IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // O ^ , ,^ f f-5 ■S.V % I . ic» "';t^ # T < • I. .3 %■ *-■#&. t"i;, W'"> . liM ';• t" U'il flt ^^. iiim "■ ;j .-.nhj-^l^i/- "If .%??« .)(,.'*■ -' ,' r, Tit f PREFACE. M- tK./C t ■>'ii The discovery of America has produced im- portant changes in the knowledge of the globe, navigation, and natural history in its several branches. The ancient systems of geography have gradually vanished, and mankind have founded their knowledge of the form and surface of the terraqueous globe on facts and experience. The whole art of voyaging by sea, the construction and equipment of ships, and the methods proper to preserve the lives and health of seamen in all climates, are like- wise much better known. The sphere of natural history has been considerably enlarged by the wider field which this discovery has opened of the works of the Great Creator, some of which appear there constructed on a a2 IV PREPA( R. !'>l larger wrnlt' and in a mnrr maf;nificent ntylr than in th«! Old Continent. The vegetable productinnM thnN discovered have enriehed the medical art with many valuable acquiHitions. The precious metalH, an well as diamonds and pearls, have since been much more common; anopulation; the ferocious invaders destroying one anoth(>r, and heaping; their deari(la to the Ciulf of Saint Lawrence, we eannot refuHe our ad- miration to the fortitude, indiiNtry, and per- Heverance, which operated Hiich a wonderful change in the face of that country. Before, the whole extent presented a surface covered with inaccessible forests or marshes; and these, cleared by European inilustry, soon made room for commodious dwellings; the wild beasts retired, and flocks of domestic animals supplied their place, while to thorns and briers succeeded the most luxuriant har- vests: the coasts were covered with towns, and the bays and harbours with ships. But, on the other hand, when we observe that those men who represented themselves as the oppressed victims of persecution, soon became themselves the most cruel persecutors; —when we reflect on the inhuman laws and proceedings of the Puritans against all who PRKFATE. VII ilissentiMl from tli«>ni; tli«> iiorrid tmiiMactions r('s|M'rtinv; tlu* Nii|)|N>se(l uitclicN; tlio conU'ii- tioiis uhif.'li iM'qM'tiKilly (liNturbrd tin* peace ot' tli(* roloiiicM, even when the eoinmuii nafety required the (greatest uiianiiiiity; the con- tinual Htate of warfare natunU to the Huvuge inhnhitaiitH of thoMt! coiintrien, adopted there by European nutionn among; themHelv«>M, and tluwe vi'ry savages armed by Europeann against Europeans; — we turn with astonishment to that vast island, whose name is scarcely ever mentioned in tlu; history of those times, Newfoundland, — discovered by Cabot even before Columbus had made his first voyage to the continent of America, — and settled by Europeans long before any other part of the new world. We ask with suq>rise how it happens that Newfoundland should hithert(» have been so little known, as to make it, even in our most modem systems of geography, a matter of doubt whether Placentia or Saint John s were its capital, — whether the race of its ancient inhabitants were extinct or still in ex- istence, — whether it were inhabited l»y Euro- Vlll fRKFACR. i ! -i peans, or a mere desert islaml. Has it been thus liitherto neglected by hihitijrians and geo- jjraphers, because, as some ha^e supposed, it is barren and useless? But, on closer investi- jsjation, we find, on tlie contrary, tliat New- foundland has been the object of frequent and obstinate contests among the principal maritime powers of Europe, in ortler to establish an exclusive right to its possession, or at least to obtain a participation in the advantages which it procures to its possessor: we find it holding a distinguished rank in several declarations of war, as well as in preliminaries and treaties of peace among them. It is a mine of treasure far more valuable than the boasted mines of Peru, because more really advantageous to its possessor and to mankind in general. The Spaniards, while solely anxious to obtain the possession, and to secure the produce of the richest mines of silver and gold in the world, neglected the arts and agriculture; their wealth and existence itself became dependent upon the sp.fe arrival of their galleons : poor in their supposed opulence, they soon were found a PREFACE. IJf diflferent nation from what they had hoen before. — Newfoundland, on the contrary, offer- ing to its possessors an inexhaustible source of commodities, easily obtained, and as easily exchanged for silver and gold, not only in- creased, or even, according to some writers, created the naval power of England, but also encouraged the arts and manufactures of the mother-country, furnishing employment to a vast number of mariners and fishermen, and to a multitude of artificers and mechanics, such as ship-carpenters, coopers, block-ma- kers, blacksmiths, spinners, net-makers, sail- cloth manufacturers, sail-makers, rope-makers, salt-makers, tanners, curriers, &c. &c. Newfoundland has hitherto been little known, because it has not forced itself upon the notice of the historiographer by deeds of cruelty, or by intestine divisions or external attempts which endangered the safety or the peace of its neighbours ; but, on the contrary, like the source of the Nile, unobserved and unknown, it silently distributed subsistence to a conside- u ? X PREFACK. rable portion of the inhabitants, and particu- larly of the poor of both hemispheres; and while the other settlenients with which the Europeans have covered the new world, have j^enerally been the destruction of the first colo- nists whom they have received, and of a great number of their successors; the climate of Newfoundland has even restored strength to those whose health had been affected by less wholesome climates, even to whole regiments, as well as to merchants and others coming from the West Indies. To these observations it may be added, that this island, considered, in respect to size, as next to Cuba and Saint Domingo, contains in its interior a race of men who, as we have strong reasons to believe, have maintained themselves during eight cen- turies, without any connexion whatever with any other tribe or part of the human race. Features so striking as these attracted my notice soon after my arrival in Newfoundland, in October 1799. More important considera- tions led me afterwards to inquire minutely PREFACE. XI into its circumst.i»i;ces, interests, history, and laws. A collection of facts, selected from a variety of respectable sources, extracts from the Records of the Courts there, and my own observations committed to a diary, had, in the course of thirteen years, supplied me with a mass of materials which, I confess, I had some thought of arranging with a view to pub- lication on my return to this country. But, on my arrival here in the latter end of AugiLst, 1812, I became apprehensive that a work of this nature might not possess sufficient claims to the attention of the general reader to autho- rize its publication, particularly at a time when the most valuable interests of all the nations of Europe engrossed the anxious thoughts of every individual. I, therefore, determined silently to consign over the produce of my labours to a number of manuscripts on other subjects more immediately connected with the situations which I had held there, and which I had accumulated during the leisure hours that could be spared in the winter season, consistently with my public duties. I xu PREFACE. 1 ^ persevered in this determination, although re- peatedly asked why 1 did not publish some work respecting that island, until the tatter end of the month of March, 1818, when the same question was asked, rather in terms of leproach, and with the assurance that " such a work would undoubtedly be very acceptable to the British public." Being thus induced to reconsider the subject, 1 at last resolved upon the attempt, communicated my manuscript^ when completed, to a literary friend, and still farther encouraged by his approbation and a repetition of the same assurance, I now humbly submit it to the perusal of a candid and indul- gent public. •e- ne ;er he of ch Ae to )U ill a ly 1- TABLE OF CONTENTS. Prf.facb Phi!'' iii CHAPTER I. The Northmen. Various claims to the first peopling of America I Newfoundland first discovered by accident by the Northmen, who give it the name of Win-land- • • > Wild vine — Martha's Vineyard — Isle of Bacchus .... 7 Bay of Exploits — Gander-Bay . . t . ; «» Skroellingers or Esquimaux 12 Red Indians '... 14 Maritime intercourse interrupted by the increase of the Arctic ice 15 Voyage of the two Zenos of Venice ib. Estotiland 10 Revolution in Win-land in the beginning of the fifteenth century 20 Savage life not the natural stale of man • 22 CHAPTER II. John and Sebastian Cabot. Discovery of the Brazils the effect of accident 23 Coliinibus applies to Henry VII 2 i i 1 I 'I s 1 XIT CONTENTS. Venice— John Cabot 25 Voyages of John and Sebastian Cabot to Newfound- land 26 Bonavista— Baccalaos 2B This discovery attributed by some writers to Sebastian ib. Fabian's account of three natives of Newfoundland brought to England by Cabot 29 Further account of Sebastian Cabot 30 Remarks of Purchas, Sir William Monson, &c. on this discovery of Newfoundland 31 Want of precision in the writers of those times 34 CHAPTER III. Continuation of the History from 1497 to 1648. The Newfoundland fishery frequented as early as the year 1500 35 Caspar de Corte Real, in 1501 3tt Conception-Bay — Terra Corterealis, or New Britain — Labrador ib. Voyages of Verazani by order of Francis I. 40 Attempt of Robert Thome, of Bristol, by order of Henry VHI. towards a passage to the Indies by the North Pole, 1527 ib. Why France attended at that time to voyages of disco- very less than other nations 41 James Carticr, of Saint Maloes, in 1534 42 The same, in 1535 44 De Roberval, of Picardy, receives a most extensive grant from Francis I. and makes great prepara- tions for a voyage to North America 45 Cartier's third voyage 46 Hoarc, of London, sails for Newfoundland, in 1536, with a considerable number of gentlemen of fortune 47 26 28 I ib. CONTENTS. XV Pace Their extreme distress in that island— and return to England - 49—5:1 Rapid increase of the British Newfoundland fisheries, and first act of parliament respecting them r>4 ■••I 29 30 31 34 35 3» ib. 40 ib. 41 42 44 CHAPTER IV. Continuation from 1548 to 1A3U. Why colonies were not sooner sent to America hi Sir Humphrey Gilbert, " the parent of all the British plantations in America," makes the first attempt towards a settlement there in Newfoundland, for which he obtains a patent from Queen Elizabeth, and sails for that island in 1578 68 New regulations on property in fishing-rooms in 1582 59 Sir Humphrey Gilbert's second voyage in 1583 60 He arrives at Saint John's and takes formal possession of the island 62 Inquires into its nature, inhabitants, and productions 6^ Supposed discovery of mines of iron, silver, &c. • • • • 66 Conspiracies amon? his crews 61 Loss of the Delight 68 Loss of Sir Humphrey in the Squirrel, on his return to England 72 Sir Walter Raleigh sails for North America 74 Sir Francis Drake sails for Newfoundland ib. First attempt in the s«a^fishery by Richard Strang, of Apsham, in 1593 75 Rice Jones, of Bristol, in 1594 77 Charles Leigh and Van Herwick, of London, in 1597 ib. De la Roche sails with a grant from Henry IV. of France, in 1598 79 Cbauvin, in 1600 and 1601. — Canadian trade 80 c/> 5: •■ ft XVI CONTENTS. Sninuel Champlain takes a part in the quarrels of the Indians in Canada, and supplies them with fire- arms 81 lluckluyt forms an association of men of rank for the purpose of vstabiishing colonies in North America, in 1000 ib. Attempt to di^icover a iiorth-wobt passage in 1600 • • • • ib, Quebec founded in 1007, and James-Town in 1008 • • ib. Voyage of John Knight to Labrador and New- foundland • • 82 Henry Hudson and John Guy, in 1610 ib. Whitburn sent to Newfoundland, in 1014, with a com- mission from the Admiralty to iuipannel juries, &c. 84 State of the English fisheries there in 1614 and 1016 ib. Settlements then existing in Saint John's, Torbay, Arc. 86 Doctor Vuughan and Whitburn at Fcrryland, in 1616 86 Avalon founded by Sir George Calvert and Edward Wynne, in 1623 ib. Wynne's and Powell's accounts of the state of cultiva- tion in the new province 87 Other improvements at Ferryland 88 Colony sent from Ireland ib. Defeat of a French squadron on that coast by Lord Baltimore, who leaves Newfoundland in 1032, and afterwards founds Maryland • 8ft CHAPTER V. CONTiNUATlON FROM 1033 TO 1702. Charles 1, encourages the English settlements and fish- eries in North America, and issues a commission fur the better government of Newfoundland, in 1033 !>(» CONTENTS. XVll Pi(« His example is followed by France 02 Sir David Kirk carries a colony to Newfoundland in 1654 — ^The number of settlements there increases rapidly, the principal of which are Saint John's, Ferryland, and Quidy-Vidy— Placcnlia founded by the French 03 Consequences of Colbert's measures respect ins? the French fisheries at Newfoundland ib. Ordinance of Louis XIV. 01 War with France ib. Failure of an attempt against Placentia 00 France aims at the possession of all North America • • OR Attempt of Nesmond, in 1006, on Saint John's* > • • • • 101 Capture by Brouiilan and Ibberville of the whole island, except Bonavista and Carbonier-Harbour 102 Fruitless expedition of Admiral Nevil and Sir John Gibson 103 Peace of Rhyswick ib. Sir John Norris, Governor in 1607, Sir Stafford Fair- borne, in 1700, and Sir John Leake, in 1702 — Distinguished character of the oilicers appointed to that station from 1675 104 King William's act " to encourage the trade to New- foundland " 105 Fishing Admirals and other important regulations for the better government of the fishery and adminis- tration of justice 106 Formation of " the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts " 108 First missionary in Newfoundland • 111 m^^ ■'il Xviii CONTENTS. P«ge CHAPTER VI. Uetrospectivk View of the NEWForNDLANi) Fishery, and of the Accounts of that Island nv different Writers of the seven- teenth Century 112 CIIAI'TRR VII. ^ Continuation of the Hsitory from 1702 to 1713. War with France — Ilostililics in Newfoundland 120 Fruitless expedition of Vice-Adniiral Gravdon 121 Fruitless altonipt of the Freneli against Saint Julm's •• 123 Gallant and successful operations of a small Kn^iibh sipuulron on the northern coast of Newfoundland 121 llcsolulion of parliament respecting; that island in 1707 129 Saint John's taken and destroyed in 170H iff. Fruitless attempt of the French against Carltonier* • • • 130 Alarm iu England respectinjj, Newfoiindiand 131 Fruitless expedition against Quebec and I'lacenlia- • • • 133 Treaty of Utrecht 134 Death of Queen Anne • 135 Disorders occasioned by the Jesuits in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland ib. Disputes respecting boundaries 137 CHAPTER VIII. Continuation from 1713 to 1763. Eftects of the act of King William respecting New- foundland— •InsufHciency of the system of judi- cature established by that act • 189 Appointment of a Civil Governor; — of a Court of Oyer and Terminer;— of a High Sheriff; — of Justices of the Peace in out-harbours; — and of Floating Sur- rogates, in 1728 140 CONTKNTS. XIX f.oni firaliain — AtitnirHl IJyim Ilsl Court of Vice-Ali>litMl 1 14 Appointmriit of » Nsnal OtKtor 145 France loses lu-r part of NcwfoiiiiiilaiKl, ami tlio isluiid of Cap«-IJr«ton 14« Treaty of Ai\-la-(Mia|)*>lli> ib. OriKiii of tlio war in IT-Vi 147 Beginning; of lio>lililios on the coast of Newfoiiii(llaii(l 119 Sir Charles Hardy— F^onl llodncy I.'>0 Ancient custom in Saint John's in cases of insolvency • I'/l Captain James Webb 1 '>3 Captain, afterwards Lord, (i raves I.'i4 Claim of Spain to the Newfoundland fishery 155 War with Spain in 1 7(i2 157_ Bay-Bulls, Saint John's, Carhonior, Trinity, cVc. taken by a French squadron under Admiral de Ternay • • ib. Retaken by Lord Colvillc and Sir Jelfrey Andierst •• 150 Robert Carter— Charles Garland 167 Captain James Cook 1 (JO Distress in Saint John's • • • <■ ♦ 1 70 Treaty of Paris in 1763 171 Coast of Labrador annexed to the govcrnnunt of New- foundland 1 73 Tenor of the commissions of the peace issued at that time 174 Court of Oyer and Terminer 1 75 Abuses respecting fishing-rooms, the administration of justice, &c. 176 Scot and a party of native Indians 181 Effects of the Treaty of Paris on the Newfoundland fisheries 182 Population of the island in 1763 184 b2 1?1 XX rONTKNTS. Page CHAPTER IX. CoNTINlTATrON FROM 1703 TO 111 ft. Alarm in En^lund rrHpcftinf; Ncwf<»unilluii(l ino Increase «»f the fisheries 108 Captain IltiKh I'alliser IBf) Captain Ilyron 100 Disturbances in NcwfuumihuHi — Cnstoni-liouse 101 Sir Roger Curtis C^ote) 103 Disturbances in the American colonies 104 Suspension of supplies from the continent 107 Sir IIuKh Palliser's act 100 Captain Duflf— .Salmon fisheries 202 I- CHAPTER X. Continuation from 1775 to 1793. American privateers 204 Hear-Admiral Montague— PrnrJHmatinn for the pro- tection of the Newfoundland Indians 206 Sudden recall of the French fi»li<>rmen and mariners from the banks 207 War with France— Rear-Adiniral Edwards 208 Vice-Admiral Campbell— Mr. Aaron Graham 209 Effects of that war on the British Newfoundland fish- eries ib. Treaties of 1783, — with America and with France* • • • 209 Change in the French boundaries in Newfoundland • • 210 Comparalive increase of the British Newfoundland fisheries in 1785 211 Act regulating the intercourse lietween Newfoundlaud and the United States of America - • ii>. Act of 1786 for the encouragement of the Newfound- laud fisheries 212 CONTENTS. XXI Pag* Rrnrficiiil changes in the courts of ju»li«"r— Rc,ir-A«l- uiirai Elliot Ui Kear-Admiral Murk Milbanki* — Court of Cumrxon Fleas ill* Estubliiliuient of the " Supreme Court of Juiliciiturc" 210 Chief-Justice John Reeves 217 Act of the 33d Geo. 111. cap. 70 2U» Clause r<.-9p. ( liug cases of iiisolvcnc^r ih. CHAPTER XI. Continuation ihom 1703to1H1b. Causes which had hitherto prevented the British Go- vernment from obtaining correct information on the state of things in Newfoundland 221 Important consequences of the late improvements in the administration of justice 224 State of the British Newfoundland fisheries in 1705 • • 225 Sir James Wallace and the French Admiral Richery • • 220 Vice-Admiral Waldegrave 227 Premature attempt to establish a college in Saint John's 228 Curious trial 234 Vice-Admiral Gambier — Mr. Joseph Trounsell « 230 State of Conception-Bay 237 Chaui!e there in the civil and ecclesiastical state of things 230 Society for Improving the Condition of the Poor, and Sunday-schools in Conception-Bay 241 A similar society established in Saint John's ib. Other improvements iii Conception-Bay ib. Treaty of Amiens 242 Renewal of hostilities 244 A female Indian in Saint John's 245 XXll CONTKNTS. P.g« Loss of the Liuly Hobart packet, and arrival of lier passfiiffi^rs aiifl crew in Conception-Bay 247 Printin£j-ofH(t> olahlislicd — Volimtcor militia formed in Saint John's *24« Post-ottice established in Saint John's and Conception- Bay • 249 Act of 1 HO!)— Coast of Lalnador re-annexed to tl>e government of Ne\\ foiindland 240 First attempt to open a coniiiiiinication with the native Indians of Newfonndland *2r»<) Scarcity of cattle S')! Sir John Thomas Duckworth 'i5'J Second attempt respectins; the native Indians ib. Sale of ships-rooms in Saint John's 254 Third attempt respectinj; the native Indians 25G War with America 2r>8 Ravages by the sniali-pox in Saint John's ib. Fire in Harbour-Grace • 26!) The History of Newfoundland continued to the year 1818 260 CHAPTER XII. Description of the Banks and Island of Newfound- land AND OF THE CoAST OF LABRADOR. Theory of the Abbe Clavigero concerning the first peopling of Ainerica 277 Atalautis 278 Revolutions produced by volcanoes and earthquakes* • 279 Remarkable earthquakes iu Canada in 1663, aud at Boston in 1727 281 Traces of volcanoes in Massachusetts < 282 Extraordinary structure of the island and bauks of Newfoundland 283 CONTENTS. XXIU Page Outer or False Dank — Great Bank — Other banks* • • • 2»4 Various theories concerning those bunks 2fl(> Gulf-Stream— Drift wood, &c. 2m Difference in length of the voyages to and fro, betHren Europe and North America • • • 291 Gulf-weed— FoRs on the banks 202 Appearance and description of the ii>land of New- foundland 21)3 Avalon — Trinity-Bay— Baccalao-Island 205 Conception-Bay 297 Saint Johu's— Bay-Bulls 302 Southern coast — Trepassey-Bay — Saint Mary's Bay • • 308 Placentia-Bay— Richard Brothers 310 Fortune-Bay 312 Penguin, Burgco, and other islands 313 Western coast 314 Bay of Islands — Bonne-Bay— Ingornachoix-Bay •••• 315 Saint John's Bay and Highlands — Pistolet-Bay — Hare- Bay 310 White-Bay — Bay of Exploits — Gander-Bay — New World Island — Twilingate — Fogo 317 Bonavista-Bay — Green's Pond Islands -Catalina-Har- bour 318 Islands of Saint Peter and Miqiiolons 319 Saint Peter's Bank — Anticosti Island • • • 322 Coast of Labrador— History — Seals and dogs 323 Mecatina and Shecatica-Bay— Saint Augustine's Square 326 Straits of Belle-Isle 327 Attempts to discover a north-west passage to India — Cabot — Thorne — Frobisher— Davis— Hudson • • 329 St ' XXIV CONTENTS. Pag* CHAPTER XIII. Op the Climate of Newfoundland and Coast OF Labrador. Peculiar character of the climate of North America • • 334 Comparison between the climates of Newfoundland and of Canada 343 Winter in Newfoundland 347 Effects of cold on the extremities of animals 348 Aurora Borealis 349 Islands and fields of ice — Frozen fogs, or frost smoke 351 Mode of opening a passage for vessels through the ice ib. Spring — Summer 354 Splendid appearance of Conception-Bay during the capelin-scuU t ib. Fall, and approach of winter 355 Whether the climate of Newfoundland is capable of improvement 356 CHAPTER XIV. Of the Natural Productions of the Island of Newfoundland and of the Coast of Labrador. Attempts towards agricultural improvements 358 Mode of planting potatoes 359 Kitchen gardens 360 Fruits — Berries — Indian tea 361 Side-saddle flower, or pitcher-plant 362 Cotton-reeds— Flowers ib. *' A short feast and a long famine " 363 Trees—" Newfoundland coffins" ib. Animal flowers 366 Minerals 367 Catalina-stone— Burning mountain 369 CONTENTS. XXV P.gr Labrador-stone 373 Animals » ib. Fur-hunting 375 Change in the colour of animals in winter 376 Traps and snares 377 Newfoundland dog 379 Essential differences between the Greenland and the Newfoundland dogs 384 Onats, or mosquitoes • 388 Poultry — Wild-fowl — Wild geese 389 Partridges, &c. 391 Various kinds of sea-birds ib. Baccalao birds, how far useful in navigation 392 Penguins 39S Morses, or sea-cows — Whales 394 Fatal issue of an attempt in the whale-fishery in Con- ception-Bay 397 Cod-fish 399 Trout;-eels; — lobsters;— plaice; &c. 400 Capelin — Capelin-seines ib. Salmon 401 Herrings, their annual migrations •. . . 402 Lance — Squid, cuttle-fish, or ink-fish — Mackarel*.. 407 Jiggers used in fishing 408 Extraordinary voraciousness and fecundity of the cod- fish 409 Other peculiarities 410 Stones in the head of this fish 411 CHAPTER XV. Of the Newfoundland Fisheries. Seals and seal-fishery 41.'* Uses of the seal to Greenlanders and to Europeans • • 417 '74 if, A' ah It ' i\ i' XXVI CONTENTS. Ptge Of thcflcbbof seals • 417 State of the NoMfuuiuilaiul t:in\sl at the time of the seal-fibhery 41 R Manner of protu-etliiip in (liis rtshery 421 Motle of making seal-oil— IUul)i)er 424 Eft'ect of oil on the ai^itahil suiluie of the sea, from which I'Abbe ilaynai foii-told womltrjul improve- ments in navigation 426 Mode of |>rc|)in in^ stal-sLins • 428 Mode of proceeding: in the eod-fishery 429 Fishing — Curing — Salting ih. Drying — Laying-rooms — Hanitanl.s of European extraction 461 How far the see? 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I HISTORY 0» TMB ISLAND OF NEWFOUNDLAND. CHAPTER L THR NORTHMRN. HOW was America peopled? is a question which has naturally been an object of curiosity and attention ever since that continent was discovered. The theories and speculations of ingenious men, with respect to this question, would fill many volumes. There is hardly any nation to which the honour of peopling America has not been ascribed. The Phce- nicians, the Carthaginians, the Greeks, the Scythians, In ancient times ; the Chinese, the Norv-egians, the Welsh, the Spaniards, and the Portuguese, in later ages ; are said to have sent colonies thither at different periods, and on various occasions. B , .