neighbourhood ; and it is probable " that some of the lands north westward of Cape Freels have a " better climate than those to the southward of that cape ; es- " pocially as they are further removed from the larger parts of " the great bank, nnd are probably less subject to the influence " of its fogs and mists. " I have lately felt an inclination to write to the Lnder Se- " cretary of State, W. Horton, on the subject of emigration, " and, indeed, had written a page or more intended for him ; but '■' I did not find my ideas expressed with sufficient clearness and " brevity, and therefore did not proceed with n»y letter. " I shall be obliged by any hints on the subjects I have mon- " tioned, and in the mean time I remain, " Thy sincere Friend, " William West." II K Wi ll BI HlW " w I C73] Most fully agreeing in principle with Mr. West, I must ex- press my dissent from the practicability of establishing colonies in the distant parts of the island. If we look bn.ck to the first settlers in America, we shall observe the difficulties they had to encounter in making settlements in places now the most popu- lous ; which arose in a great degree from the want of communi- cation with other places. These difficulties would not arise in Newfoundland to the extent that they were experienced in the first settlements, but I fear sufficiently to prevent a colony from taking root. Any improvement that may take place in the agriculture of Newfoundland must commence in the neighbour- hood of populous and commercial districts ; the support which it will there obtain, will more than counterbalance the differ- ence in the quality of the soil. It is only from these parts that agriculture can branch off, by the construction of good roads, to richer and more congenial soils. The opinion of Mr. West, that the land in different parts is superior to the land in the neighbourhood of St. John's, and the other inhabited parts of the island, is perfectly correct. The land on the boundaries of St. George's Bay, Conception, Trinity, and Bonavista Bays is very superior. The banks of the river Humber, which runs sixty or seventy miles into the country, are bounded by land equal to any in the neigh- bouring colonies. What is not generally known, limestone, gypsum, and coal, abound in Conception Bay, St. George's Bay, and in many other parts of the island. Those who are opposed to the agricultural improvement of Newfoundland, raise their unfounded calumnies against the country into first principles } they say the soil is barren and incapable of improvement, and the climate presents an insuper- able barrier to agriculture. They say " No vernal blooms our torpid rocks array. But winter, lingering, chills the lap of May : No zephyr fondly sooths the mountain breast, But meteors glare, and stormy glooms infest." From these false premises, they draw even more false conclu- sions. Their opinions would be of little consequence, but it is to be apprehended that they have succeeded in giving a tinge \ u :» [74] of their opinions to those persons who, from their] situation, have the destinies of the country in their hands. Along with Mr. West, I cannot nfrain from expressing my astonishment, that Mr. Wilmot Horton, in his zeal for emigration, never cast a thought upon Newfoundland, the place above all others where it would be the policy and interest of England to promote set- tlement. Before the country is sentenced to eternal sterility, surely it ought to get a fair trial, and its friends should be heard in its defence ; but even inquiry has been considered unne- cessary. If I may be allowed to compare small things with gr iat, a comparison might easily be drawn between the different inte- rests connected with Newfoundland, and those of a country of much greater magnitude. In Newfoundland, it is Land versus Trade; here it is Trade versus Land; which proves th-^'. both can play the tyrant in their turn ; that human nature is the same everywhere; and that what men consider to be their interest they will cling to, even though it may be in oppo- sition to the light of reason and justice. To talk to a mer- chant of the old school, connected with Newfoundland, of the possibility of cultivation, he laughs the idea to scorn, and the moment he hears one word about roads, he loses all temper— from the ridiculous opinion that it is himself and not the people that must pay the expense of making them. If you say that agriculture and roads would be the very best support to his trade, he considers you downright mad, and that an hospital for incurables is the only fit place for a person holding such dangerous opinions. Notwithstanding the opposition of such men, and the danger of their representations in a high quarter, the country must and will improve, the impetus has been given ; and though her course be impeded by difficulties — may be slow, it will be certain. I hope the Government will see the necessity of encouraging roads. In no country in tli world can they be made with more facility ; the materials are to be found on the spot, and from the nature of the fisheries, labour can be had in the spring, be- fore the fishiug commences, and in the fall, after its close, on lower terms than even in Ireland. Three or four main roads, that would open a communication with the interior, and the 1 [ 75 ] beads of the great bays, and which will appear quite practicable to any one who may take the trouble of looking at the map, would be of infinite service to the country. The cost will be inconsiderable; the expenses now incurred in carrying the Governor and Judges round the island in ships, according to the present system, will, if applied to the making of roads, be more than sufficient. When I reflect that 4 or 5000/. is expended annu- ally in carrying the Governor and Judges round the island, which would in a short time make roads for them to travel by land, I cannot help saying that I fear Newfoundland is, for some time to come, to be the theatre of absurdities. The outrage committed on two poor men liy the naval Surrogates, called the attention of Government to the ridiculous system of administering justice, and they abolished it. When two or three of the Judges, with their clerks and ministerial officers, are wrecked or lost on the coast of Newfoundland, in some stormy November day, it may awaken the attention of Government, and we may possibly then get roads. It was in contemplation with the Minister for the Colonies to introduce an Act of Parliament to impose duties on all the imports into Newfoundland, for the avowed purpose of meeting the increased expenditure : the intention has been abandoned for the present session, but it is said it will be again resorted to. No measure could be more ingeniously contrived to pro- mote three objects which I am sure did not enter into the views of its advisers. Firstly, it would add to the advantages already possessed by the French and Americans in the trade; since any tax levied on the necessary supplies for the fishery must operate in the nature of a bounty to our foreign rivals. Secondly, it would interrupt that harmony and good feeling which now so happily exists between the local government and the people of Newfoundland. And, lastly, it would have the effect of damping the hopes, and weaning the affections of the people from the parent government, and convince them that under no change is justice to be expected. I am the more sur- prised at this unwise and unconstitutional measure, Avhen I contrast it with the enlightened principles avowed by Mr. Huskisson, and which it was understood W5re in future to direct the policy of England towards her Coh>nie8. Is it be- Kf' H ff cause the people of Newfoundland are loyal and siiifmittsive^ that they. are to be trantpled upon ? I congratulate the Minister on his vpUdora in abandoning this measure, and hope tha,t l;e will not be induced again to bring it forward. No man is more '. willing than I am to acknowledge the Important benefits con< ' ferred on the country by the annihilation of the old, and the '* adoption of a new system of government. The improvement in « the administration of justice is in itself a boon of the utmost 1 value. But if such measures as ihose lately proposed are \ adopted, I must acknowledge that I^ have been too banguine in my expectations, and that Mr. West^nas taken a more coo! view of our situation, when he states that the " old restrictive and par- \ tial system has been too slowly followed by a more liberal mode of proceeding." ':'■■ ,■; -i-t ')i .t r ... % •. . , .,,..■* a..: ,,.jJi !■ !.■;• 4 (,':..■ U.J . . ,.. ,. * «•, tf. i.t . , a. t .;:. .f ,) )ii ., '; ...... oj. 1 i; 'Xi '.li > : 1: *;:'S lift 0. J >". il; :;....;. J »..i" ■::;•!.; '/ J \. .:>''.,. TirtE END. - t.. .a t-. . .c; ■i ■•>::. , • ,'^ '* '■-J ! *'^».7 ^1 ,-,;■ f •• »;„v:. ■ ;,-'r S'i ..» r , .^i. Ti \l i.'i ".' ;■ • ,ij/. i.-.,3 r'::,;. I'v Ei> t v I 4^5 l ; f •." ■ . \i^ ■-'.x ' I ■■ \ f' /•t J t(:.; ■■ - . :■■; i: ) >.ct7 .1 ;•- ; ; ■ • ; .■'..' I i .*•».■• ;■: •.U:ii.iU :'..' ' !. .! 0.'} c; V' • . > ■ ; .i* !. ;;. V.^. i' • .1 It'' • ■ i r. Ij. , •.,1,'.,, .-J I ir.i'.j i:.o ,3 f :, : »V- " '• , *'■■'■■? : -'i t .: 5: fv^i ♦ ::; I L . . « ■.., ' t. .. . • '■■';, ■; • ' ;■ -- •■:•* -C; ' • ■ ' •' V :.',•..'. 1 ■ ■ !:.;, -5 ; • .':M I :;. iil.n ■?• * i^\;t '.'; ■ "■■■■'> * ' London : Printed by A. Hancock, Middle Row Place, SS6, Holbora. ':'! t and suiimiusive,. late the Ministeil; lope that l;c will 1^0 man is .more Dt benefits con- lie old, and the improvement in >n of the utmost y proposed are too banguine in aore coo! view of tcictivc and par- tore liberal mode .' , Oi. . i; * ^»fc i t^if'--Vt ;;.). J •= _ *' iC,.'., -Ji'i ■ ! < *.< . '- Ji^- A* • . .0.; i* sj.ii'i tj (-r^ ' fV'7 s'i V.> T ,: M .* - ' v:j' f ; ' . ', -■ -• • i .'. V ' ' : l M'-. . . .. i."..a ' " • « . ' • ■.'''! f » Ij . % i 'i.i I l', ,'. . V ; '• \> . . * .. i . a." .* 'ii , • ■ \ •-'I .,,,,* '.< i ■ ■ -' " : 4 ■;,7 '- ' ■•■- ' •» , S«d, Holbora. :; M ',s i .y. ll«