>.i^-:t :.'-^M ^'0 -J 01 m s HISTORV OF 1nqniri(.'H of this iisitiirc iicccssarily liecoiiir iiilrirato uiid Irss i'sipablr of satinfactorv i-«;sults ill propurtioii to tho distance of the times to wliicli tliey refer, and to the de- fect of autheiiti<: records which were eitlier iie;;|,.ft its n^e wan contiriiuMl in \\\v hvxwvv of the Western church, and in tlie pnbHc iXvviU of niOHt of Uic Ntatcs of Knropc. lint (>v('n of hin^nn^cH so cniinontly intiTt-stinj^, — of the (ireek and Latin so stronp in their rlansical oxcrllencu',— Jiow few, comparatively speaking, are the mo- numents which have (>s(>M|)ed th<> revolutions of em]>ires and the wreck of time ! Had we all the accounts >vhich may be supposed to have been written of the naval expeditions performed by the Phtcnicians, the Cartha^^inians, the Greeks, and the Chinese, it is probable that our knowledge on this subject >vould be much more extensive and satisfactory than it has hi- therto been. National prejudice^ and jealousies have likewise no small share in increasing the ob- scurity which veils the origin of the Aborigines of America. An English writer has very justly asked : "To what cause, but to the prejudices of historians, is it owing that, in- stead of a faithful unclouded mirror of the past events of this country, we have Whig histories of England and Tory histories ; Church of England histories, Calvinistical histories, and Roman Catholic histories ?" To the same cause we may attribute the contradictions m* b2 r 1 ■ :l ! i 4 HISTORY OF which are to be found in the author:^ of va- rious nations who have written on this subject. Most of those writers seem to have been anxious only to claim for a particular nation the glory of the first discovery, as establishing of necessity an absolute and indefeasible right of property : they would not consider that, if such evidences were admitted amongst nations, there would he no end of unhinging their pos- sessions, or they must be involved in perpetual war and bloodshed. What Englishman would not be apt to treat very ludicrously any claim of this kind set up by Spain to the island of Jamaica? Doctor Robertson, in his History of America, ap{)ears inclined to think that Powell's account of the discoveries made bv the Welsh Prince Madoc, in the year 1169, must relate to Ma- deira, or some of the western islands : he ob- serves, at the same time, that the pretensions of the Norwegians to the discovery of Ame- rica seem to rest on a more solid foundation^ These pretensions are likewise more or less positively supported by several other respecta- ble writers and geographers of this and other countries. The inhabitants of the northern coast of Europe, in the middle ages, were remarkable for the boldness and extent of their maritime NEWFOUNDLAND. 'ijr . excursions. They were then known by the appellation of Northmen, and that country by the name of Northtnantia-land, afterwards call- ed Northway and Norway, in the same manner as the most northern point of that land was then, and is still called, North-cape. They bad, for a long time, been the scourge of those seas; they subsisted chiefly on plunder; and the success of their piratical excursions encou- raged vast numbers of emigrants from the north, east, and south of that part of Europe to forsake the inhospitable mountains and un- fruitful plains, in order to share in their expe- ditions and spoils. From this coast swarms of bold and desperate adventurers continually issued, who spread all around the terror of their name, the men of the rtorth. Not only the Orkney and Shetland islands, Ireland, England, France, and Spain, but also Italy, Naples, and Sicily, were by turns the scenes of their piratical devastations : wherever they landed they left a colony, which fresh acces- sions of new adventurers, from the same coast, soon rendered sufficiently strong to set all op- position at defiance. A party of these North- men, in tlie year 874, by accident discovered Iceland, where, according to their usual prac- tice, they planted a colony. In the year 982, they, in the same manner, discovered Green- ft *r I- I t - ! 9 HISTORY OF land, and established settlements there. From tlience some of them proceeded towards the south-west, and discovered a countiy still more inviting, where they found some plants of the vine which bore gi-apes, and for tliat reason gave it the name of Win-land. Doctor Morse, in his American Gazetteer, describes Winland as a countiy accidentally discovered in the year 1001, by Biron, or Biom, a Norman, and supposed to be a part of the island of New- foundland. He says that an intercourse was some time after opened between it and Green- land; that, in the year 1221, Eric, bishop of Greenland, went to Winland to reform his countrymen, who had degenerated into sa- vages; and that this prelate never returned to Greenland, nor was any thing more heard of Winland for several centuries. " The credit of this story," says Doctor Robertson, " rests, as far as I know, on the authority of the Saga, or Chronicle of king Olaus, composed by Snori'o Sturlonides, who was bom in the year 1179. His chronicle was published at Stock- holm, in the year 1697. I should think that the situation of Newfoundland corresponds best with that of the country discovered by the Norwegians. Grapes, however, are not the production of that barren island." In an- swer to this objection, we must observe that NEWFOUNDLAND. all the navigators who have contributed to tlie discovery of North America agree in stating that they found in those latitudes prodigious quantities of wild vines, bearing grapes of dif- ferent colours and size. Martha's vineyard, in New England, was so called by Captain Gosnoll, in the year 1602, as I'lsle de Bac- chus, now the Island of Orleans, in the river Saint Lawrence, hud received that name from James Cartier, in the year 1535, on account of the infinite number of vines growing there spontaneously in the groves and forests. The wild vine even now forms a characteristic fea- ture of the forest scenery in Canada. With respect to Newfoundland, Patrick Gordon, in the ninth edition of his Geography Anatomized^ published in London in the year 1722, posi- tively asserts, that those parts of the island which were then possessed by the French, namely, from Cape Bonavista round the north to Point Riche, as settled by the treaty of Utrecht, produced plenty of vines; and, in a French translation of that work, from the six- teenth edition, published at Paris in the year 1748, the same assertion is found in these words : " Les cantons que les Francois y pos- s6dent produisent des vignes en abondance." Mr. Pinkerton, referring to the origin of the nameis of Bacchus Island and Martha's Vine- '■'i'^^S ^ Sl i '\H. l'^ > \ m ■■4 ^m 8 HISTORY OF yard, i^ves it as his opinion, that " the same cause most probably gave name to Norwegian Vinland." The account of the discovery of the Island of Newfoundland by the Northmen is given at large in Doctor Forster's History of the Voy- ages and Discoveries made in the North. The Doctor assures his readers, that the facts con- tained in this account have been collected from a great number of ancient Icelandic manu- scripts, and inserted by Thormod Thorfoeus, in his two works intituled " Veteris Groen- landiae Descriptio," and " Historia Vinlandiae AntiqusB ;" that the country of Winland is men- tioned in " Adam von Bremen's Church His- tory," p, 151 ; also that very exact relations of these discoveries have been preserved in " An- grim Jonas's Specimen Icelandiae Historicum," and many other works; so that it is, in his opinion, hardly possible to harbour the least doubt concerning the authenticity of the rela- tion. He then proceeds to state that, in the year 1001, an Icelander of the name of Biom, in a voyage from Europe to Greenland, having been driven by a storm a great way to the south-west of this tract, discovered a flat country covered with thick woods, and soon rafter an island. He, however, made no stay NEWFOUNDLAND. 9 at either of these places, but hastened, by a north-west course, to Greenland, where he was anxious to join Herjolf, his father. On his arrival there he mentioned his new disco- veries. Lief, a son of Eric Redhead, imme- diately fitted out a vessel with thirty-five men, and, taking Biom with him, set out for this newly - discovered country. The first land which he saw -was rocky and barren, and he accordingly named it Helleland, or Rockland. He next came to a low sandy land, covered with wood, which he called Mark-land^ or Woody-land. Two days after he saw land again, and an island lying before the northern coast of it. Here was a river into which he entered, and which he found well stored witli fish, particularly very fine salmon ; the bushes on its banks bore sweet berries ; the soil was fertile, and the temperature of the air mild. At last he came to a lake, firora which the river took its rise. Here he determined to remain the winter, and on the shortest day saw the sun eight hours above the horizon. This sup- poses, that the longest day, exclusive of the jdawn and twilight, must have been sixteen hours long; and hence, it follows, according to our author, that this place being in the forty- ninth degree of north latitude, in a south- U^'B '' A- 'W? .ct> (iM >^^I|;i ,n -:if [i;A ■• :->^>!i- m lo"*.3 I 10 HISTORY OF westerly direction from old Greenland, must either be the river Gander, or the bay of Ex- ploits, in Newfoundland, During their stay there, a German, of the name of Tyrker, who had been missing, was found in the woods making himself very happy with grapes, from ■which he told them, in his country they used to make wine. Lief, having tasted them, from this circumstance called the country Winland dat Gode, that is, the good wine-country. It may be said, in confirmation of the Doc- tor's conclusions, that Newfoundland is the only land in those parts to which the descrip- tion given in that passage can be applicable ; and that part of it which most exactly corre- sponds with Lief 's course an daccount, extend- ing from Cape Freels to New World Island, actually contains two large rivers and bays, where an extensive and most profitable salmon- fishery has been carried on from time imme- morial, both issuing from large lakes, and both having an island to the north or north-east. The river and bay of Exploits has New World Island, and is annually frequented in summer by the native Indians of Newfoundland. Gan- der Bay has likewise Fogo Island to the north, and issues from a lake of considerable extent ; but this river is much narrower than the former. NEWFOUNDLAND. 11 *v^',-* These bays were formerly included in the part of Newfoundland ceded to the French by the treaty of Utrecht. Lief returned to Greenland the following spring, and was succeeded in this enterprize by his brother Thorwald, who sailed from Greenland with the same crew, accompanied by Lief's mother. He, however, explored that year only the land that lay to the west- ward. The next summer he examined that which lay to the eastward, and found the coast covered with wood and beset with islands, a feature peculiarly characteristic of Newfound- land ; but they could not perceive any human being" upon it. The third summer they exami- ned the islands, where, on a point of land, they damag'ed their ship to such a degree, that they found it necessary to build a new one. We may judge, from this circumstance, what kind of ships theirs were, and what an intrepid race they must have been, who ventured in those seas in ships that could be so easily and so soon constructed on a desert island. The old vessel was laid up on the promontory, which for that reason they called Kioeler Ness. They then examined once more th(^ eastern shore, and discovered three boats covered with leather, in each of which there were thie6 men. These they seized and wantonly mur- m If mi' % ■ ' ^:;a,;- ill; 6 . V :';:%f ' ■ '■■'. IV*' i.' ' " . ■'. ''wis ■' : '■''''^H''r^ ■'■■ '-m -■■ K^ ■:-*Wi ■"' ■• '"•'i^SKt - '•- ■^.-^^ v>"^ i'^M^M '■ - ■vv^'^^i^H ■' '! •4^^^H i\f ^mmSM 'v tiffin It HISTORY OF I dered, except one who escaped from their hands. Soon after they were attacked by a considerable number of people of the same description, armed with bows and arrows; but having erected a fence, made of planks, they defended themselves with so much spirit, that after an engagement which lasted about the space of an hour, their enemies were compelled to retire. These people were very short in stature, and were for that reason called by Thor^vald SkroellingerSy or dwarfs. Thorwald died soon after of a wound which he had re- ceived from an arrow, and was buried on the promontory, to which his people gave the name of Krossa-nesSt from two crosses which were placed there agreeably to his request. His companions passed the winter in Winland; and, in the beginning of the following spring, returned to Greenland. Thorstein, the third son of Eric Roude, or Redhead, set sail in the same year for Win- land, with his wife Gudrid, his children, and servants, in all twenty-five persons ; but having been driven by a storm to the western coast of Greenland, and obliged to winter there, Thor- stein and most of his followers died ; and, in the following spring, Gudrid returned home. She soon after married Thorfin, an Icelander of some consequence, who formed the resolu- NEWI'OUNDLAND. 13 tion to take pofisession of the newl; -discovered country, and to settle there a colony , he ac- cordingly proceeded to Winland with a vast (quantity of household furniture and cattle, and about seventy persons of both sexes. On their arrival they formed a regular settlement. They were soon after visited by the Skroellingers, and a most profitable trade was established of furs in exchange for other wares. Their visi- tors would also willingly have bartered for their weapons, but this Thorfin had expressly forbidden. One of them, however, found an opportunity to steal a battle-axe, and immedi- ately made trial of it on one of his countrymen, whom he killed on the spot; the weapon was instantly taken from him and thrown into the sea. Having, in the course of three years, obtain- ed a considerable quantity of very rich furs, Thorfin returned to Greenland, and thence to Iceland, where he built a very elegant house on an estate which he purchased in the north- ern part of Syssel. After his decease, Gudrid made a pilgrimage to Rome, and afterwards retired to Iceland, and ended her days in a nunnery, which her son Snorro, a native of Winland, had founded for her. Many similar voyages were made after this to Winland; and the descendants of the co- ■i'tn -mi ■ 14 HItiTOttY OF tony planted there by Thorfni increased so rapidly, that, in the year 1121, one Eric, who had been ap}>ointed bishop of Greenland, pre- ferred going straight to Winland, in order to reclaim and convert his countrymen there, who were become heathens. . From this period, continues Doctor Forster, Vfe have no furtlier intelligence with reH|>ect to that country; and it is highly probable that the tribe still existing in the interior parts of Newfoundland, differing remarkably from all the American Savages, as well in shape as in their manner of living, and being in a state of constant enmity with the Skroellingers or Esquimaux who reside on the opposite coast, are descended from those ancient North- men. It is a somew hat striking coincidence, that these presumed descendants of the family of Eric Roude^ or Red-he&d, should have been to this day distinguished by the name of Red Indians. Mr. Finkerton, in his Modem Geography, says that, " as it is now universally admitted that Greenland forms a part of America, the discovery must, of course, be traced to the first visitation of Greenland by the Norwegians, in the ye;ir 982, which was followed in the year 1003, by the discovery of Winland; adding, that the colony in Green- land continued to flourish till the maritime NHWIOUNDLAND. 1ft intercourse was impeded by the increasing sihoalij of arctic ice.* Tliis intemiption may, in like manner, account for the obscurity wliich previi led rcspectinjj; Wiuhind, until it was more effectually discovered by John Cabot, in the year 1497." If, as Mr. Pinkerton observes, the voyaj^e of Nicola Zeno, in the year 1380, be not imagi- nary, he would appear also to have visited Winland. It is worthy of remark that, in the ** Theatro del Orbe de la Tierra de Abraham Ortelio," published at Antwerp, in the year 1602, and dedicated to Philip the Third, King of Spain, the relation of that voyage is ac- knowledged as authentic. Doctor Forster appears likewise inclined to admit it. , Nicola and Antonio Zeno were two brothers of a noble and wealthy family of Venice, who, having formed the resolution of visiting Eng- land, had scarcely passed the straits of Gib- raltar, when they were assailed by a violent tempest, which continued several days, and at last carried them to the Orkneys. Here they remained a considerable time, and were of essential service in assisting to oppose the in- roads of the Northmen into those islands. As a return for these services, having resolved to W :^ '*: * 1 '•■ i' • *'a \' ■ >JK 11 tTI ^. ". f J ;',' '48 ■f-* 1 f '. »l -n-. ' * >. *^i c, , •■% V. ' :'' 'i M ,fA ' ,» f • ■11 ^^'m ^ '•^:- y ■T-' „r;v, .'"l-'h * Sec the notes at the end of the volume. 16 niSlORY OF proceed thence on a voyage of discovery, they were liberally supplied with the meanstf necessary to At out three ships for that pur- pose. With these they set sail in the year 1394, and, taking a northerly course, arrived in 'Engroneland, where they found a monastery and a church dedicated to St. Thomas. A trade there was carried on by the Friars, in ships which went thither from the Orkneys, the Shetland, and Faro islands, and also from Drontheim, in Norway, from Sweden, and other northern regions of Europe. Nicola fell sick and died there. Antonio soon after pro- ceeded on his intended voyage of discovery; and, after having been several days at sea, discovered an island called Estotiland, blessed with a pure and healthy air, a good soil, fine rivers, and many other advantages ; little less than Iceland in size, but much more fertile ; having in the midst of it a very high mountain, from which sprung four rivers that passed through the whole country. He found that the inhabitants of the southern part of i\\e island were civilized, had several towns, made their buildings with walls, had arts and handicrafts of various kinds, sowed corn and brewed beer ; they lived mider the government of a king, in whose library Zeno found some Latin books which they no longer miderstood. But, NEWFOUNDLAND. 17 till' inhabitunts of the north were rude and un- polishod, living (;ntin'ly by the rhace, and without any kind of govenunenl; they carried spears of wood, made sharp at the point; and used bows, the strings of wliieh were made of the skins or entrails of beasts. All these cir- eumstanees, says Doctor Forwter, respecting the inhabitants of the south, are strong indica- tions of a people that had its origin from tli^c northern nations of Europe. Nay, he adds, it is evident that this Estotiland cannot possibly be any other country than that of Winland, the Newfoundland of the moderns. It is beyond all doubt that several Normans settled in this country; these carried thither with them the arts and handicraft trades then known among them. That Latin books were found in the possession of the king, or clut;i, is not surpri- sing ; for, it is well known that Eric, bishop of Greenland, went, in the year 1121, to Winland. As this prelate was never heard of afterwards, it is probable that he died there; and, conse- quently, the Latin books in question might have been carried thither by him. On referring to the earliest geographical de- scriptions of those countries, we find that, in Ortelio's Theatro d'el Orbe de la Tierra, the typus orbis terrarum, bearing date of the year 1587. Estotiland is there described as a large c u 'J I I * i \ Ifi 18 HISTORY OF island, under the same latitude as Norway, divided by the arctic circle into two parts, nearly equal, and separated from the continent by a strait, called De Tormenta, or of Tem- pest ; whereas, in the Novi Orbis Descriptio of the same date, Estotiland is represented only as a peninsula lying to the north of what is now called Davis's Straits. In the " Principes de Cosmographie," translated from the Latin of Viettus, and published in Paris in the year 1637, Estotiland is said to be that part of North America which includes Davis's and Frobisher's Straits. And, in the " New De- scription of the World," by Samuel Clark, published in London in the year 1688, Estoti- land is d^'scribed as comprehending the north- em regions of the Mexican province, lying between Canida or Nova Francia and Hud- son's Bay ; and Estotiland, properly so calledy as the most northern region on the east side of America, to the south of that bay, being va- luable only on account of the fishing trade, particularly in the cod, called New-land-fish, which is there so extremely abundant, that with a hook and a red rag a man may catch forty or fifty in an hour, which, when dried and salted, are brought into England and other parts of Europe. " There is also a trade with the natives for feathers, furs, and skins of NEWFOUNDLAND. 19 beastH ; and, the most noted places are Prince Henry's Fore-land, Cape Cliarles, King's Fore- land, and Cape Wolstenham. On the south lies Newfoundland, which some term an island, as being divided from the continent by a frith, or strait, called Golfe de Chateaux, (strait of Bellisle,) and sOrrounded with islands, called by some Cabo Baccalaos, from the swarms of Baccalaos, or cod-fish, found there." From these authorities, it is evident that tiie name of Estotiland in those parts is of a very early date, and that the Island of Newfound- land was generally considered as a part of the country so called. The learned author last quoted also states, that the natives of that island, upon the coming of the Christians, in- habited the sea coast, but " now for the most part have betaken themselves to the woods and fastnesses ; that they used to express their duty and reverence towards their king by stroking their foreheads and rubbing their noses, which if the king accepted, or was well pleased with the person, he turned his head to his left shoulder as a mark of favour." Accord- ing to Laurent Echard, in his GeogTaphical Dictionary, publisiied about the middle of the last century, the country now designated by the name of New Britaui was then also called Estotiland. .'; ■■■■;*-;• J. >?. f '' '"^ til c \L I ') ! ^i 20 HISTORY OP That some great revolution took place among the native inhabitants of the island of Newfoundland in the fourteenth or the fifteenth century seems to be the decided opinion of Doctor Forster, Doctor Robertson, and Mr. Pinkerton. According to the former, it ap- pears, that, from the year 1402 to the year 1404, a great multitude- of the inhabitants of Winland was carried off by a pestilence ; so tKat, what with the diminution of their num- bers, the want of assistance from Iceland and other parts, and the increasing cold, the Nor- man inhabitants were weakened to such a de- gree, that at last it became an easy matter for the Skroellingers, who had begun to shew themselves about the year 1376, to make war upon them ; and, that it is, therefore, probable that these people have, at length, extirpated the whole Norman race; and yet, the same writer, only three pages before, gives good reasons for supposing, with still greater proba- bility, that the tribe now existing in the interior parts of Newfoundland derives its origin from that same Norman race. Doctor Robertson says, that it is manifest, that, if the Norwe- gians did discover any part of America at that period, their attempts to plant colonies proved unsuccessful, and all knowledge of it was soon lost; and Mr. Pinkerton, that the colony in NEWFOUNDLAND. 21 Winland was soon destroyed by intestine divi- sions. We are not in possession of the evidence on which tiif se several opinions are founded, and therefore we cannot inquire into its validity and exact tendency : but, we may easily con- ceive, allowing the description of the popula- tion of Newfoundland, given by Zeno, to be correct, that intestine divisions should have Ctrisen between the northern and the southern inhabitants of that island, the necessary con- sequence of which must have been to weaken, and ultimately to destroy, the ties of civilization, which had been before observed to connect the inhabitants cf the south. Tliis effect may have beeii celerated by the necessity in which they ;■- 'iJ themselves from the year 1376, of uniting their efforts and directing their whole attention to the defence of the island against the inc asing numbers of the Skroel- lingers, or Esquimaux, on the opposite coast. And though we cannot readily admit the pos- sibility of extirpating the whole race, in an island of such extent as Newfoundland, and covered with woods and marshes, we may easily conclude that this perpetual state of warfare produced among all the inhabitants a similarity of manners, habits, and mode of living, the unavoidable consequence of an I I if •!t |i' k 22 HISTORY OF exact similarity of situation and of wants. A savage life is certainly not the imtural state of man : but it cannot be denied that his pas&ions and appetites constantly tend to plunge him into that state. I'Vom the necessity and habit of devoting all his thoughts to the most effec- tual meana of defence and of subsistence, he soon forgets the use of those faculties which he ceases to exert ; the spiri*^ of independence, at all times so powerfully active, and all the sa- vage passions gain rapidly upc. him; and, when the ties of subordination and of social order are once loosened, all civilization is soon at an end; no effectual restraint remains to curb the passions, the self-will, and self-inte- rest of individuals ; nor will any consideration be sufficiently powerful to prevail upon men reduced to that state to submit voluntarily to a regular and efficient form of government; and to renounce their independent, wandering, wild, and idle habits of life ; for man, in a savage state, is seldom roused to exertions but by the immediate and pressing calls of hunger, or of danger, or the desire of revenge. NEWFOUNDLAND. 23 CHAPTER II JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOT. It was accident that had led the ancient Northmen to the discovery of Greenland, and afterwards of Newfoundland ; the same cause, five hundred years afterwards, led to the dis- covery of the southern continent of America. Vicente Yanez Pinzon had sailed firom Spain, in December 1499, on a voyage of discovery; a violent tempest drove him from the Cape de Verd islands to Cape Saint Augustin's, on the Brazil coast, where he landed on the 26th day of January, 1500, and took possession of the same in the name of the crown of Castile. Exactly three months after, Pedro Alvarez Cabral, who had sailed from Lisbon vdth a fleet destined for the East Indies, was also driven by stress of weather to the same quarter of the globe. Thus, by an extraordinary con- currence of circumstances, if the sagacity of Columbus had not led him to America, that extensive continent would have been discover- ed seven years later by mere accident. -■Mi 1 ' , ii f 5 1 a. ^'6 24 HISTORY OF tt Let us not, however, deprive Culuinbiis of his well-earned glory. His discovery of the New World was the effort of an active genius, enlightened by science, guided by experience, and acting upon a regular plan, conducted with no less roui .ge than perseverance. If accident hat! .ii' hhare in this cnterprize, it was in depriving Henry the Seventh, King of England, of the honour of this first precon- certed attempt towards the discovery of the western hemisphere. Columbus, having in vain successively solicited the assistance of Genoa, his native country, of Portugal, of Spain, and of P"'rance, sent his proposals to the King of England, by his brother Bartholomew. The latter was taken by pirates in his voyage thither. Columbus had made the necessary preparations, and was on the eve of his depar- ture for England, when Spain, at length, con- sented to second his views, but not until that great man had spent six years in anxious sus- pense and fruitless solicitations. Henry, however, had the honour of contri- buting to the first discovery of the continent of America, for Christopher Columbus did not discover it till his third voyage, in the year 1498, nor did Americus Vespucius see it be- fore the year 1499. At that time the Venetians were distinguish- NEWFOUNDLAND. 25 ed by the flourishing^ state and the extent of their navigation and commerce : their harbours were continually crowded with foreign vessels, while their own sailed to every trading port. They had factories in the different towns and cities of the northern kingdoms, and agents wherever they deemed it advantageous to pre- serve an intercom-se. John Gabota, or Cabot, by birth a Venetian, was employed in that ca- pacity at Bristol; he had long resided in Eng- land, and a successful negotiation in which he had been employed, in the year 1495, with the court of Denmark, respecting some inter- ruptions which the merchants of Bristol had suffered in their trade to Iceland, had been the means of introducing him to Henry the Se- venth. His skill in every science f mected with navigation and commerce, and the success which had attended the enterprizes of Colum- bus, led him to suppose that land might pro- bably be discovered to the north-west; or, according to some writers, that a passage to China might be found in that direction. He laid his conjectures before Henry, who direct- ed him to prepare immediately for the voyage, and by letters patent, dated at Westminster, March 5, 1496, invested him with a commis- sion, by which *• full authority was granted to i 'H?l f t! i-r 'sl e y\^ i ■^w ' S ai*tridges, and eagles. He then, in the name of the King of England, took possession of that island, which he named BaccalaxtSy the word used for cod-fish by the natives. He next fell in, on the feast of Saint John the Baptist, >vith a smaller island, to which, on that account, he gave the name of Saint John s. Thence continuing his course, in a south-west direction, he explored the coast, taking posses- sion, as he proceeded, for the crown of Eng- land, according to the forms observed in those tunes, until he found himself nearly in the same latitude as the straits of Gibraltar, and in tlie longitude of the island of Cuba, which is supposed to have been Chesapeak Bay, in Vir- ginia. Finding himself short of provisions, he was compelled to stop thisre, and returned to England with a good cargo. Stowe and Speed ascribe this discovery wholly to Sebastian, without any mention of tlie father, perhaps from a foolish national pre- judice, because Sebastian was a native of Bris- tol, and that John was a foreigner: several (listing mistuk was kr who, a wrote found la this fle( their as year 14 It is than on have ca of Flori to Engls foundlai from Fa taken pi dred am Henry A August, instance of Augu before tli **Int were bro Newfoui beasts-sl man cou meanour K ) ^-'4: NEWFOUNDLAND. -iW distinguished writers have fallen into the same mistake. But Haichiyt says, that John Cabot was knighted for these services; and Fabian, who, as we have already observed, lived and wrote at the time of the discovery of New- foundland, states expressly, that " on board titis fleet John Cabot, his son Sebastian, and their associates, embarked in the spring- of the year 1497." It is probable that John Cabot made mon^ than one voyage to America ; for he is said to have carried his discoveries as far as tlie gulf of Florida. He is also said to have brought to England ihree natives of the island of New- foundland; and, from the foUowine: t'xtract from Fabian s Chronicle, this voyage must have taken place in the year one thousand four hun- dred and ninety-eight or ninety-nine ; for King Henry VH. came to the thi'one on the 22d of August, 1485. If Cabot's return, in tiie present instance, was later in the year than the month of August, it must have been in 1498 ; and, if before that month, then it was in the year 1499. ** In the fourteenth year of Henry VII. there were brought unto him three men taken in the Newfound-island. These were clothed in beasts-skins, and spake such speech that no man could understand them; and, in their de- meanour were like brute beasts; whom the '**^ ■I I. ■ AW i^ 1 f 30 HISTORY OV '■} H H king kept u time aftrr; of the which about two years after I saw two apparelled after the man- ner of Englishmen, in Westminster - palaee, which at that time I could not discern from Englishmen, till I was learned what they were; but, as for speech, I heard none of them utter one word." Hakluyt says, that a map of the joint dis- coveries of John and Sebastian Cabot, drawn by Sebastian, with his father's effigies on one side of it, was hung in the privy gallery at Whitehall. It appears that Sebastian Cabot had, at some period, left the service of England ; for we are informed that, in the twenty-fourth year of King Henry VIII. he was persuaded, by a merchant of Bristol, named Robert Thome, to leave the service of Spain and return to Eng- land. Here he obtained the esteem of King Edward the Sixth, who appointed him grand pilot of England, and also settled upon him for life a pension of £ 16G : 13 : 4, by a grant, dated at Westminster, January 6, 1549. Ha- ving been placed at the head of the Company of the Merchant Adventurers, he made him- self eminently useful to this country in curbing the immoderate influence and ambition of the Easterlings, or Hanse-towns merchants, who, by an abuse of the extensive privileges which NfiWFOlNDLAND. Si had been gnuited tlicin in tlieir cliarterH, in th<> yeur 1551, had not only wholly monopolized the woollen trade, but, by (>niployiri<; the nhip* ping of their own cotnitry, exceedingly injured the navigation of England. Purchus is very nuieh oll'ended that America should be culled by that name, and says that it ought rather to be called Cabotiana or Sebas- tiana, on the ground that Sebastian Cabot dis- covered more of it than cither Americns or Columbus himself. A modern writer observes, that " it is evident that Newfoundland was the first of our plantations, and that it has been the source of wealth ami naval power to this nation: and, it may tndy be said of Sebas- tian Cabot, that he was the author of our ma- ritime strength, and opened the way to those improvements which have since made us so great and flourishing a people." In the same spirit Sir William Monson had said before: " To come to the particulars of the augmenta- tion of our trade, of our plantations, and of our discoveries, because every man shall have his due therein, I will begin with Newfoundland, lying upon the main continent of America, which the king of Spain challenges as first discoverer. As we acknowledge the king of Spain the first light of the western and south- western parts of America, so we and all the i\i < .1 -If ' '■■■ :t ii 11; M 44 1 32 HISTORY OP world must confess that we were the first that took possession for the crown of England of the north part thereof, and not above two years difference betwixt the one and the other; and, as the Spaniards have, from that day and year, held their possessions in the west, so have we done the like in the north ; and, although there is no respect in comparison of the wealth be- twixt the countries, yet England may boast that the discovery, from that time to this very day, has afforded this kingdom annually one hundred and twenty thousand pounds, and in- creased the number of our ships and mariners, as our western parts can witness by their fish- ery in Newfoundland. Neither can Spain challenge a more natural right than we to its discovery; for, in that case, we are both alike. If we deal truly with others and deprive them not of their right, it is Ilali/ that must assume the discovery to itself, as well in the one part of America as in the other. Genoa and Chris- topher Columbus must carry away the praise from Spain; and the like may be said of Se- bastian Cabot, a Venetian, who, by his earnest intercession to Henry VII. drew him to the discovery of Newfoundland, and called it by the name of Saccalao, an Indian name for fish, from the abundance of fish he found on that coast." In this passage, Sir William Monson ■ ri NEWFOUNDLAND. 33 has, with equal judgment and impartiality, ex- patiated on the advantages accruing to Eng- land from so important a discovery. Although mistaken in the name, ascribing to Sebastian, a native of Bristol, what was due to Sir John Cabot, a native and citizen of Venice, it should never be forgotten that Newfoundland was discovered by this illustrious adventurer.* It does not appear that earnest intercession was necessary to induce Henry YII. to second the views of John Cabot in this respect, as that prince was generally reputed one of the most sagacious as well as one of the most opulent monarchs in Europe. When Bartholomew Columbus, having, at last, effected his escape from his long captivity, laid his brother's pro- posals before !rlenry, that king received them with more approbation than they had been re- ceived by any prince to whom they had hitherto been presented; and it may reasonably be supposed that the disappointment occasioned by the compliance of the court of Spain with Christopher's wishes, while his brother was ne- gotiating in England for the same purpose, and the subsequent success of the Spanish ex- pedition, must have operated as a strong in- I * Cliuichill's Voy. III. 396. 41 \- ^ rX 34 HISTORY OF ducement in the English court to listen favour- ably to the proposals of John Cabot. A want of precision is the great fault of the writers of those times. Inattentive to circum- stances, and even less solicitous concerning dates, they delivered a confused account of facts, which circumstance has not only occa- sioned much trouble to later historians, but also prevented them from obtaining materials on which they could depend, on many import- ant points. Hence those different and contra- dictory accounts of dates and names, which are to be found in most of the authors who have written on the discovery of Newfound- land. i ■ i NEWFOUNDLAND. .35 im Wt' I CHAPTER III. 1497—1640. John Cabot had brought home no treasures ill gold or silver, the great object of such en- terprizes in those times; we are, however, in- formed that he brought a valunhle. cargo; and the account that he gave of the immense quantities of fish whicli he had observed on the coasts of Newfoundland, could not be re- ceived with indifference in a country which, long before, had shewn a just sense of the im- portance of Fisheries. Although her disputes with Scotland engrossed at that time the atten- tion of England, so as to suspend all attempts towards similar enterprizes on the part of the government, it may be supposed that private adventurers, and particularly the merchants of London and Bristol, would not neglect a branch of commerce of so great importance to Roman Catholic countries, at a time when all the nations of Europe most strictly professed that religion. Doctor Forster informs us that, as early as d2 i> 36 HISTORY OF the year 1500, the fishery vt^as carried on by the Portuguese, Biscayans, French, and other nations, on the banks or shallows, and on the coast to the east and souiii of the island of Newfoundland. Althougu bv no means fa- vourable to the validity cf the claims of the English to that island, he, however, acknow- ledges that the crown of England had " dis- covered it at its own expense ;" adding, that as long as Spain, Portugal, and France, were powerful at sea, the English did not venture to dispute with them the title to this fishery ; but, as soon as Spain was engaged in a war with England, the latter power, in the year 1585, sent a squadron into those seas, under the command of Sir Firancis Drake, who seized the ships of Portugal, then subject to the crown of Spain, and carried them to England as good and lawful prizes. This taking pos- session of Newfc!mdland is, he says, the foun- dation of the rights which England has to the fishery carried on by her subjects in tho3e seas. The same writer very justly observes, that " as, according to the account which Captain Anthony Packhurst gave to Hakluyt, so many nations carried on the fishery off the coast of Newfoundland so early as the year 1578, it is clear that so considerable a fishery could never have sprung up all at once, but that it must NEWFOUNDLAND. 37 have been established by degrees; conse- quently, it must have been carried on a great while, before it could have risen to the height at which it then was. Now, the French having fished on this coast so far back as the year 1504, it is very probable that the Portuguese, who had there, in the year 1578, fifty ships carrying altogether three thousand tons bur- then, must, in 1504, or at least not long after, have fished there also." How, then, can we suppose that the English alone should have neglected to reap the fruits of the risks and expense attending the discovery of that valua- ble island? though they might, perhaps, not think it necessary o; pmdent to enforce their exclusive right to that fishery, until an una- voidable war with Spain gave them a fair op- portunity in the year 1585, We are expressly told that the produce of the first voyage of John and Sebastian Cabot to Newfoundland was a valuable cargo, which could consist only of furs and fish ; and that they made several voyages to those parts, which must have pro- duced the same favourable result, and which may be supposed to have been the motive which induced the other mariti le nations of Europe to direct their attention to those lati- tudes, whilst they neglected the more southern parts of North America. 'il 'K^' M.-^-^- m .1 ^$M^ K0i t ■!'■■ ■■',■,• I '< ■ft I' F * :!| ! i 38 HISTORY or Portugal appears to have been the first na- tion which followed the steps of John and Sebastian Cabot to the northern parts of North America. She was then ic her glory; her sons were animated with the spirit of action and enteiprize ; and her govr rnment attended with equal ardour and promptitude to every important object that presented itself. Then also J>he looked upon the discoveries made by Spain and by England as so man/ encroach- ments on her own rights and domains. Anx- ious to discover rsew countries and to open a new route to liidia, Caspar de Corte Real, a Portuguese of a o^i^Iviguiislied family, set sail from Lisbon in the year 1501, and in the course of liis navigation arrived at Newfound- land, in a wide and deep bay, which he named Conception Bay, an appellation which it still retains. He explored the whole eastern coast of that island, and then proceeded to the month of the great river of Canada, or Saint Lawrence; after this, he discovered a land, M'hich he named Terra Verde, or Green land, afterwards called from him Terra Corterealis, or re Cortereal, now New Britain: that part of it which, being under the fiftieth degree of north latitude, he thought was still fit for culti- vation, he named Terra de Labrador, or Terra A ^ricolae, as it is called in the Cosmography of NEWFOUNULAND. 99 .Sebaixtian Munster. He then returned to Por- tiinal ; and, in a second voyage to that part of the world, he is supposed to have been mur- d*\ed by the Esquimaux, or, according to other writers, to have perished in the ice,. J' . the year 1502, Hugh Elliot and Thomas Ashehurst, merchants of Bristol, obtained from Henry VH. letters patent for the establishment of ir colony in Newfoundland ; but we find no information whether they ever made use of this grant or set on foot any voyages thither, either iii the writers who were their cotemporaries, or in those that immediately succeeded them. Bergeron, a French historian, says, that in the year 1504, the fishermen of Normandy and Brittany visited the great fishing banks near Cape Breton, to which they gave that name, supposing it to be a part of the continent, and vv^hich it has retained ever since, although found afterwards to be an island. Doctor Forster likewise makes mention of a voyage performed in the year 1506, by Jean Denis, from Hon- fleur to Newfoundland, mIio drew a map of the river Saint Lawrence; and another, in 1508, by Thomas Hubert, or Aubert, from J>ieppe to the same island, who is said to have carried over to France some of the natives; but these, he says, are rather loose hints than regular accounts of places explored by the ■:i; f M . >f^ -if'^'^ I :"' >u Ik •Tl )t' on Sebas- tian Cabot to leave the service of Spain and return to that of England, presented to King Henry VHI. a memorial, respecting a passage to the Indies by the North Pole. Henry, though involved at that time in a multiplicity of affairs, observing in Thorne a considerable degree of activity and of sagacity, ordered that two ships should be immediately manned and provided with every thing necessary for I •I ,- ••; NEWFOUNDLAND. 41 smell an expedition. In thes(! Tliorne and liis H««ociate8 .s^ailed on the; 20th of May. On their arrival near Newibnndland, one of the ships was east away at the entrance of a dan- gerous gulf (the straits of Bellisle,) between the northern parts of Newfoundland and the coast of Labrador. The otlujr ship, to which Henry had given the name of Dominus Vobiscumj then shaped its course along the eastern coast of that island, towards Cape Breton and the roasts of Arembec, now Nova Scotia, fre- quently lying to, whilst parties went on shore on the diflerent islands and places by wliich they passed. In tht; beginning of October, in the same year, the adventurers returned home disappointed in their hopes of discovering the north-west passage, notwithstanding their in- defatigable assiduity and earnest endeavours. L'Abbe llaynal observes that the discovery of America by the Spaniards, and that of the route to the East Indies by the Cape of Good Hope by the Portuguese, do not appear to have had so much eflfect on the Frencl as they had upon the English and the Dutch, to excite them to similar enterprises. Entirely taken up with her views on the crown of Naples and on the dutchy of Milan, France neglected her navy, and cherished a romantic spirit of chi- valry, with an extreme contempt for every 7nti Wc yniXji ■■M ■^.•*- ,-.7. . .:i^i ■'MS 42 HISTORY OF |1 'i I'l 1 thing relative to trade and commerce. TiteHe prejudices prevented her from giving that at- tention to voyages of n»sco» ^ry which they de- served. It is not, therefore, surprising to find that France ha •) contributed but very little to- wards the discoveries made in the north ; nor was it until tue times of Henry the Great with his favourite Sully, ana of LfwisM , with Ins great minister Colbert, that merchants and u^anufarturers began to be considered as va- luable members of society, and their profes- sior receive that respect to which they are justly entitled, in as much as they enrich the state. He adds that, towards the middle of the jixteenth centui*y, France, notwithstanding her indifference to her navigation and com- merce, began, however, to give a serious con- sideration to the value of the gold mine, which th*^ discovery of Newfoundland had opened in her fisheries. Francis I. not discouraged by the unsuccessful issue ofVerazani's expedition, sent, in the year 1534, a fleet from Saint Ma- loes, under the command of James Cartier, an experienced navigator of that town. Raynal speaks of this as of an enterprize which seemed to have been -entered upon merely from imita- tion, and was neglected from levity. Greater justice is done in this instance to Ihe French monarch, not only by Doctor f^'orstcr, who was rfEWFOUNDLAM). ") ;» i ierman writer, but also by Doctor Wynne*, an Englishman, in his general history of the British empire in America. James Cartier sailed from Saint Maloes on the 20th of April, 1-334, with two ships and one hundred and twenty-two men; on the 10th wif May following, he arrived at Bonavista, in Newfoundland; the land was as yet covered with snow, and the coast surrounded by great quantities of ice. He thence sailed round the island and found many conmiodious harbours; but the country was so uninviting, and the cli- mate so cold, that he did not make a long stay there. He saw several of the natives of the island, of a good size and tolerably well shap(;d ; they were dressed in beasts-skins, and wore their liaii tied in a bunch, on the crown of their head, ad rned with feathers. He thence took a sout! erly course, and entered into a bay, which, on account of the sultry w eather which he experienced there, he called Baye des Cha- leurs, a name which it still retains. It is a broad and deep bay on the western side of the river Saint Lawrence. He landed at several places on the banks of that gulf or river, and, on the 15th of August, he sailed for France, and arrived on the 5th of September at Saint Mur loes. The account which he gave of this voyage .*y ^1 * f< \ )\ ' ' it- 'j il "I » V. 44 HISTORY OK on hin return, induced Francis to send him out again with a larger force. Three ships >^eU rigged and manned were now placed under his command, on board of which were several young men of distinction. With these he put to sea on the 19th of May, in the year 1535. The ships were soon after dispersed by a 9torm ; but met again, on the 26th ol June, at their general place of rendezvous in the bay or gulf of Newfoundland, to which he then gave the name of Saint Lawrence, on account of his entering into it on the day of that festival. On the 15th he came to an island which he named Assumption, now called Anticosti, from the Indian name Natiscotee. He next anchored by a small island, which he named I'lsle au Coudres from the number of hazel-trees grow- ing upon it, a name which it still retains, about forty-live miles north-east of Quebec. Sailing farther up the river, he came to a large and fine island, covered w ith an inmiense quantity of vines growing spontaneously in the groves and forests, and hence named it I'lsle de Bac- chus, now the Isle of Orleans. Cailier on his return to France, in the same year, expatiated on the advantages whicli would result from a settlement being formed in those parts ; a nobleman of Picardy, FVan^ois de la Roque, Seigneur de Roberval, entered ;li' :^,i I I: NEWFOUNDLAND. Ab into his fiews; and Francis, who used to call him the htt^e king of Vimere, on account of his great influence in liis own province, readily gave to this Seigneur every encouragement that he could desire. He created him " Lord of Norimbega (also called Areuibec, now Nova Scotia) and his Lieutenant-General and Viceroy in Canada, Uochelagn, (now Montreal,) Sa- guenay, a river whicli empties itself into the gulf of Saint Lawrence, Newfoundland, the general name for all the country discovered by John and Sebastian Cabot, Bellisle, Carpon, a bay or harbour in the north of Newfound- land, Labrador, the great bay, meaning most probably Conception Bay, and Baccalaos." This long enumeration shews at once the tem- per of Roberval, the sagacity of Francis who Mought to flatter his vanity by this long list of seigniories or lordships, and the great igno- rance that prevailed at that time in France re- specting those countries: we cannot help ad- miring at the same time the extreme liberality of the French king, Roberval, determined to appear in his new government with a grandeur suitable to the dignity with which he was invested, procured cannons from Normandy, and fitted out two ship.s at his own expense, making preparations which were not completed before the expira- ^• .:.!'*i, *j'" "j.- ■'. «■'■, H i iil 46 HISTORY or tion of two years. Cartier, who was to go be- fore as his captain-general, set sail with five ships, on the 23d of May, in the year 1540. After meeting ^^ith very rough weather, hr made and landed in the harbour of Carpon, or Quirpon, on the north of tlie island of New- foundland. He next proceeded to Hochelaga where he waited for the arrival of Roberval, who however did not leave France before April, in the year 1542. Cartier discouraged by this delay, finding his stock of provisions considerably reduced, and having reason to apprehend an attack from the native savages, set out at last on his return to France, intend- ing in his way to take another view of New- foundland. There he unexpectedly found Roberval in the road of Saint John's, where the latter had arrived just before him with three ships full of men, women, and children. Not being able to prevail upon his captain-ge- neral to continue witli him, Roberval proceeded with his small fleet to the coast of the gulf Saint Lawrence and built a fort on a hill close to Jthe shore. He afterwards sent his first pilot, Jean Alphonse de Xaintonge, to the northward to discover a passage to the Indies : but this pilot did not go beyond fifty-two de- grees of north latitude, and Roberval soon after returned to France. liH NEWFOUNDLAND. 47 The expeditions and captivity of Francis diverted for some time the attention of the French from such remote interests; nor are we informed of the fate of the numerous colony which Roberval had earned to Hochelaga. In the year 1549, Roberval, with his brother, who is said to have been one of the bravest men of those times, and a numerous train of adventu- rers, embarked (ot: the same part of America, and were never after heard of. This calami- tous event discouraged so much the French government and nation, that fifty years elapsed before any similar Mttempt was again made by them. In the mean time England, though at that period fully employed by the changes which were then making in the established religion, the domestic troubles of Henry VIII. the dis- turbances in Scotland, and the insurrections at home, was not inattentive to the interests of her North American possessions. A London mer- chant, named Hoare, proposed a plan for ma- king a settlement in the island of Newfound- land, and was joined by several young gentle- men who engaged to share with him the ex- penses and risks of the cnterprize. According to Hakluyt, Mr. Hoare was tall and graceful in his person, of an insinuating address, a cultiva- ted understanding, and opulent. Among his ■MA ■:¥■ iWt .•r U : I 1 ; 1 1 ; c ' *' 'T 1 1 :■;'» r 1 1't l< 1 »■ ' ii f> !■ j! ■ :(;•» 1 '^ 3- 1 ' ■i» ■ ,.i ■■ 1 1 *'^ •h 48 HISTORY OP associates were Messrs. I'uck, a gentleman of Kent; Tuckfield Thomas Butts, the son of Sir William Butts, of Norfolk, Hardie, Biron, Car- ter, Wright, Rastal, Ridley, Weekes, and seve- ral others, in all thirty persons of ancient fami- lies and considerable property, who all em- barked with Mr. Hoare in the admiral ship, called the Trinity, of one hundred and forty tons. In another ship, the Minion, went Messrs. Armigal Wade, afterwttrds clerk of the council to Henry VIll. and Edward VI. Oliver Daubeney, a merchant of London ; Joy, after- wards gentleman of the Chapel Royal, and several others, many of whom were men of rank and opulence. On the 30th of April, in the year 1536, they sailed from Gravesend, and continued at sea during two months without seeing any land, until they made Cape Breton. They next airi- ved at Penguin Island, a rock of some extent on the southern coast of Newfoundland, where they landed. Here they found a prodigious quantity of white and grey birds as large as geese, which, when /lead and dressed, were de- licious eating. Sea birds have always a disa- greeable^s% taste, which is supposed to adhere to the skin and to disappear with it. Black and white bear? w ere likewise very numerous ; some of them were killed and proved tolerable NEWFOUNDLAND. 49 food. From this small island they proceeded to the coast of Newfoundland, where they re- mained several days at anchor without seeing anv of the natives. At last some of them were observed rowing towards the ships ; a boat was manned and sent after them, but they immedi- ately retreated, and, gaining the shore, fled to an island in the bay ; this also they left at the approach of the men, who found there a fire, at which the side of a bear was roasting on a wooden spit. Mr. Hoare and his associates remained there till their provisions became short, and being then afraid to trust themselves at sea in such a condition, their distress became so great that they were reduced to feed upon herbs and roots of all kinds, which they gathered on the shore. And now a most horrid transaction took place which we would gladly pass over, if it had not been mentioned and most grossly misrepresent- ed by other writers. " And it fortuned," says Hakluyt, " that one of the company or crew of one of the vessels, driven with hunger to seek abroad for relief, found in the fields the savour of broiled flesh, and fell out with one, for that he would suffer him and his fellows to starve, enjoying plenty, as he thought; and this matter growing to cruel speeches, he that had the broiled meat burst out into these words; llfl i*l ■•^^'» < •J '^f 1^. : i F It 4 :^:5! i m ;!r t" *' ,.!i;i' ■I'i ' • &0 HihTOKV OF * If ilmn woiildst needs know, the broiled meat that I had was a piece of such a man's but- tock.' The re|K)rt of tliis brought to the ship, the captain found what became of those that were missing, and was pei*suaded that some of tliem were neitlier devoured by wild beasts nor yet destroyed by savages," This transaction, says Doctor Forster, ap- peal's ahnost incredibh^; it is not easy to con- ceive how any but the most depraved of human beings couhl l)e (h'iven to tlic necessity of mur- dering and feecbng upon tlieir fellow-creatures, in such a place as Newfoundland, where fiish abounds, and where, by their own account, tliere are great numbers of birds and other ani- mals. And yet horrible as is this transaction tts stated by Haklnyt, Doctor Forster has thoiight proper to render it still more so by a direct falsification of Hakluyt's account; for his o^vn relation runs thus: " One of them came behind another who w as digging up some roots, and killed him with a view to prepare himself a meal from his fellow-creature's flesh ; and fi third smelling the delicious odour of broiled meat went up to the murderer, and by thivats and menaces extorted from him a share in this shocking meal." Now, according to Hakluyt's account, so far from the third per- 801X forcing from the murderer and taking with t NEWFOUNDLAND. 51 ■m him a share in the horrid repast, knowing what it was, it is manifest that he was totally igno- rant of what it consisted, and only expressed his anger that he shoidd enjoy, as he thought, plenty, and at the same time siifter his compa- nions to starve. He could not he a jiartaker of it, because it is plain that the murderer had finished liis meal hei'ow the altercation began, from his words: ** the meat that / /mortance in the opinion of all the maritim. ijcitioas of Europe. \ NF.WFOl'\nLAKl>. •7 CHAPTER IV. 1548— 1C30. •• Thos! autliors," liays Mr. Pinkerton, •* w wonder tiiat colonies were not sent sooner to America, only shew their ignorance of the in- tentions of the first navigators. At that period, tliere was not one man in Europe who could have formed the smallest idea of the benefits of a colony; it was the success of the Spanish colonies, allured by gold alone, that, towards the end of the sixteenth century, opened the eyes of mankind; but, even then, Raleigh s transcendant mind held out gold to all his fol- lowers as the sole inducement." The attention of Europe had been particularly directed since the time of Cabot to the •* gold mine of the Newfoundland fishery, like which, says twice the celebrated Bacon, of all the minerals there is none so rich." Hence the many attempts made to settle a colony in that valuable island, notwithstanding every discouragement that could arise from the nature of its soil and cli- mate. The first attempt of this kind, which 'J ! \. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A M/.. ^. 1.0 1.1 ■U l&i 12.2 Z Ml i2.0 II i I I 1.25 m / >> 'K^*^ ■^ Hiotographic Sdences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14510 (716)872-4503 4i^ V SB HISTORY OF ■Jif :fi| il'i also paved the way to others of a similar na- ture successfully made afterwards in other parts of North America, and which procured to its author the title of " the parent of all the EngUsh plantations" in that part of the world, was made in Newfoundland. Sir Humphrey Gilbert, descended from an ancient family in the county of Devon, equally conversant in theory and in practice with cos- mography, navigation, and the art of war, and remarkable for an enterprising spirit, for intre- pidity and eminent abilities, had formed the resolution of settling a colony in the island of Newfoundland. Queen Elizabeth entered at once into his views, and, by letters patent, dated the 11th of June, 1578, invested him with full powers, similar to those which Henry had before granted to Cabot, to discover, settle, and regulate any remote countries not in the actual possession of any Christian prince or people, with all commodities, jurisdictions, and royal- ties, to him, his heirs, and assigns, for ever, within two hundred leagues where he or they should fix the place of their residence, within the six years next ensuing. Having obtained this patent, Sir Humphrey endeavoured to pro- cure associates in the enterprise, and received assurances of support from a great number of persons who declared their resolution to attend NEWFOUNDLAND. 50 him on tlie voyage. When the vessels Mrere completely e(|iiipiied, and the f:rew8 assembled near the coast in readiness to embark, the ma- jority of the adventurerw departed from their agreements, and nignitied their intention of re- serving their property for the support of plans concerted among themselves. Sir Humphrey, still determined to proceed with the few friends who yet remained unshaken in their attachment, sailed instantly, in the summer of the year 1578, for Newfoundland, where he made a short stay; and came back to England, having nar- rowly escaped, with the loss of one vessel, from a squadron of Spanish men of war by which he had been intercepted. The great ex- jienses which he had incurred in preparations for this enterprise had so impaired his estate, that he was compelled to desist for some time from the resumption of his project. About this time a material change was intro- duced respecting the nature of the property in fishing-rooms at Newfoundland. It appears, that hitherto the space of ground requisite to cure and dry the cod-fish belonged to the first pei'son who seized upon it. This custom having been a perpetual source of disputes, Sir Thomas Hampshire, who was sent by Queen Elizabeth, in the year 1582, into those latitudes with five ships, was authorized to secure to every master 00 HIBTOltY OF ', i*- \ r^ of a fishing cre\v the property of that fishing-^ room which he made the object of his choice, BO long SB he kept it employed for the use of the fishery. This new arrangement is said to have considerably increased the number of the expeditions to Newfoundland. Sir Humphrey Gilbert, not in the least dis* couraged by the disappointments and miscar- riage of his first enterprise, and seeing that nearly five of the six years to which his patent was limited were expired, sold his estate, which produced a considerable sum, and with the assistance of Sir George Peckham and other friends, who liberally contributed to the ex- penses of the undertaking, he equipped a small fleet of five ships and barks. The admiral was the Delight^ of one hundred and twenty tons, of which Sir Humphrey himself took the com^ mand, appointing William Winter, a part-: owner, captain, and Richard Clarke, master; the second was the Raleigh, vice-admiral, of two hundred tons, fitted out and commanded by Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Humphrey's brother by his mother's side, having under him Captain Butler, and Robert Davis, of Bristol, master; the others were the Golden Hind, of forty tons, Edward Hayes, owner and captain, and Wil- liam Cox, of Limehouse, master; the Swallow, of forty tons, Maurice Brown, captain ; and^ s« NEWFOUNDLAND. 61 the Squitrel, of ten tons, William Andrews, captain, and Robert Cade, master. Tlie num- ber of men on board the whole fleet amounted to two hundred and sixty, including several shipwrights, masons, carpenters, smiths, miners, and refiners. It had been resolved by the proprietors that this fleet should take a northerly. course, and follow with all possible exactitude the trade- way to Newfoundland, from whence, having taken in a proper supply of necessaries, it was to sail towards the south and enter every bay or river which might appear deserving of notice. The proprietors drew up the orders to be obser- ved during the voyage, and delivered copies of tliem to all the captains and masters of the vessels. On the nth of June, 1583, the fleet sailed from Cawsand Bay, near Plymouth, and on the 13th Sir Walter Raleigh was obliged to put back to Plymouth in consequence of an infec- tious distemper wliich had seized his captain and several of his crew. The Golden Hind then became vice-admiral, and the fleet pro- ceeded on the voyage. On the 30th of July they first discovered land, but imperfectly on account of an intense fog. Finding nothing but bare rocks they shaped their course to the south-east, and arrived, at length, at Penguin ;:^:;?*^ '^ m St. A2 HISTORY OF 111. Iflland north, now Foj^o, where they took in a good stock of fowlH or .sea !)ird8. After this, they reached the ishind of Buccahio, in the mouth of Conception Bay, and entered into that bay where they found the Swallow which they had lost in the fog. Then proceeding fur- ther to the southward, they made the bay of Saint John's, where they found tiit; Squirrel, which had been refused admittance into that harbour by vessels of different nations which were within. These, according to Hakluyt, amounted to thirty-six sail, and according to Doctor Fonster (p. 292), to four hundred, of which he saya further (p. 461,) that fifty were Portuguese, of at least three thousand tons burthen. Sir Humphrey prepared to obtain a passage for his ships into that harbour by force, but, previous to his adopting this measure, he sent some of his officers to inform the people within the harbour, that he was empow- ered by the Queen of England to take formal possession of the place in her name ; and that, if he met with the least resii^tance, he should instantly employ the means in his power to carry her majesty's commands into execution. The answer which he received from them was, that their intentions were peaceable, that they bad only waited to be fully apprized of the ob- ject of his expedition, and that in token of their ■ V resjx • tidife prov his i bour aS804 own< Oi ordei the s mere caus< Engl 1 NEWFOtNULAND. G3 res))ect tltey would ciieerfully intrust him with ti discretionary power of laying a tax on their provisions, in order to supply the necessities of his fleet. The ships then entered into the har* hour; and, the next day, Sir Humphrey and his associates were conducted on shore by die owners and masters of the English vessels. On the 5th of August, Sir Humphrey, having ordered a tent to be erected within sight of all the ships, summoned the English and foreign merchants to attend, and in their presence he caused the commission under the great seal of England to be publicly read, and afterwards to be explained to the foreigners who were not conversant with the English language. H« then informed the assembly that, under the royal authority, he stood possessed of the har- bour of Saint John's and all ,the adjacent land within the circumference of two hundred leagues; that thenceforward the witnesses of this transaction, and, through their information, all persons whatsoever, must consider these ter- ritories as belonging to the Sovereign of Eng* land, and acknowledge that he, the General of Queen Elizabeth, was empowered by royal licence to possess and enjoy them, and like- wise to enact laws for the government thereof* as conformable to the laws of Elngland as the nature of circumstances would admit ; under 3'if «?';;■< if t^ 64 HISTORY or 1 which regulations it was expected that all ad* venturers who might arrive at future times, either to dwell within the place, or to maintain a traffic with the inhabitants, should quietly submit to be governed. The customary cere- mony of delivering a rod and a turf from the soil to the new proprietor was then performed in the presence of the assembly. Sir Humphrey, having thus taken possession, proceeded to the exercise of his legislative au- thority by publishing some r^ulations concern- ing the public exercise of religion and the civil government of the place, to which the whole assembly promised obedience. The meeting was then dissolved ; and, on the same spot, the general erected a wooden pillar, to which the arms of England engraved on lead were affixed. He then granted several parcels of land, the te- nants being under covenant to pay a certain rent and service to Sir Humphrey, his heirs, and as- signs, for ever, and yearly to maintain possession of the lands by themselves or their assigns; and having done this, he next issued orders for the collection of the tax on provisions from the ships and vessels in the harbpur of Saint John's and on the adjoining coast. Doctor Forster says, that on this occasion the General received also valuable presents from all the captains of the ships that lay off that island. < > ^^ NEWFOUNDLAND. «6 While some of the English were engaged in this service, and others in repairing the vessels, Sir Humphrey sent several parties to explore the coast and to make excursions through the country, in order to inquire into the different productions of the island. The result of their observations was that the soutYicni parts seemr ed destitute of inhabitants, a circumstance, says Hakluyt, which probably was owing to the frequent appearance of the Europeans) whose presence might have intimidated the na- tives, and induced them to retire into the inte- rior. Towards the north they had met with some of them who had approached without dread, and appeared to be of gentle dispositions. The country was generally very hot in sum- mer, and extremely cold in winter. The sea abounded so much in cod-^fish that there were but very few instances equal to it elsewhere; they had also observed near the coast bonitos, turbots, lai^e lobsters, and a large kind of herrings; whales were likewise found in great numbers, for which fishery alone Biscay used to send twenty or thirty vessels every year. In the bays and rivers there were salmons and trouts in great abundance. Wood grew with the greatest luxuriance over the whole country; game of every description was very common, and they could easily procure hides and furs of :m ■M ^m (i6 HISTORY OP all sorts. They also represented the soil as very fertile, and thought that by cultivation it would not be difficult to obtain hemp, flax, and com. But what was calculated still more par- ticularly to attract the attention of Sir Hum* phrey and his associates, was the report of the discovery of mines of iron, lead, copper, and silver, by the party sent for the special purpose of searching for metals on the coast to the northward of Saint John s. One Daniel, a na- tive of Saxony, who is represented as an honest and religious man, and a very expert miner and assayer, brought to the General a kind of ore, of which he said that he would stake his life that it contained a considerable quantity of silver. Captain Hayes, of the Golden Hind, appearing to doubt the quality and value of the ore, and requesting that he might be allowed to have part of it: " Content yourself," answered the too sanguine Sir Humphrey, " I have seen enough; and were it not improper to satisfy my own humour, I would proceed no farther. The engagements which I am under to my friends> and the necessity of bringing the southern countries also within the compass of my patent, which is nearly expired, alone prevail upon me to continue the voyage. As for the ore, I have sent it on board, and desire that no farther mention be made of it so long as we riiall re- NEWroUNUI.ANO. U7 raain in the harbour, there being Portuguese, Biscayans, and French, not fur oflf, from whom this discovery mast be kept a secret. When "we are at sea an assay shall be made of it, and then, if we think proper, we may return the sooner hither." At this time, while his faithful companions were endeavouring to accelerate the prepara- tions for the continuation of the voyage, a party had conspired to prevent it by seizing the ves- sels and the officers during the absence of Sir Humphrey in the night, after which they in- tended to proceed directly for England. This conspiracy was discovered in time to prevent its execution ; but some of the refractory crews still succeeded in their attempts to abandon the General. A vessel freighted with fish in one of the adjoining bays was seized upon by some of them, who compelled her crew to retire to the shore, whilst numbers, concealing them- selves in the woods, watched for opportunities to escape in the ships which daily departed from the coast; others fell sick of fluxes and other violent disorders, of which several died, and the rest were permitted to return to Eng- land on board the Swallow, under Captain William Winter, with such a supply of provi- sions as could be spared from the common «tock. f2 h %1 'i n. hi ^4^ '1^' 4t ': '^m HIITOMV OF (••I , ' The three remaining vessels being completely fitted for the intended voyage, the General hoisted his flag on board the Squirrel, a light and exi>editious sailer, and the best construct- ed for the purpose of entering creeks and small harbours; he gave the command of the Delight to Captain Maurice Brown, and the Golden Hind to Captain Edward Hayes. On the 20th of August they sailed from the harbour of Saint John s, which they found by observation to be in forty-seven degrees forty minutes north latitudie. In the following night they made Cape Race, distant twenty-five leagues, and from thence nearly eighty-seven leagues to>- wards Cape Breton. On the 27th, in the latitude of forty-five de- grees, Sir Humphrey gave orders to sound, and at the depth of thirty fathom they found white sand; in the succeeding afternoon the wind veered to the southward, when, in opposition io the advice of William Cox, master of th« Golden Hind, the ships bore in with the land during the whole night at west-north-west. The next day it blew a violent storm at south and by cast; the rain descended in torrents, and the fogs were so extremely thick that no object could be distinguished at a cable's length. Towards day-break, on the 29th, they were alarmed by the appearance of surrounding F NEWFOUNDLAND. 60 iiantU and HhoaU, and, at every third or fourth athip 8 length, observed the water lesftening in itA depth. A aignaX waH thrown out for the De- light to stand off to sea, but at that very instant sht! struck, and soon after her stem and quar- ters were dashed to pieces. The Squirrel and the (jolden Hind immediately casting about east-south-east, and bearing to the south, with much difficulty got clear of the shoals and re- gained the open sea. In the Delight perished Captain Maurice Brown and about a hundred of his associates, who, with a resolution that bordered upon madness, refused to set what they thought a bad example by deserting the ship, although they must have been convinced that it was im- possible to save her. Fourteen of her crew leaped into a small pinnace and remained a short time alongside their ship, in the hope of being joined by their captain, but in vain. Having, at last, prevailed upon Richard Clarke, the master, and one of his companions, to join them, they cut the rope and ventured out to sea, furnished only with a single oar, and desti- tute of fresh water and provisions. As the pinnace appeared to be much over- laden, Edward Headly proposed the casting of lots, so that four of them might be thrown over- board. Clarke, whom it had been unanimously M ,1 „ 'It '/■yj. ¥ 70 HISTORY OF I! W agreed to except from this measure, availing himself of the affectionate regard with which he was considered by his companions, strenu- ously endeavoured, and at last succeeded, in' persuading them rather to bear their present calamitous condition with Christian fortitude. The pinnace was driven before the wind during six days and nights, while these men were reduced to feed upon some weeds which they picked up on the surface of the sea. Sink- ing under the sufferings of thirst, hunger, in- tense cold, and constant fatigue, Headly and another man expired on the fifth day; and, on the seventh, the remaining fourteen were fortu- nately driven towards the coast of Newfound- land, where they obtained a passage in a French vessel, and at last arrived safely in England. To the regular continuance of the wind at south during the time of their passage may be attributed the preservation of their lives; for, had it shifted to any other quarter, they could not possibly have made the land; and what is remarkable, within half an hour after they had reached the shore, the wind changed full north. This melancholy fate of the Delight was a most distressing event to Sir Humphrey, who had to lament, not only the loss of such a num- ber of men of tried fidelity and the destruction NEWFOUNDLAND. 71 of a valuable ship, but also the loss of hig Saxon miner with the supposed silver ore which he had procured at Newfoundland. So confident was he of the value of this ore, that he had boasted to his friends, that, on the credit of the mine, he did not doubt of obtain- ing from Queen Elizabeth the loan of ten thou- sand pounds, to defray the expenses of another similar enterprise. . a From this time the crews of the two remain- ing ships became intimidated, and expressed their apprehensions lest, their ftGre-ship being now lost, they should be exposed to the incle- mency of the approaching wicter, together with the want of provisions and raiment. Sir Humphrey, in consequence of these represen- tations, resolved to return to England; and, on the captain and master of the Golden Hind offering some arguments to induce him not to adopt this resolution : " Be content," said he to them, *^ we have seen enough; take no thought of the expenses which we have incurred. If the Almighty should permit us to reach Eng- land in safety, I will set you out royally in the course of the next spring; therefore I pray you, let us no longer strive here where we fight against the elements." On the first of September the vessels changed ^r : -.1 f,.'?. I'i i'- 72 HISTORY or . m ; 1 .j . I l:1 ilf 'K n their course and steered for England, and on the second they passed in sight of Cape Race. Some days afterwards Sir Humphrey went on board of the Golden Hind, in order to have his foot dressed for a wound received by acciden- tally treading upon a nail. The wind was violent, and the ocean so extremely agitated, that Captain Hayes and the whole of his asso- ciates and crew, who every moment expected that the Squirrel would be swallowed up, ear- nestly entreated Sir Humphrey to remain on board their vessel. He, however, instantly departed, declaring that no consideration should induce him to quit the vessel and the brave associates with whom he had encountered so many dangers. On the ninth of Septemb^ the Squirrel sunky and was seen no more. In the course of the preceding evening Sir Hum- phrey had been observed unmoved in the stern of his ship with a book in his hands. Some philosophical historians adduce this as an in- stance of his ardent love of knowledge, which did not forsake him even in the extremity of danger; while others suppose the book which he had then in his hands to have been one of a religious kind ; and this supposition seems to agree much better than the former, with the words which he was at the same time frequently NEWF SDLAND. 73 heard to repeat with a ioud voice: " Coura^, my lads, we are as near heaven at sea as we are on land." Such was the fate of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, *' than whom/' say the authors of the Biogra- phia Nautica, " few persons in that era were more, distinguished by exalted understanding and undaunted resolution. He was in a man- ner the parent of all our plantations, being the first who introduced a legal and regular mode of settling, without which such undertakings must necessarily prove unsuccessful. His treatise concerning the north-west passage* was the ground of all the expectations which the most enlightened seamen had formed during many years of actually finding such a tract to the East Indies; and even now we find that many of his conjectures are true, and that all of them are founded on reason and the philo- sophy which was commonly received at that period." The Golden Hind arrived safely at Falmouth on the 22d of September, and, more fortunate than the rest of the fleet, brought home her whole crew, excepting only one mariner. Of the fate of the Swallow we have no account. The melancholy issue of this expedition did , I' ■iMm * Published in the year 1676. f4 HISTORY OP 1 ( ■1 not deter the celebrated Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Humphrey's brother, from engaging in a similar enterprise. Having, in the year 1584, obtained from Queen Ehzabeth a patent of the same nature as his unfortunate relative's, he fitted out two ships and sailed for North Ame- rica, to which he gave the name of Vii^inia in honour of the Queen, a title which continued to be applied to the British settlements in that part of the world, the original name of New- foundland being then confined to the island now so called. > j ^^ i The year following, war having been de- clared between England and Spain, Sir Francis .,( , > Drake was sent with a squadron to the Island of Newfoundland, where he took several Portuguese vessels freighted with fish and oil, and returned to England with his prizes. Doc- tor Forster, on this occasion, gives another strong instance of that inconsistency which lessens the value of his work. Anxious to prove the priority of right which, in his opinion, the Spaniards, Portuguese, and French have to fish at Newfoundland, he says, " this taking possession of that island, on the part of the crown of England, is the foundation of the rights which this nation has to the fishery car- ried on by her subjects in those seas." And yet, only two pages before, viz. p. 295, he had NEWFOUNDLAND. 75 •aid that " the Portu'i^iese, Biscayans, French, and other nations, had usurped this fishery on the coast of a country which the crown of England had discovered at its own ex- pense." The next voyage to that island, recorded by the historians of those times, was performed by Richard Strang, of Apsham, and is remarkable, as it appears to have b«»en the first expedition expressly sent for a purpose distinct from the cod-fishery, and more similar to what is now called the seal-fishery. Strang sailed from Falmouth on the 1st of June, 1593, with two ships, namely, the Marygold, of seventy tons, and another ship belonging to George Drake, both of London, and having on board several butchers and coopers. Their destination was to the island of Ramea, then called by the na- tives of the adjoining continent Menquit, within the straits uf Saint Peter's, on the back of Newfoundland to the south-west. On the shores of this island, particularly in April, May, and Jime, there were, in Hakluyt's time, multitudes of amphibious creatures called vaccae marinae, or morses, with two large teeth resembling ivory, which, as well as their oil, were then considered as valuable articles of commerce. The proper season for catching these animals was almost expired before the '"' 'JlmiM^i '^'SkeM 1 , ■" 91 .' ■> 'Wmt '^ .'m^S %6 HISTOBY OF i ■ -J" v|V. ■h l I- * 86 HISTORY OF 1:1 ,. n . In the year 1615, Doctor Vaughan purchased from the patentees a part of the country inclu- ded in their j^rant, and settled a small colony at Cambriol, on the southern part of the island, of which he appointed Whitburn Governor. He soon after proceeded himself to Newfound- land, and is said to have made Ferry-Land the seat of the muses. It does not appear, how- ever, that he continued long there, or derived any permanent advantage from this underta- king. In tlie year 1623, Sir George Calvert, then one of the jirincipal Secretaries of State, having obtained a patent for him and his heirs to be absolute lord and proprietor, with the royalties of a county palatine, of the peninsula formed by the bays of Placentia and of Trinity, erected the same into a province, to which he gave the name of Avalon. This was the name of a place in Somersetshire where Glastonbury now stands, the first fruits of Christianity in Britain, as Sir George intended his new pro-, vince to be in that part of America. A consi- derable colony, composed chiefly of puritans, accompanied to Newfoundland Captain Ed- ward Wynne, whom Sir George had sent with the commission of Governor, to prepare every thing necessary for his reception; while he em- ployed, in the mean time, his interest and his fortune in securing the success of his enterprise. w 1 ^ NEWFOUNDLAND. 87 in which he is said to have laid out two thou- sand live hundred pounds sterlini^. Captain Wynne, on his arrival, settled himself at Ferry- land, where he built the largest house ever yet seen on the island, erected granaries and store- houses, and accommodated his people in the best manner possible ; while he likewise endea- voured to establish an intercourse and trade with the natives. The following year he recei- ved a reinforcement of colonists, and a consi- derable supply of stores and implements ; and soon after the colony was in so flourishing a state that, on the 17th of August, he wrote to Sir George: " We have wheat, barley, oats, and beans, eared and codded ; and though the late sowing of them, in May or the beginning of June, might occasion the contrary, yet they ripen so fast, that we have all the appearance of an approaching plentiful harvest." In the same strain he speaks of his garden, which flourished with all kinds of culinary vegetables. Captain Powell, who commanded the ship in which the new colonists had been carried to Avalon, coniirmed this account by a similar letter, in which he expatiated on the excellence of the soil and pasture, the commodious situa- tion and state of the Governor's house, the quantity of pasture and arable ground cleared since their arrival, and the numerous herds of 1! 4 ^5 if' J, •'■ ■■■ «-,'2^ 88 HISTORY OP ^* itl cattle which they had already collected and reared. ■ • These flattering accounts of the fertility of the soil, and of the expectation of a plentiful harvest, in an island which has always depend- ed upon other countries for bread and other articles of first necessity, have subjected Go- vernor "Wynne and Captain Powell to the im- putation of wilful misrepresentation. It may, however, be observed, that the state of the cli- mate and of vegetation there, during the months of July and August, is generally such as to have fully justified those expectations. Vege- tation is surprisingly luxuriant and rapid during the summer season; but this favourable state of the weather is not of sufficient duration to bring wheat, barley, and oats to perfect ma- turity. We are farther informed, that a salt-work was erected, at Ferryland, by Captain Wynne, and completed by Mr. Rickson; and so de- lighted was the proprietor, now created Lord Baltimore, with the flourishing state of the colony, that he removed thither with his family, built a handsome and spacious house and a strong fort at Ferryland, where Caecilius, his son, resided several years. In the mean time, the plantations in New- foundland received a considerable accession NEWFOUNDLAND. 89 Ul. n from a colony sent from Ireland by Lord Faulkland, then Lord Lieutenant of that king- dom ; but they soon after sustained more than an equivalent loss by the departure of Ciecilius, second Lord Baltimore. The French Admiral de I'Arade, with three men of war, had redu- ced the English fishermen there to great extre- mities: Lord Baltimore, with two ships, manned at his own expense, drove away the French, took sixty of them prisoners, and thus relieved Newfoundland. Finding, however, that his plantation was much exposed to the insults of the French, he returned to England in the year 1632. He then obtained from Charles the First the grant of a part of the continent of North America, to which, in the letters patent, the King gave the name of Maryland, in honour of his Queen Mary. Lord Baltimore, nevertheless, still kept possession of his settle^ ment at Ferryland, which he governed by his deputies. hi 'i\>' A\n ^M "Vufl Wi % ISk »'.' 90 HISTORY OP CHAPTER V. 1633—1702. We are now entering upon a new and import* ant era of the history of Newfoundland, as it is of the history of all the British settlements in North America in general ; an era which strongly evidences the abilities and zeal of Charles the First to appreciate and to promote the national interests of England. At this period the colonization of Virginia was completed ; New England was in a flou- rishing state; Lord Baltimore, a Roman Catho- lic, was laying the foundation of the future prosperity of Maryland on the broad basis of security to property and of freedom in reli- gion; and his colony appeared disposed to adhere, and actually did adhere, strictly to these professed principles. By a proclamation, dated at Whitehall, 24th November, 1630, King Charles had expressly prohibited the disorderly trading with the Savages of America, especially " the furnishing them with weapons and other habiliments of war." In this proclamation re- NEWFOUNDLAND. 91 ference is made to another issued in the reign of King James, for preventing the insufferable abuses committed by divers interlo|)ers, irregu- lar merchants, and disobedient fishermen and mariners, who, to the great prejudice and dan- ger of the planters, bartered away to the sa- vages of that country arms, powder, shot, and other things, witli which they destroyed the English, who sold those weapons to them ; an abuse which, introduced by Champlain, was probably afterwards adopted by the English settlers, on the principle of self-defence. Ano- ther proclamation was issued, dated at Green- wich, 24th May, 1031, " for the better order- ing of fishing upon tiie coasts of his Majesty's dominions." A commission, dated 8th Decem- ber, 1630, had been directed to the Lord- Treasurer and others, to erect a common fish- ery as a tmrsery for seamen; and, in the year 1633, King Charles issued another commission, ** for the well governing of his subjects inha- biting in Newfoundland, or trafficking in bays, creeks, or fresh rivers there." This document, a copy of which will be found in the Appendix, is of considerable inte- rest, as this is the first attempt to establish in that island effectual restraints and rules for the protection of persons and of property, and for II •«5^: % mi .,.; if'... i;.'V'y 02 HIITORY OF I the maintenance of good order. The reader will likewise observe with what admirable care provision is here made for every pof sible case of importance that might arise ; he will also see in the sequel of this History, that this com- mission of Charles the First was the ground- work of all the laws and regulations which were afterwards adopted by the legislature under King William, and by the celebrated Colbert, under Lewis the Fourteenth, respect- ing the Newfoundland trade and fisheries. Several other proclamations, issued by King Charles, may be seen in Rymer's Fcedera, which indicate the same sense of the import- ance of the fisheries, and an ardent desire to put the English navy upon a permanent and most respectable footing. Though, in the reign of King James the First, the Newfound- land trade had been entirely in the hands of the English without a rival, yet, through the weakness and neglect of that Prince, their navy was by no means in a state of propor- tionable respectability. Charles directed the attention and abilities of his ministers to that important object, duly appreciating the value of Newfoundland in this point of view ; and the example of England was eagerly followed by France, which even submitted, in the year NEWFOUNDLAND. 93 : '\ 1034, to the payment of a tribute of five per cent, rather than give up the privilege of fishing at Newfoundland. In the year 1654, Sir David Kirk obtained a kind of grant from the parliament of certain lands in Newfoundland, and immediately re- paired thither with a small colony. In the space of a few years settlements had been effected in ^/]fce» different parts of the island, the principal of which were Saint Johns Town, Ferryland, and Quidy-Vidy ; the whole amounting to upwards of three hundred fami- lies, notwithstanding the opposition of the French who had settled a colony at Placentia, which occasioned constant bickerings between them and the English. In the year 1675, the French king prevailed upon Charles the Second to give up the duty of five per cent.; and the celebrated Colbert, appointed Surintendant des Finances, on the recommendation of Cardinal Mazarin, as a man particularly fit for that office, manifested equal capacity for advancing the interests of France by improving her navigation and com- merce. " The surprising success of the French in navigation," says the author of a General Treatise of the Dominion and Laws of the Sea, published in London in the year 1705, " is, in ray opinion, principally owing to M 'Am '■'it V ' ';■ *i:?« &, 1 U4 HISTORY OF i\: :■(•■ ■ the excellent naval laws and oi finances which have of late been cNtablished in that kingdom for tiie regulation of all maritime aflairs, in which their summary and easy method of j»ro- ceeding has been found to be very beneficial to all who have had occasion to be concerned in it; for the government finding that the only means to have a powerful navy m as to encou- rage trade and navigation among j)rivate per- sons, nothing was omitted that could in any manner tend to that object. Having consulted all the laws and statutes in force in every part of Europe on naval aflbirs, retrenching what was superfluous or inconvenient, and supply- ing what was deficient with proper regulations for every subject, they have certainly compiled the most accomplished system of laws for trade and navigation that Europe ever saw; and, whether we consider the strength of the French navy, their surprising success in navi- gation, to which but in our fathers' time they were almost absolute strangers, the number of their merchants' ships and mariners, or the pre- sent state of their foreign plantations, the good effects of the means which they have used to encourage navigation will be obvious. Upon an exact survey of their trade, we shall find that five or six particular towns in France have now more ships belonging to them, than, I be- NEWFOUNDLAND. lieve, the \f hole kin^duin could have mastered not many years ago. Bourdeaux, RocheUe, Nantes, Saint M.aloes, Havre de Grace, Dieppe, and some other towns in Brittany and Nor* mandy, send every year a good number of Hhips to the fishings of Newfoundland, which is a very beneticial trade, employing a great many men and ships/i besides those that go thitlier." The laws to which this writer alludes are contained in an " Ordinance of Lewis the Fourteenth concerning the marine, given at Fontainbleau, in the month of August, 1681," of which an extract is inserted in the Appen- dix. The rapid increase of the French commerce and navy from this time soon excited the sur* prise and alarm of all the naval powers of Europe. When King William was called to the throne of England, Lewis had long ren- dered himself the terror and scourge of the Continent. A confederacy was then formed against him by the Emperor of Germany and the States - General ; and the Commons of England unanimously resolved that, if a war should break out with France, they would enable the King to prosecute it with vigour. This event took place soon after, and it is a remarkable circumstance tliat, in the English • -^kjl %^m 3^^ :i* ■;0 'M ^!■ii■, (Ni flLSTUKY OF f. declaration of war, the ^rst grievance Mtated an one of the cuuses of this ineaKure is, " that it was not long since the French took licenses from the governor of Newfoundland to fish upon that coast, and paid a tribute for such licenses, as an acknowledgment of the sole right of the crown of England to that island ; but, of late, the encroachments of the French upon that island and his Majesty's subjects, trade, and fishery there, had been more lik(.' the invasions of an enemy than becoming friends, who enjoyed the advantages of that trade only by permission." The history of this war does not, however, furnish any remarkable event particularly (con- nected with Newfoundland, except an unsuc- cessful attempt mentioned in Doctor Wynne's History of America, which proves that the French were, at that time, in greater force there than Mas known by our government at home. He says that, on the 14th of Sej>tem- ber, 1692, the French governor of Placentia, having received advice that a stpiadron was at anchor within five miles of that place. Baron La Houtan was despatched with about sixty men to post himself where the English were most likely to land. On the 17th, Commodore Williams summoned the governor to surrender that place, and every other that the French had NEU FUUNULANU. 9f in that bay. This the povemor refused in re- solute terms*, and immediutrly ordered a boom to be tlirown across the harbour. The follow- in*/^ (Jay, the English squadron found that they had no less than three forts to attack; they began a brisk cannonade, but towards the evening of the 19th they drew oft', and the expedition ended in falling upon Point Vesti, which they set on tire. This aflair, says our author, excited great surprise; it was difficult to account for the rashness of the Commodore in attempting a place with the strength of which he was not acquainted ; the precipitancy of the retreat of the English was also made a subject of blame, it being said that the French were reduced to their last charge of powder, and forced even to return the balls which they picked up during the engagement. Some have supposed, that a kind of mutiny in the squadron obliged the commanders to give over their enterprise; others have attributed this failure to their ill conduct, of which, it is said, they gave many glaring instances. It is more reasonable to attribute this failure to the superior strength of the French in that quarter. F'or, while the attention of King William was entirely confined to the continen- tal interests, France, which had long before II 'i, "2. J; ■m 98 HISTORY OF I* li*: ". made North America an obj(>ct of attention, was now taking measures in order to obtain possession of the whole of it. The English occupied, at that time, the sea coast, the harbours, and the mouths and banks of the rivers, extending* in a few instances as far as a hundred, or at most one hundred and fifty miles into the country. Tlie French had made settlements on the Mississipi and the Saint Lawrence, forming a line almost parallel to the sea coast. Here surely was an extent of territory sufficient for the emigrants of both nations, had they been in numbers intinitely greater than they actually were, and had they attended solely to the avowed purposes of those emigrations, the planting and settling those uncultivated wastes and forests; it mu«t have been long before their interests couhl possibly have interfered with each other. But several causes contributed to feed there that hostile disposition, which, ever since the days of Edward the Third, had subsisted between the tw^o nations, and to occasion the commis- sion of open acts of violence in the new con- tinent, when their respective States were at peace in the old world. The immensity of those territories naturally prevented any boun- daries being properly adjusted in the first in- stance; and when once disputes had begun .11 i » NEWFOUNDLAND. mi upon this point, and national honour or private interest came to be, or were thought to be, con- cerned, it became impracticable ever after. The indetinite and extravagant charters, or irrants of land, made by the powers of both kingdoms to their respective subjects, necessa- rily induced both to look upon each otlier as mutual encroachcrs. It is further to be obser- ved that, whilst the English colonists assidu- ously attended to their natural employment, namely, agriculture and a certain degree of commerce, the French, who, at that time, paid little attention to conmierce, and who looked upon agriculture only as a secondary conside- ration, appear to have had no other object in the new Morld than conquest and extension of territory. Instead of mercantile factories, they confined themselves to the erection of military forts at the back of the English settlements, from Quebec to New Orleans. At the conclu- sion of each war, the points in dispute re- specting boundaries were left to be settled by the uncertain and endless proceedings of Commissaries. Animosities and encroach- ments, in the mean time, continued to the same extent, until it became evident that the only event which could be expected to put an end to that perpetual state of Mar- fare, was the absolute exclusion of one of II 2 iris* 'fi >vi "t t,H ii ' Hi 5 1 ■f' -^ t". : iri.' m I I .i;. 100 HISTORY OF the contending Powers from that part of the world. The immense distance of the scene of those transactions from Europe prevented the respective governments from obtaining correct information, and from keeping the private pas- sions of their people under the necessary con- troul; nor could France, for the same reason, check the restless, ambitious, and arbitrary conduct of her Commandants and Governors in America, who, at last, actually boasted, as the result of their able and patriotic exertions, that they would soon be able " to drive the English colonists into the sea." Such views must have been highly gratifying to the French nation at large ; and thus the French ministry were, in some measure, compelled to second them by adequate encouragement and assistance from the mother-country. Newfoundland was too valuable to be over- looked in these extensive views, both as a fishery and as a naval and military station : its entire conquest had always been one of the most favourite objects with the French people, whom the destruction of a few inconsiderable fishing settlements, enlarged into a most im- portant and brilliant achievement, had fre- quently seemed to console under the failure of enterprises of much greater consequence, or under signal defeats nearer home. It was in NEWFOUNDLAND. 101 pursuance of these views that, in the year 1696, the Chevalier Nesmond was ordered, with ten ships, to join the Rocheford squadron, to proceed to Newfoundland, and, having driven the English from that island, to go to Boston, which he was to attack, and after- wards to destroy all the English settlements between that town and Piscataqua. Nesmond did not arrive at Placentia till towards the lat- ter end of July, when it was resolved, in a council of war, to make a descent upon the harbour and town of Saint John s, which con- tained, at that time, thirty-four English ships and vessels : but Nesmond failed in this at- tempt, and was obliged to return to France. In the mean time another squadron, com- manded by Ibberville and Bonaventure, arri- ved at Placentia, on the 24th of September. Brouillan had before set sail with eight ships from Saint Maloes, with orders to attack the town of Saint John's ; but, a misunderstanding having arisen between him and the men of Saint Maloes, he was obliged to give up the attempt; and, having taken Fort Forillon, the commander and garrison of which he made prisoners, he returned to Placentia. There he had some differences with Ibberville, whose Canadians, refusing to obey any other orders if >» ' ■•'< I V ^ ■-■..iV. 10-2 HISTORY OP than those of that officer, threatened to return to Quebec, 't was, however, at lenprth agTeed, that tliey should proceed in separate bodies to the attack of Saint John's, which they found an easier conquest than they had expected; for the fortress was but weakly defended, and the garrison equally in want of military stores and of provisions. Fresh disputes arising among the victors, concerning the mode of se- curing their conquest, it was finally detennined to abandon it, after setting fire to the fort and to the town, while two ships were allowed for carrying the garrison to England. Brouillan then returned to Placentia, whilst Ibberville pursued his successes with his Cana- dians, by entering the bay of Bulls, attacking and destroying an English frigate, commanded by Captain Cleasby, who made a glorious de- fence, and, by demolishing all the settlements, except those of Bonavista, and Carbonier-Har- bour in Conception- Bay, which proved too strong for them. After this he likewise return- ed to Placentia, ^^ lierc he waited a considera- ble time, but in vain, for reinforcements from France ; and thus this enterprise terminated. The next year, a squadron, uiider Admiral Nevil, with fifteen hundred land-forces, com- manded by Sir John Gibson, was sent to re- $ NEWFOUNDLAND. 103 \t'\v^e and retrieve the late losses. It is said, by the authors of the Universal History,* that the ifpiorauce of one of these officers and the cowardice of tlie other rendered the ex- pedition fruitless; that Nevil, with a superior force, declined engaging the French Admiral Ponti; and, pretending to have lost time in a fog, returned to England, without either reco- vering any of the settlements that had been lost, or securing those that remained. It is not unreasonable to suppose that, if this repre- sentation of the transaction were founded in truth, the conduct of these officers would have been subjected to public inquiry, and we should have more satisfactory proofs than a mere allegation. This would not be the only instance to be found in the history of that part of America, where a tleet, dispersed and be- calmed in the impenetrable fogs which fre- quently cover the Banks of Newfoundland, had been detained there so long as to be at last compelled to retire from a coast at all times dangerous, and still more so during and after the equinoctial gales. The peace of Rhyswick, accelerated by the sudden resolution of the Commons, that all the land-forces, raised since the 29th of September, 1680, should be paid • Modern Part, vol. xxxix. section 16. 104 HISTORY or :i ;t^. and disbanded, replaced Newfoundland in the same state of division between England and France, in which it was at the beginning of this war. A squadron was soon after sent thither, under the command of Captain, after- wards Admiral, Sir John Norris, as Governor of Newfoundland, to restore all things to order, and to see that the stipulations of the treaty were duly observed. It appears that, even at this time, Newfound- land had acquired a sufficient degree of im- portance to make the appomtment of Governor of that island an object of ambition; for, from this period, we find this office generally filled by gentlemen, whose names hold a distinguish- ed rank in the naval history of these kingdoms. Thus, Sir John Berry, who held it in the year 1675, is represented in the " Biographia Nautica ' as a great, gallant, and good man, who had received the honour of knighthood in 1672, for his meritorious conduct at the battle of Solebay, accompanied with the following compliment from King Charles II. " As your thoughts have been now upon honour, we will hereafter think of profit; for I would not have so brave a man a poor knight." In the short space of seventeen years this officer rose from the rank of Lieutenant to that of Vice- Admiral, to which he was appointed in the year 1682. NKWFOUNDLANn. 105 We learn, from the same writers, that Captain Thomas Gillam, who, in the famous year 1692, had the honour of first discovering the French fleet under Tourville, and of contributing, by his activity and bravery, to the glorious victory which ensued, was, for these services, reward- ed by a promotion to the Saint Alban's, in which ship he was ordered the same year to Newfoundland, as Governor, and that he cap- tured several valuable prizes off that coast. Sir John Norris, after a regular routine of ser- vices, had been appointed Captain in July, 1690, and, in the short space of eighteen years, was raised to the rank of Admiral of the Blue, in 1708, having, four years before, been ho- noured by Queen Anne with knighthood, and one thousand pounds, for his eminent services as second to Sir Cloudesly Shovel, in the en- gagement off Malaga. He was succeeded on the Newfoundland station, in 1700, by Sir Stafford Fairborne, an officer distinguished by great abilities and intrepidity. And Sir John Leake, or Lake, who has left the reputation of a generous, humane, bra^ e, and good man, and who is reported to have been one of the greatest Admirals of the age in which he lived, was appointed to the same government in the year 1702. In the year 1698, the consideration of the IOf$ HISTORY OF Mri fisheries became a principal object of the atten- tion of the English Parliament. An act wat* passed prohibiting', on pain of forfeiture of ship and cargo, the importation of iish taken by foreigners in foreign ships. This was soon after followed by another, intituled, " An Act to encourage the Trade to Newfoundland," w hich is said to be little more than an enact- ment of the rules and constitutions which had been in force there for many years before. By this act, the right and privilege of landing and drying fish on the shores of Newfoundland was limited to British subjects arriving there from the kings European dominions, and to aliens residing in England ; — in vessels fitted out and manned accordmg to certain regulations speci- fied in the act, one of which was, that the crews should be composed of at least one fresh or green man in every five: a certijicate of those conditions being duly complied with, from the officers of the customs, entitled those vessels to the privileges of fishing ships, one of which was tlie free and exclusive use of any part of the coast for the purposes of the fishery. The master of every ship so qualified, first entering into a harbour, became Admiral of that harbour for the season ; the second, Vice- Admiral; and the third, Rear-Admiral. These Fishins: Admirals were authorized to decide and wise NEWFOUNDLAND. 107 it f e [I determine all causes of d'sputes which might arise there, subject, in caj-es of intrj' acy, or where either party mi<;ht thiniv himself ap';; > ved, to an appeal to the commanders of such of his majesty's ships as should be appointed for convoy. Murders and all other capital oflences committed there could be tried only in England, to which the persons accused were to be sent prii;oners for that purpose. By these regulations, the advkntvrers or merchants, and others, who visited Newfound- land only for the fishing season, were supposed to have obtained a considerable advantage over the pretensions of tlie inhabitants and planters who were settled there. This act like- wise removed the obstacles that might be thought to lie in the May of a free fishery, from the various charters formerly granted of that island. It cannot be denied that the import- ant changes made by this law produced, in course of time, abuses of a contrary nature, and equally prejudicial to the interests of the fishery, as those which it was intended to re- medy. Those fishing admirals were not always the best informed, the most impartial, and in- comiptible judges. Hence, about thirty years afterwards, it was found necessary to modify several provisions of this act, and to appoint a Civil Governor and Justices of the peace, for the protection of the inhabitants and planters, .'■ 1 ■■;'•'''■. '''Mm 108 HISTORY OP 1% ^5- I -Tt i :^i::^' for the better administration of justice, and for the support of public order and tranquillity. This act, nevertheless, was so well suited to the circumstances and necessities of New- foundland, at the close of the seventeenth century, that, under its influence, the trade and fisheries of that island increased rapidly, and to a very great extent. This measure for the encouragement of the trade and fisheries of Newfoundland from the King s European dominions, was soon after followed by another of still greater importance, which embraced all the English plantations in North America, and was the origin of that most excellent institution, now known by the name of the ♦' Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts." A public-spirited clergyman, of the name of William Castel,* the author of " A short Discovery of America," inserted in the eighth volume of Churchill's Collection, of Voyages, had presented to parliament, in the reign of James the First, a petition •* For the propaga- ting of the Gospel in America," signed by se- veral divines of London and other parts of England. An ordinance was then made by parliament, by which Robert, Earl of Warwick, * Then Rector of Courtcnhall, in the county of North- ampton. 1- ( NEWFOUNDLAND. 100 I ■ • being constituted GoYcmor-in-Chief and Lurd High Admiral of all those islands and planta- tions inhabited, planted, or belonging to any of his Majesty's subjects Avithin the bounds and upon the coasts of America, a committee was appointed to assist him for the better go- vernment and preservation of the said planta- tions; but chiefly, " for the advancement of tlie true Protestant religion, and farther spread- ing of the Gospel of Christ among those that yet remained there in great and miserable blindness and ignorance/' Notwithstanding the extreme importance of the object in view, the zeal of parliament, the exertions of great numl:«5rs of sincere Chris- tians, and the earnest petitions of the planters, adventurers, and owners of land in those plant- ationsj nothing was done until King William took effectual measures to encourage that truly noble design. By his royal charter, dated the 16th of June, 1701, he erected and settled " a Corporation, with a perpetual succession, by the name of The Society for the Propa- gation OF THE Gospel in Foreign Parts, for the receiving, managing, and disposing of the contributions of such persons as should be induced to extend their charity towards the maintenance of a learned and orthodox CLERGY, and the making of such other provi- sion as might be necessary ; it appearing, that . i lya no HISTORY OF 1 1 ■ ■•■ '» I » ' .V^ ;■■ '•«*.■ '■ 1 ■■ "I :.iLi ill many of those plantations, coloni*-"*, and factorii's, beyond the soas, the provision (or ministers was mean ; and a {j;reutnuinbv>ro('thrm were wholly unprovided with a niiiiiitcnancc for ministers and the public worsliip oi' (iod; NO that, for lack, of support and maintcMitncc, many of the king's subjects wanted the adnii- nistration of God's word and sarranients, and seemed to be abandoned to atheism and infi- delity, and otiiers of them to popi^h supersti- tion and idolatry." This society, by the charter, was composed of the chief prelates and dif^nitaries of the church, and of several lords and eminent per- sons in the state, with ])ower to elect, from time to time, such others to be members of the corporation as tliey, or the major part of them, should think beneiicial to their charitable de- signs. They were directed to give to the Lord High Chancellor, and to the Lords Chief Jus- tices of the King's Bench and of the Common Pleas, an annual account of the several sums of money by them received and laid out, and of the management and disposition of the re- venues of the corporation. And, certaiiih, no other society has more reason to say, as they do in their annual reports, that " through an especial blessing this work of the Lord hath all along prospered in their hands." Soon after their incorporation, they received ■■■■iii M.U roiNDLAM). in applicatiuns from several parts of the Aineri- eun plantations for niinii.ter8 and schoolinaK- ters, accompanied Mith promises to do their best for the maintenance of such as should be ijent to them, churches being already built or building in different places, which was easily accomplished in those countries, as all build- ings were commonly cpnstnicted with wood. In the short spare of four years from the date of their ciiarter, tiiis Society formed in North America an establishment ot twenty-eight mi- nisters, catechists, and schoolmasters, to whose maintenance they contributed at the annual expense of five hundred and ninety-five pounds stcrlinsi;, besides four hundred and ninetv-four pounds, which they paid in the year 1705 for libraries and gratuities to their missionaries. Newfoundland, at that time, had several considerable settlements of English people, besides a vast number of occasional inhabit- ants who resided there during tin fishing sea- son, to the amount of several thousands, with- out any regular public exerinse of religion. The Society sent to Saint John's a clergyman, of the name of Jackson, with an annual salary of fifty pounds sterling, besides a gratuity of thirty pounds for the expenses of his voyage. ^1^ 'w>' * », ■'■'• if ■-- *'fl i r m mx 112 HISTORY OP • ' V", ■ ■ ■<- ■ \i ]■- ■) .-i CHAPTER VI. RETROSPECTIVE VIEW OF THE NEWFOUND- LAND FISHERY, AND OF THE ACCOUNTS OF THAT ISLAND, AS GIVEN BY DIFFERENT WRITERS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. Having brought the History of Newfound- land up to this important epoch, it may be in- teresting to the reader to take a retrospective view of the British and French fisheries, and of the accounts given of that island by the writers of those times. According to I'Abb^ Raynel, France, after the agieement made with King Charles, in 1034, sent annually her fishermen to that island, where they fished only on the northern part, which they called Le Petit Nord, and on the southern point, where they had formed a kind of town upon the bay of Placentia, which united all the conveniences that could be desi- red for a successful fishery. He says that, in the year 1660, the French government unfor- tunately gave up the property of that bay to an individual, named Gargot, whose rapacity > <1 NEWFOUNDLAND. 113 compelled the planters and fishermen to drive him away. The French ministry did not per- sist in supporting this man's unjust proceedings, but the system continued the same. The labo- rious men, whom necessity had united upon this barren land, were persecuted without in- termission by the commanders who succeeded each other in a fort which had been erected in that town. This system of oppression, which prevented the colonists from acquiring that degree of competency necessary to enable them to pursue their labours with success must also have prevented their increasing in number. The author of the " Considerations on the Trade to Newfoundland," inserted in the second volume of Churchill's Collection of Voyages, observes, that, " in the reign of Queen Anne, the French bv this trade had so far increased their riches and naval power as to make all Europe stand in fear of them ; which plainly shews, that twenty years quiet possession of this trade is capable of making any prince the most formid- able by sea and by land, by the yearly increase of men, ships, bullion," &c. He asserts, that the whole increase of the naval greatness of France had its foundation from this trade, and thus explains the grounds of this assertion. " The nature of this trade is such, that about 1^1 1 'vV vM '■• : i m<: w. M M ■''-'w 114 HISTORY OF ■: t one-fourth of the men employed in it are green men, that is, men who were never before at sea : and the climate being very healthy, scarce one man in fifty dies in a voyage ; whereas, in the voyages to the East and West Indies, few green men are employed, and it is too well known what great numbers are swept away, in those unhealthy countries. And it farther ap- [)ears that their naval strength arises from this trade, by looking back to their first beginning therein. France had before very few ships, and these were of inconsiderable force and bulk ; whereas," says our author, " they have since been enabled frequently to contend at sea with the united powers of England and Holland, and have besides a great many stout and large privateers to infest our coasts and ruin our merchants." He adds that, " at this time, namely, towards the end of the seven- teenth century, the French were in the habit of employing in these fisheries about five hun- dred sail of ships, a great many of which were of good burden, and mounted from sixteen to forty guns ; to man which they have," he says, *^by a moderate computation, about sixteen thousand men, of which one-fourth being green men, they must consequently breed up by this single trade four thousand sailors every year." The same writer observes also, that " the m NEWFOUNDLAND. 115 French, by their extraordinary frugality, joined with their oth^r great advantages, such as the cheapness oi salt, and having the best and most convenient part of the country for fishing, &c. have quite beaten the English out of this trade, as may be instanced in many of the out- ports of our nation, and particularly Barnsta- ple and Biddefordy which formerly employed in this trade above fifty ships, and now do not fit out above six or eight small ships. This proceeds from the superior advantages of that part of Newfoundland which the French occupy, namely, on the south-west coast to the westward of r?T>e Ray. They are seldom annoyed with ice ang farther to the south, and in the best part of the island ; whereas, our small portion, lying more to the north-east, is sometimes not clear oijirm lands of ice till the beginning of May ; and till that ice is gone no fish are taken, and it often hinders our ships from getting in ; so that the French are in the country and at their business long before the English. They have better harbours, and greater quantities of fish; they have also salt, and some other fishing craft, cheaper than we have; and generally kill one or two himdred quintals per boat more than the English; which, besides the great inequality in fishing, on a moderate computation, may make their 1 2 > I 'K^v W ■t\'W '& ■•M ■i'.: \0 1 f: 1.' 110 HISTORY OF fish, at leuttt, five shillings per quintal cheaper than the English; and, what adds to theii* great profit, they are generally in Spain, Por- tugal, Italy, &c. before the time of our ships leaving the country, nd consequently have the preference of all ma. kets ; which cannot be less than five shillings per quintal more than our later fleets can get : their fish being also better esteemed. The aforesaid t^^i shillings per quintal more to them than the English gain is undeniable evidence what prodigious: advan- tage they reap by this trade ; when we, under our present circumstances, are little better than losers, accountnig Jifteen or sixteen shillings jter quintal a good price for our fish, as coming to after-markets." In " A short Discovery of America, by the Reverend William Castel," inserted in the eighth volume of Churchill's Collection of Voyages, we find the following description of Newfoundland, as it was known at that pe- 1 ad. " Concerning the goodness of the soil, and the fitness for a constant habitation, though Mr. Whitbume, in a book written of Newfound- land, does, in both the aforesaid respects and some others, over highly commend it, yet, upon better inquiry of those who have formerly written of it, as also from those who usually NEWFOUNDLAND. 117 i*esort tliitlier, I find it to be a convenient habi- tation for summer, bnt not for winter, by reason of the exceeding coldness, and the aeep over- covering of the land with snow, and of the waters with huge shelves of ice, whereby they are deban'ed of necessary provisions, such as, in summer time, the island aflbrds in great abundance and variety, viz. land-fowl and water-fowl, and fresh fish, being all the sus- tentation that the island aff'ords. And yet, the yearly rich commodity of sea-fish, almost of all kinds, which are there usually in great quantities taken and transported into Europe, cause not only us, but all other neighbouring nations, yearly to resort thither; and because the constant return of that fish commodity is worth, at least, two hmulred thousand pounds yearly, there have been divers contentions be- tween the English and other nations, who, whether we would or no, have taken fiill liberty of fishing there. •' This great island affords many convenient and safe harbours for ships : towards the north, the first northern port nearest to the south, which is Cape de Raz, is Rennosa, lying a little above the forty-sixth degree; then Aquaforte, two leagues more to the north ; then Punta de Faril- ham, as many more. Much higher, near upon the forty-eighth degree, are Thome-Bay, then ';vTi ' .5.4 |f%:«fl ^.••11 118 HISTORY OF the Bay of Conception, ha!f a degree liigher to the north ; then Bay Blanche and Bay Orge, lying between 50° and 51". From Cape de Raz, on the south side towards the west, are as many ports of far greater note, and much more ad- vantageous for tak" J .reater store of fish; ▼iz. Abram-Trepcitoay two leagues from the said Cape; then Chincheca, two more; Saint Mary's Haven, six leagues more: much more to the west, near 47*, is Presenea; after which follow five small islands, known by the name of St. Peter's; then Port Basques and Claire- Bay, all safe and convenient harbours, remote the one from the other about forty miles. " The most western capes are De Raye and Anguilla, from whence the land turns again to the north-east, from 48** to 52°, in all which space I read of no haven but that of Saint George, twelve leagues distant from Anguilla- Promontory ; neither is that of any repute, be- cause unsafe to come unto. ** This island is, on all sides, found to have many other islands, great and small, thereunto belonging. On the north-east side, besides many very small, rather rocks than islands, there are two of a pretty extent, of good use and note, viz. SaccalaoSy upon the 49th degree, and AveSy somewhat above the 60th. To the south, many leagues distant, lie four great J m \ NEWFOUNDLAND. 119 'I islands, viz. Great Bank, Vert Bank, Banque- reaux, and Sable, between 43° and 40°, which to have named may suffice, as being of little worth, save only for fishing, wherein they are reputed not inferior to Newfoundland. ** To the west and north-west, in a kind of Mediterranean Sea, known by the name of St. Lawrence's Gulf, lie the isles of Britton, Tan- geaux, Brion, Rameos, and Natiscotee, not so big, but as profitable, and more pleasant and apt for habitation, than any of the former. These differ much in respect of latitude, some part of the Isle of Britton falling to the 46th degree, whereas the most Mouthem part of Natiscotee arises to the 50th, between which two islands lie the other three, environed with seas very narrow, shelvy, and rocky and therefore to be carefiiUy obsc.ed by those who trade among them." If.. ;!■■ rt> liO HISTORY or •i 1' l\ >i II .«» 'f VA CHAPTER VII. 1702—1713. )' ■■.• '.'■;'V In less than two months after the accession of Queen Anne to the throne war was declared agauist France. This was done on the 4th of May, 1702, and, on the 24th of June following, Captain, afterwards Sir John Leake, received instructions from Prince George of Denmark^ the Queen's Consort, and Lord High Admiral of the kingdom, to proceed to Newfoundland with a small squadron, in order to take posses- sion of the whole island. He arrived there in the month of August, destroyed the French settlements and fishing -boats at Trepassey, Saint Mary's, Colinet, Great and Little Saint Lawrence, and the island of Saint Peter's, where there was a sui. II fort, with six guns, which he razed to the ground. Having thus successfully executed his commission, he found himself, by the end of October, ready to return to England with the liomeward-bound ships, after having taken twenty-nine sail of the ene- my, and burnt two. Of these prizes, three NEWFOUNDLAND. 121 were laden with salt, twenty-five with fish, and one from Martinique with sugar and molasses. The English did not, however, continue long in the undisputed possession of Newfoundland ; for, in the year 1703, upon the news of the misfortune and death of the brave Admiral Benbow, in the West Indies, Vice-Admiral Graydon, having been sent with a squadron to protect the plantations, made the coiaist of Newfoundland on the 2d of August. In the evening of that day, there arose a fog, which continued for thirty days with such density, that it was difficult to discover one ship from another: this occasioned the total dispersion of the fleet, which could not again be brought together until the 3d of September. The Ad- miral then thought proper to refer to a council of war the consideration of the propriety of attempting an attack on the French at Placen- tia, and thereby forcing them to quit New- foundland, which, it appears, w as the principal object of the expedition under his command. It has been said that councils of war, except in some very particular cases, seldom forebode much heroism; that, when a commander-in- chief, whose power is absolute, condescends to ask advice of his inferiors, it is a tacit ac- knowledgment that his abilities are inadequate It-:. ' I m '^':'%.^^ : Mi?*' '■'■'" '4i- - Vf". , '. ■■ / ■■ "i , ■'^ '—■■'id :■ .'''■■■■^>M ' ■ ■■■-•'•i'l I ■■'■ .»•'■-, :■' -^-f,^ ■'■'r'.'.^^x ). ..I . ■ t.J-l-J ■'.-.•''■tiM ^ Y^l? 123 HISTORY OF «' ' I* m to his power; or, that he is inclined to do that for which he dares not to be responsible. It has also been observed that, had the unfortu- nate Admiral Byng, in 1756, been positively ordered to call no councils of war, but to re- lieve Minorca at all events, he would have re- turned triumphant to Britain. The council of war, in the present instance, consisted of the Admiral, Rear- Admiral Whet- stone, thirteen captains of the royal navy, Co- lonel Rivers, commander-in-chief of the land- forces, six captains, and an engineer; and their unanimous opinion was, that to make an at- tempt on that place with the ships and forces in the condition in which they were, and at such a season of the year, was altogether im- practicable, and, instead of any probability of success, might tend to the dishonour of her Majesty's arms. Thus ended this unfortunate expedition. On Vice-Admiral Graydon's return to Eng- land, the House of Lords instituted an inquiry into his conduct, and addressed the Queen t6 remove him from all employments, and to direct her attorney-general to prosecute him for impressing servants in the West Indies. The authors of the Biographia Nautica observe, that, it has been said, though Vice-Admi- ral Graydon did not, on this occasion, do the NCWKOllNDLAND. 123 nation any remarkable service, yet, as to pro- tecting the trade, and the other things in his power, he did all the service he was able; that it wafl his misfortune, first, to feel the effects of other men s mistakes, and next, to be made answerable for them; and that he suffered for miscarriages which it was not in his power to avoid.* The miscarriage of this expedition seems to have operated as an encouragement to the French to attempt the conquest of the whole island of Newfoundland. Historians complain that the navy of England, then under the direc- tion of the Prince of Denmark, assisted by a council, was V3ry badly managed; whilst the army, under the command of the great Duke of Marlborough, performed achievements which will ever form one of the most brilliant epochs in the History of England. The French garrison of Placentia had been reinforced by a strong party of men, and twelve officers from Canada. In the year 1705, these, ui.\der the command of Subercase and of L'Epinay, commander of the French man of war La Gu^pe, set out from Placentia with about five hundred men, and marched to Petty- * Biug. Naut. vol. ▼. p. 20. • - : :^1 '"■• % .> ■■> ii \::M V'^- 124 HISTOKV OK ?j: . j! A": :' •4:^ I ■ V Harbour, an Knglish port within nino miles of Saint John's; and havin|]^ roarhed the latter place, they made a resolute attark on the two principal forts: hut failing in their attempt, they ravaj^ed the diflerent Kcttlements, destroy- ed Fort Foriilon, made all the inhabitants pri- soners, and from theiiee they spread their de- vastations along the coast as far as fiouavista. In the following year, viz. on the *25th of July, \70(i, a report was brought to Saint John's, that the enemy had a considerable num- ber of ships employed in the fishery in several harbours to the northward, and other parts of the island. Captain John Underdown, com- mander of the Queen's ship the Falkland, was then in Saint John's Harbour with the Nonsuch, commanded by Captain Carleton. Having been petitioned by the merchants, masters of vessels, and inhabitants of that place, to protect the British trade in those parts, he accordingly set sail from Saint John's, on the 26th of July, accompanied by Major Lloyd, who desired to be employed in this expedition, with twenty of his company, on board the Falkland, and as many on board the Nonsuch. The next day they came before Bonavista, and tinding there no appearance of an enemy, the Commodore ordered Captain Hughes, commander of the M Sr.WFOtNULANU. 1*25 iMtdway, on that station, to join liim ^vith a Frencli Hliip of war, which the hittrr ha:i'J'^ ■. /.'' 4;- f^-; ;■>» » '^S n h .. -■(if broadsides, her crew being no longer able to keep the deck against the small shot from the shore. This ship belongeil also to Saint M aloes, carrying twenty guns and eighty men. Having here received information that, about three leagues farther north, in a place called La Conche, or Conch-Harbour, there were two ships of thirty-two and twenty-six guns, both of Saint Maloes, the commodore directed Cap- tain Hughes to bum the last prize, and after- wards to join him at that place, whither he proceeded himself with the Falkland and the Nonsuch. On the afternoon of the fifth, they arrived at Conch-Harbour, where they found two ships ready for sailing. After exchanging several broadsides, the French set their ships on fire, and went over to the next harbour, called Carouge. The commodore being in- formed that there were four French ships in that place, immediately stood for it, raeettTig in his way, at about eight o'clock in the evening, the Medway's prize; but there being very little wind, and that at south-west, it was near six o'clock the next morning before he could get ofi' the harbour's mouth : he then sent in his boat, and found that the French ships had escaped, taking advantage of their great num- ber of men and boats, by cutting and towing out. The English ships then proceeded to the ! NEWFOUNDLAND. 1^ northward, and about five o'clock in the after- noon came off the harbour of Saint Julian, where they discovered a large French ship; standing in for that harbour, they came to an anchor in twenty-six fathom water. The place where that ship had been hauled in being very narrow and shoaly, the Medway's prize was ordered to go as near her as possible; the French ship then fired two guns; but, it being late in the evening, and the enemy appearing determined to make a spirited resistance, it was not thought advisable to commence the attack before the following morning. On the sixth of August, at four o'clock in the fiwenoon, Captain Carleton, Major Lloyd, and Lieutenant £agle, went towards her with all their boats, well -manned and armed; andl having effected th^iir landing, attacked, and at last drove the enumy from a strong post which they occupied on the shore. They then board- ed the French ship, where they found several trains of powder laid, for the purpose of blow- ing her up. By this timely discovery the ship was preserved, and, by noon, towed out to sea. The British pilots being unacquainted with the coast, the commodore resolved not to pro- ceed any farther north, but to sail back to Carouge, and there await the arrival of the .V 'i: li > t :. 4' J' } V; .ii' h \t< 'A r 128 HISTORY OF •'\ i ( IJi V • . ; Duke of Orleans prize, which had been left at Grand Canarie with a lieutenant and sixty men. They looked into Petit Maitre, where they destroyed a considerable number of stages and boats, and found vast quantities of fish and oil ; and at about seven o'clock in the afternoon they came to an anchor, and moored in Ca- rouge-Harbour. On the 12th and 13th, it blew a hard gale at south-west; on the 14th, having been joined by the Duke of Orleans prize, they weighed at four o'clock in the morning, stood out to sea with her, and came into Saint John's Harbour, where the Falkland and the Nonsuch arrived with the two prizes on the 17th, the Medway's prize having before been ordered to proceed to Trinity. • From this expedition, which deserves to be recorded on account of the activity and judg- ment displayed by Captain Underdown and his associates, equal to the good fortune that attended their operations, it appears that, while the English had on that station only the Falkland and Nonsuch in Saint John's, and the Medway at Bonavista, the French had in the northern parts of the island no less than ten armed ships, mounting from twenty to thirty two guns. Th« loss which the latter suffered by the capture or destruction of six of them, and the ruin of their fisheries, must have NEWIOUNDLANU. 12i> been a severe blow to tlieir trade. So large a force shews the dej|,ree of importance which they then attached to the iNewfonndland trade. On the 8th of April, 1707, the House of Commons complained in stron;^- terms of the " great declension of the British interest in, and lucrative trade to, Newfoundland," and resolved, that " an humble address he pre- sented to her Majesty, that she will he gra- ciously pleased to use her royal endea\ours to recover and preser^e the ancient possessions, trade, and fishery, in Newfoundland.*' This resolution was so well timed, that, as the events of the following »ear proved, the French, in the midst of the repeated disasters which they experienced under the viclorious arms of the Duke of Marlborough and the Confederates, still continued to attend to their interests in Newfoundland, and to {)ersevere in their determination to attempt the conquest of the whole island. Saint Ovide, the French King's Lieutenant at Placf^ntia, on the first day of the year 1708, actually took and completely destroyed the town of Saint Johns. He had arrived the day before within fi\e leagues of that harbour with- out being discovered ; having efl'ected a land- ing without opposition, he marched into the town; the commandant advancing to meet him ^'m m m •:m ' M?-', '*.-j? 1.30 HISTORY OF m 1 1 \"' .jilli I 'l sr 1. 'I witlim three hundred feet of the first palisade which surrounded one of tlie principal forts, Saint Ovide rushed forward, entered by the gate which had been left open, and calling out " Vive le Roi," the English were struck with such a panic, that he and liis T»eople had time to fix their scaling ladders to the main body of the place, which they mounted, and, the gover- nor of Fort William being wounded, in less than half an hour Saint Ovide had taken pos- session of both forts. I'hc singularity of the season fixed upon for such an enterprise, may easily account for the surprise into which this unexpected attempt threw the garrison. The next day. Saint Ovide, with the garrison, con- sisting of sixty men, immediately despatched an account of his proceedings to Costebelle, Com- mander-hi-chief on that station, who sent him orders to dismantle the forts, destroy the town, and then ve\ nrn to France. Costebelle then turned his thoughts to the reduction of Carbonier, the only settlement of any consequence which remained, at that time, to the English. He divided his troops into two bodief^, one of which was to proceed by land from Placentia to Conception-Bay, whilst the other went round to Trinity-Bay in two sloops, iinder the command of one Bertrand, a native of PUicentia, with orders to take the short- NEWFOUNDLAND. 131 est road to the back of Carbonier. On the arrival of the sIoojih in Trinity-Bay, they took an Enji;liwh frijiatc, of thirty guns, and one hun- dred and thirty men: but Bertrand having been killed in the engagement, his companions were so much disheartened that, on seeing two privateei's at a distance, they abandoned their prize, anvho was still Commandant at Newfoundland, to Pont- chartrain, the French Minister of Marine, in which he complained of the defenceless state of Placentia, and, in general, of the French possessions there, stating that he could hardly muster one hundred men fit for service in the whole island. It is said, that the English fleet had then on board upwards of seven hundred and fifty men, and that, although they were so short of provisions as not to have enough for more than ten weeks, the conquest of Placentia would not have taken tiiem more than three days. The question w as debated in a council of war, and carried in the negative. Thus the French continued in peaceable pos- session of Newfoundland until the conclusion of the Treaty of Utrecht> which was signed on U 1)1 ^ I'M HISTOKY OF l!*!. 'ill; the firnt of April, 1713. By this Treaty, that island, and the adjacent islands, were declared to belong of right ivholly to Great Britain ; the French were allowed to catch fish, and to dry them on land, only in that part which stretches from Cape Bonavista to the liOrthern point of the island, and from thence down by the western side as far as Point Riche ; but they coidd not fortify any place, or erect any buildings there, except stages and huts for the fishery ; nor were they to resort to Newfoundland beyond the time necessary for fishing and drying offish. In all places to be restored by France, the French subjects might either remove themselves with all their moveables to any other place, or re- main and become British subjects; in the latter case, they were to enjoy the free exercise of their religion, according to the usage of the Church of Home, as far as the laws of Great Britain allowed the same. The cession of Cape Breton to France was strongly condemned, as endangering all the acquisitions which the English had made by this Treaty in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and was attributed to the inability of the minis- ters to stand out any longer against the oppo- sition carried on at home. Queen Anne, harassed with discordant counsels, and agitated by the altercations NEWFOUNDLAND. 136 which pansed between her ministers at a lon|j; Cabinet-Council hehl on that occasion, was seized with ;ui apoplectic disorder, which caused her death on the first of Aujjnst follow- ing^, in the thirteenth year of her reign ; a reign, which, from the desperate eftbrtsof the Preten- der, the gigantic exertions of France, the bril- liant and hitherto unparalleled achievements of Marlborough, and flie favourable stipulations of the Treaty of Utrecht, has insured her a distinguished place in the annals of Great Bri- tain. It must, howevns('(nifnrf'M of the uiipanlonahle oversi;;lit, by which \\\r l*Vont;h, wlio had fonsented to n'lnain in the <'t'ded roiintrirs, wvvc excniptf^l l"n iii lakinfi^ the oath of Hrh'lity to the liritish Crown. But he was not supported in thes*- n ise ineaHiires, which, if carried into eHect, nii};ht haveprevenled a ".reat waste of blood and treasure. The intlu'iu; ' thus obtained by the Church of Rome was the mor'^ pernicious, as it w as in the hands of the Jiisuiis, wlio equally regardless of the laws and interest^ (>f either p,overnment, appear to have consi ' red their mission in those parts of the world, as intended merely to propaiiate the tenets, and to extend the jiower and wealth of their own '/rder. By rei)resenting- the Lnglish in the odious light of heretics, they exaspe- rated the national jealousy and animosity to the utmost height, and omitted nothing that could excite and confirm a ferocious aversion among the inhaliitants of the countries in which they had obtained a footing. The cession of the whole Island of New- foundland by the Treaty of Utrecht, set for ever at rest the contested claims respecting the pro- perty of that island, and put an end to the ruinous state of the En 'ish trade and fisheries there, which had long been the subject of loud W,l ■ NEWFOrNDLANU. 137 uiuJ woU-p;ronn]aiiits at homr. But t\\v \m\\U-\xv iTstTvtjd to Immmci', of lisliint; from Cape hotiavista round \\\c north to Point Hiclio, proArd a new soiirct' of s, which su'tually rrniain; to the same writer, was the state of thinji^s, when hostihties were renewed Iw'tween the two na- tions in the year I77H. m NPWFJIUNIH.AM). lau CIlAPTIill Vlll. .. >i • 1713—1703. It has been observed, tluit the act of the lOtli and 11th of Kinji;' William HI. had pven a considerable advantage to tin,' merchants an«l adventurers who visited Newfoundland only for the fishing season, over the pretensions of the planters and inhabitants, many of whom had engrossed, and detained for their own pri- vate benefit, a considerable proportion of the places on the coast fit for the purposes of the fishery. This act was so well suited to the circumstances and necessities of Newfound- land at that time, that under its influence, after the Treaty of Utrecht, the trade and fisheries of that island increased to a wonderful extent. The number of resident planters and inhabi- tants increased likewise in proportion, and they soon began to feel the want of the protection of a Government and Police, and of an Admi- nistration of Justice more efficient and impar- tial than could be expected from the Fishing Admirals. Disorder and anarchy had long •;^i^^^ 4i .'fit r * L '• '<>'. iff m ■''\''m 140 HISTORY OF I J. ■•*'»' ! iN : ■>i^A ! ■. v ■ t.. ■ .■ i i ••''V ' 1 ;tr. prevailed in the island, particularly during the winter months; and the British (Government found it necessary to put some stop to that state of confusion, by the appointnu nt of a Civil Ciovernor and of Justices of the Peace. Thisa[)pointnient is considered by Chief Justice Reeves as an advantage gained by the inhabi- tants and planters over the adventniers and merciiants Mho carried on the fishery there from this country, and wlio, he says, ()referred the former ineflicient courts, because they could make use of them when they needed their as- sistance, and could intimidate them and ob- struct their proceedings, whenever they them- selves were to be the objects of animadversion. He even goes so far as to state, that the only remedy against the ignorance or paniality of the Fishing Admirals, which lay in an appeal to the naval couunanders on that station, not always easy of access on account of the dis- tance and other circumstances, was fre([uently made useless, as " he that made a present of most (piintals of fish was sure to have the de- termination in his favour."' Ilt^nce arose a powerful opi)()sition to every attempt at intro- ducing; order and tiovernment into Newfound- land. Captain Henry Osborne, whose merits as an officer may be estimated from the circumstance t)f th £ NEWIOXTNDLAND. 141 an lice i)f his liavin«^ afterwards obtained the thanks of the House of Commons, and a pension of i* 1,200 a vear iliiriu;; life, was ordered to Newfoundland as Governor in the vear 1728, with authority to appoint such respeelable per- sons as he shouhl think most prof)er, to act as Justices of the Peace, and to hold Courts of Record, hearinji^ and determining- on all matters in dispute between parties according to the laws of England, not extending to capi- tal offences, which were, as before, to be tried only in England. In the year 1730, an affray having hap- pened at Torbay, between one Blackmore and one Goss, in which the latter was killed, Blackmore was brought prisoner to England, tried, and acquitted. About the same time, another man, of the name of Steel, was likewise brought to England on a charge of murder, tried at the castle of Exeter, and condemned. The expense and risk of bringing several witnesses on these occasions, and the number of persons who were tluis unavoidably (Utained in England as evidences, and thereby kept from their fisheries, were consideretl both as a })rivate and a public detriment. This led to a commission to hold a Coi ut ok Over and Teuminer at Newfoundhunl, and to try of- fenders for capital crimes. Tiiis commission. i ■ f r*t,. i'l 142 HISTORY OF granted under the j^reat seal to the Governor and Coniniander-in-cliitf, aiitliorized him, as Chief Maj^istrate of tVie island, to appoint jjersons of character and integrity as Commissioners to hold this Court; these were, at that time, the thi'ee Justices in Saint John's and four principal mer- chants. A Sherift' was also nominated bv the Governor, to be annually elected by him, under the name of Tni: High Sheriif of Neav- FOUNDLAND. Ciraud JuHcs were to be empan- nelh'd from among the principal merchants, and Petty Jiuies from the most respectable boat-keepers. Justices of the Peace were, at the same time, appointed by the Governor, and Courts of Session established in the principal out-harbours, which now formed so many dis- tinct districts; and these were annually visited by some man of war, whose Captain was com- missioned to hold a SuuROGAiE's Court, for the trial of civil causes, as well as to sit in the Courts of Session as a Justice of the Peace. This, however, says very candidly the author of the " Remarks on the British Newfoundland Fishery," usually ended in a frkndhj visit* * Remarks on tlie British Ncwfumitlland Fishery and ils Laws, published at Dartmoulii in the year 1792, for the avowed purpose of pointing out tiie very injurious conse- quences to the trade and fisheries, of all the acts of Govern- ment and of Parliament subsequent to the 10th and 11th of G( ern- hof NEWKOrNULANn 143 These Ju(lfi,es were afterwards called Float- in (i .SuriHOGATI.S. In tlie year 1740, we find the otfice of " Go- vernor and Commander-in-chief, in and over the Island of Newfoundland and its dependencies,'' filled by the Right Honourable Lord George Graham, who was then Captain of the Adven- ture. He was succeeded, in 1741, by the Honourable John Byn«f, the fourth son of George, Lord Viscount Torrington, and who was then Captain of the Sunderland, of sixty guns. Governor Byng's active, judicious, and brave conduct, particularly whilst on the New- foundland station, give him a distinguished King Williuiii HI. which are ihere said " by their operations to have so burclened tlie fisliery, as to clieck tlie industry of the adventurers, and to destroy all confidence between master and servant, and between every otiier description of persons." Speaking of tlie system of judicature establisiicd under that act, the same writer says: "The autliority there- by giveij to Fishiiig Admirals, to determine all disputes rela- tive to the fishery, is founded on a strict plan of justice, equity, and reason. !t is leaving the decision of controver- sies to a description of persons who alone can judge of the wrong done, and who cannot bo led isway or biassed by any reward. Tiiey are really and bortii Jlde arbitrators between the parties. Again, to prevent the possibility of partiality or self-interested views, (if such could be,) either of the parties may bring the matter before the Captain of one of his Miyesty's ships, who is again uu umpire lu'twrcn tlieni. Can there be a more equitable mode .' i§: ■M i\i I I I ■■.;i'. : ■4' ■'*:i "'y .£"1 144 HISTORY OF m m i" Ir 'uH rank amoni? the rniinont cliaractors whicli udoni tUe list of the (jlo\«'niors of that island. England was tlu'n at uar with S|)ain, whose ships of war and privateers earned th( ir depre- dations on the Hritish coninieree in every part of Europe and America witii unprecedented activity and boldness. The scpiadron under the command of Governor Byni;, not only most effectually protected the ISewfoundland trade and fisheries, but also were uncommonly suc- ci ssful in making" eaptnres on the enemy. It was, in consequence, judged necessary that a Court of Vice-Admiralty should be esta- bhshed at Newfoundland, in order to prevent the expense and risk of sending the prizes to England for trial and condemnation. Such a court was accordingly established, wilh power to take cognizance of all matters within tlie jurisdiction of the High Court of Admiralty in England, to which an appeal lay from the decisions of the Vice- Admiralty Court in New- foundland. The Judge of this Court was like- wise Chief Justice of the Courcs of common law, and President Commissioner of the Court of Oyer and Tl ' r.'. ■«*, ♦,; r^'^ 7<- .K'r iilf ^ i W ':^ ;v 14f> HISTORY OF on tfie part of the French settlers in Nortli America, since the year 1713. France very justly considered her fishery in Newfoundland and Cape Breton as the principal branch of her commerce, and the foundation of her mari- time force. But she had the mortification to see that important trade suspended in 1745 by the loss of her part of Newfoundland, which \Mis, soon after, followed l)y that of Cape Breton. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, in the year ! 748, was no sooner sif^ned, than France began to restore her marine which had been nearly ruiiicd in the late war, to revive the disputes respecting the boundaries of Nova Scotia, and to aim at the conquest of all the British settle- ments in North America. In gradually draw- ing and extending a line along the borders of tliose settlements, from the Saint Lawrence to the Mississipi, and building forts to secure the most convenient passes on the lakes and rivers that formed the communication, one of the great objects of the French Commandants and settlers there appears to have been to cut off all intercourse and traffic between the Indians of the interior countries and the British colonies. This plan was now followed up by erernng forts and forming settlements upon the River Ohio. The French inhabitants of the district of Anna- m NEW rOlNDLANU. 147 polls, witli parties of the neighbouring Indians, made incursions on the British settlements. These hostile attempts, accompanied by all the cruelties of the Indian mode of warfare, increased in audacity in proportion to the forbearance of England, who, for a long time, endeavoured to put an end to that state of things in America by the complaints of her Ambassador, and the memorials of her Commissaries at Paris. The inefficacy of these measures of conciliation, and the increasing distress of the British colonies, exasperated the government and the people of England to such a degree, that war became at last inevitable; and never was a war more universally considered as national, and as springing from a root truly English. The ministers having received certaiii intelligence that a considerable number of Indians, sup- poited by some European regular troops, were on their march, intending, as it was appre- hended, to commit hostilities on some parts of British America, the Earl of Holdernesse, one of the principal Secretaries of State, wrote circular letters, dated the 28th of August, 1753, to the several Governors of North America, directing them to unite in a confederacy for their mutual security, and to endeavour to engage the Indians on their side. Major Wash- ington, who afterwards acted so conspicuous a f. 2 ■ • 1 ;' r ■? ;■< * "v 'M V : i : ■: *■ i, - * '-m .■;mj<-^M %- At.- 148 HISTORY OF iiii *''' .t:| •■'■:■ ■■< ,' ■ I (H um: r.f:f .>1I i/vf lii! li>l. ,» i part in the cause of American independence, had, previou8 to ^his, been deputed by the Government of Virginia to the French Com- mandant on the Ohio, to demand by what authority he had erected forts, and made set- tlements within the limits of the British pro- ^inces. About the same time, the French sent eight thousand troops, of >vhom two thousand five hundred were intended for Canada, three thou- sand five hundred for the Mississipi, and two thousand for Saint Domingo. They also col- lected together, at Brest and at Rochefort, a considerable number of seamen to be sent to Canada, to man some men of war that had bten built there. A most unaccountable spirit of de- lusion and of infatuation appears to have, at this period, blinded the French ministry ; for, whilst their Ambassador in London was making great protestations of the sincere wish of his court speedily and finally to adjust all disputes be- tween the two crowns concerning America, and was encouraging discussions on that sub- ject, intelligence arrived in England that the French had a squadron at sea. General Braddock was then immediately sent with troops to Virginia; and a squadron was ordered to sail for Newfoundland, under Admiral Boscawen, who, on his arrival on that 1 NEWFOUNDLAND. Uii coant, took his station off Cape Race. A few flays after, the French flei;t, under the com- mand of M. Bois de la Mothe- urived near th.« same coast: and, favoured bv one of those impenetrable fogs wMch are so common in that part of the world, his fleet effected their passage to Canada, some by the usual way, between Newfoundland and Cape Breton, and the rest by the straits of Belleisle, on the north of Newfo.ir. aland, a navigation hitherto imat- tempted by large ships of war. Two of them, the Alcide and ;^e Lys, both sixty-four gun ships, being separated from their consorts in the fog, were intercepted by two English ships of the same strength, the Dunkirk and the Defiance, commanded by Captains Howe and Andfpws, who bore down upon them, ard, after a vigorous resistance, took them, with about eight thousand pounds on board. When it was known in France that Admiral Boscawen had put to sea with the 3ritis.M ir>o niSTOKV OF I'M ;i llie loth of July, I7.W, that England was uo longer to br ainnsecl wii fruitlesH unmeaning negotiations concerning the limits of Nova Scotia, France recalled her two Ambassadors from London and Hanover. Thu^ bt.gan that war which, provoked by flagrant acts of hosti- lity committed by the French Commandants and settlers in Amedca since the year 1748, soon spread like a devouring flame over every quarter of the globe, and which, in the end, cost France all her possessions in Canada. By the capture of all the ships and vessels em- ployed by the French in the Newfoundland fishery, it is said that they lost upwards of twenty-five thousand seamen, and that, in con- sequence of this loss, they were, during the whole of that war, incapable of properly manning their fleet. Cape Breton ww ; mooai after taken by Colonel Monkton, wliilst Captain Rous destroyed all the French fishing erections and settlements upon the coast of Newfoundland. Governor Byng had been succeeded, in 1744, by Sir Charles Hardy, Captain of the Jersey of sixty guns. He is represented as a brave, generous, and worthy man. Several of the ships under his convoy having been captured by the enemy, on his return from 'I-,: NEWFOUNDLAND. 161 i I? 1 Nf wfoiiiuilund, at the fiul of that year, hit* conduct lu'i'ainc the Huhjevhich terminated in IiIn honourable acquittal. It appears, however, that he did not return to Newfoundland, for it in said, that, in the month of July followiu;^^ he was eni[>loyed near the Straits' mouth, where he distin- guished itimself in an engagement with French seventy-four. In the year 1749 Captain, afterwards Lo George Brydges Rochiey, wliose name hold.v so distinguished a rank in the Naval History of Great Britain, particularly for his victory of the 12th of April, 17tt2,* was appointed Governor of Newfoundland, in the Rainbow, and continued on this station until the usual time of recal, that is, generally three years. In the first year of his government, the principal * Admiral Rodney appears to have first set the example of that religious mode of reporting signal victories, which, during the last war, formed so striking a contrast with the bombastic reports and bulletins of the republican and im- perial generals of France. His letter to the Admiralty respecting this victory began with these words: " It has pleased God, of his divine providence, to grant to His Majesty's arms a most complete victory over the fleet of his enemy, commanded by the Count de Orasse, who was him- self captuted with the Ville de Paris, and four other ships of the fleet, besides one sunk in the action." !i M t ■m .fl.«i I'm IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 ^^ M L^ I'-^l'-* Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRiET WnSTER.N.Y. MSSO (716)t72.4S03 '<^ 152 HISTORY OP :!i merchants, traders, and others, concerned in the fishery, represented to him, in a memorial, that their trade suffered greatly from the illegal practices committed by the merchants and traders residing in the northern and southern parts of the island, in forcibly seizing and carrying away from those boat-keepers and inhabitants who were indebted to them, their fish, train-oil, boats, and craft; thereby ren- dering them incapable of prosecuting the fishery to the end of the season ; and keeping all such effects to themselves, without having any regard to other creditors : which practices, if not timely prevented, might be the ruin, not only of many inhabitants and fishermen, but of the trade in general. In consequence of this representation. Go- vernor Rodney issued a Proclamation, dated at Saint John's, the 19th of August, 1748, prohibiting such unjust and violent practices on pain of being prosecuted with the utmost severity of the law ; and requiring that the ancient usage then in force in St. Johns should be strictly followed; namely, that whenever a boat-keeper, or other person concerned in the fishery, became, in consequence of an unsuccessful voyage, or by any unforseen ac- cident, incapable of paying his just debts, the NEWFOUNDLAND. 163 creditors should content themselves with a fair proportion of their respective debts, paying the servants' wages in full, so that there might be no hinderance to the prosecuting of the fishery to the end of the season ; the said creditors choosing a person to receive the pro- duce of the voyage, and to make a propor- tionable division thereof according to the amount of their respective claims, at the close of the fishery. And whenever any doubt or suspicion arose, that the debtor had not wherewith to discharge all his just debts and the servants' wages, the principal creditors were authorized to adopt such measures as should appear the most proper to secure the due execution of this ancient and equitable usage. In the beginning of July, 1760, Captain James Webb, of the Antelope, then Governor of Newfoundland, having received intelligence that some French ships were on the north- western part of the island, proceeded in quest of them in the Fortune sloop of war, and, in the course of his cruise, took the Tavignon, of St. Maloes, with upwards of three thousand five hundred quintals of dry cod fish ; the whole of which capture produced, by public sale in St. John's, the sum of i;J2570. The officers of this ship, on her arrival at that ; •SB 'ilH tL - y * \ \ ' i' ^ . I i ;iS 154 MI8T0RY OF m i i^ place, were allowed to go on Hhot'e on their parole. One of them, being suspc^cted of having taken a plan of the garrison, was searched, and the plan was actually found concealed in the lining of his coat, with a packet from St. Christopher's for Mr. Secretary Pitt. In the year 1761, Commodore Webb was succeeded in the government of Newfound- land by Captain, afterwards Lord, Graves, well known for the important share which he had in Lord Howe's victory of the first of June, 1794. So inconsiderable was the naval force on that station at the latter end of the year 1761, that the trade, in a memorial pre- sented to the Governor about the middle of November, offered to equip, at their own costs and charge, the Weymouth, a merchant- man, carrying twenty guns, and one hundred and twenty-five men, as an armed vessel, for the protection of the fleet homei '-bound, there being no ship for the last c .nvoy to England. This offer was accepted, and the command of that ship was given to Lieutenant John Neale, commander of the Suiprise, whose gims, ordnance, and stores, were con- veyed on-board the Weymouth. The Gover- nor sailed in the Antelope, in the beginning of December, with the last convoy bound for m '•^•'■••*V'^-: NEWFOUNDLAND. 165 Spain and Portugal, consisting of seventy sail, carrying altogether about seven thousand tons, six hundred and eighty men, and near two hundred guns. In the course of this year France had ex- perienced very considerable losses in her navy, privateers, and merchant service. Yet, by a dexterity of negotiation of which there is hardly an example in history, she acc|uired, at the close of a most ruinous war, such a power- ful and hearty assistance, as afforded her the fairest hopes of retrieving at once all her mis- fortunes. Spain manifested a considerable in- terest in her cause, and extreme uneasiness at the unprecedented successes of the British arms. And while France was negotiating a treaty at London, expressing her readiness to procure the blessings of peace by the most humiliating concessions, her minister at the Court of Madrid was employed in such mea- sures as, instead of extinguishing the flames of war, tended to spread them more widely. Every concession on the part of France be- coming a new incentive to the animosity of Spain towards England, even at the very time that the negotiation seemed nearest to a conclusion, then was the moment for Spain to interpose, and at one explosion to blow up the whole basis of the treaty. With a \'^ if ! : . . ■ ■ * '!;;■■. mm .'-•-■■ .?il I r 166 HISTORY OF Vi^r ' '"Sf I W fe.l I i I 'ii l-t! fN^ plan for an accommodation perfectly agre^ able to the English ministry, Mr. Bussy, the French Agent at London, delivered a private memorial, in which he stated that, in order to establish the peace upon the most solid foun- dation, it might be proper to inviie the King" of Spain to guarantee and confirm it ; and, for this purpose, it would be necessary finally to adjust the differences which subsisted between the Crowns of Spain and England ; namely^ among others, the restitution of the captures which had been made on the Spanish flag, and the " privilege of the Spanish nation to fish on the Banks of Newfoundland." It is not difficult to conceive with what surprise such unexpected proposals were heard and with scorn rejected by the manly spirit of Mr. Pitt^ who clearly saw that there was a perfect union of interests and councils between the Courts of France and Spain ; and that, if the latter deferred to declare war, it was principally be- cause she waited the arrival of her fleet firom America. He accordingly advised prompt measures, which were warranted by the evasive and insulting conduct of the Spanish Ambassa- dor in London, and which, by intercepting the Spanish resources in their arrival to Europe,, would have disabled Spain from giving assist- ance to France. He could not, however^ NEWFOUNDLAND. 167 persuade his colleagues in administration; and, in consequence, " unwilling to remain in a situation which made him responsible for mea- sureB which he was not permitted to guide," he resigned the seals on the 9th of October, 1761. The British ministry continued to negotiate by means of Lord Bristol, Ambassador at the Court of Madrid, until the Spanish galleons being safely arrived in Cadiz, Spain at last tore asunder the veil which her policy had hitherto thought proper to assume. Lord . Bristol quitted Madrid the 1 7th of December ; soon after the Spanish Ambassador left Lon- don, and war was declared in January, 1762. Spain immediately prohibited the importation of fish -from Newfoundland, and the Pope seconded this prohibition, releasing by a re- script the subjects of that kingdom from those fasts which rendered that fish indispensably necessary. About the latter end of May, in the year 1762, intelligence was received by the Admi- ralty, that a French squadron under the com- mand of M. de Temay had sailed from Brest under cover of a fog. Sir Edward Hawke, with seven ships of the Ibie and two frigates, was immediately sent in pursuit of them ; but they eluded his vigilance. They were seen about fifty leagues to the northward of the Lizard, by Cap- 1.1 ' sit • 'mm mi Mil'- ■•■ ^'ii '■.Ul 'I'll J iiii 'ii' •*■;*? .hh I. ■•■■> ; :■■ i> , '- ■ ' '• ■ *:'w] ne,: p; W'^ .[»'. i«i ir inn HISTORY OP tain, afterwards Admiral Sir Joshua llowiey. who, though greatly inferior in strength,, and having under his care a fleet of merchant-men bound to the East and West Indies, no sooner perceived them than he made a disposition for battle ; they then tacked to the northward ; he gave them chase until they were nearly out of sight ; and, having no hope of bringing them to action, he discontinued the pursuit and re- joined his convoy ; his squadron consisted only of one seventy-four, one forty-four, and one thirty-eight gun ships. ' • iM - 1* r.^' On the 24th of June the French squadron entered into the Bay of Bulls, and landed there some troops, which marched towards Saint John's. This place not being in a con- dition of defence, surrendered by capitulation ; and the garrison, consisting only of sixty-three men, were made prisoners, together with the officers and crew of the Gramont sloop of war, which happened to be at that time in the harbour. The French found there several merchant-vessels which they seized, as well as every kind of property within their reach ; and being determined to keep possession of this place, they immediately began to repair the fortifications of the town and harbour. They took likewise Carbonier and Trinity, and in general availed themselves of the unprepared NEWrOUNULAND. 15U state of thff island to make any resistance, to commit every kind of devastation on its trade and fisheries. When the knowledge of these transactions arrived in England, the ministry were universally and loudly blamed on ac- coimt of their neglect of Mr. Pitt's advice for the protection of Newfoundland : and while they endeavoured to persuade the public that the loss of this cold, barren, and inhospitable island was of very little consequence, they nevertheless did not delay to prepare an arma- ment for its recovery. But their preparations for this purpose were rendered unnecessary by the vigilance and activity of Captain Charles Douglas, of the Syren man of war; of Go- vernor Graves ; and of Lord Colville and Sir Jeffery Amherst, who commanded the sea and land forces in North America. Captain Douglas, who happened to be at that time on a cruise at the southward of Newfoundland, having received information of the appearance of a French squadron with land forces on that coast, took into the service two merchant-vessels then in Saint Mary's harbour, and appointing to each a petty officer from the Syren, he immediately despatched them with directions to cruise during a stated time on the Banks, in order to '■Wk m U: wm H I. 100 HUTOBY or communicate this intelligence to the convoy that was daily expected from England, and then to proceed with letters for General Am- herst to Halifax, where they were to take in supplies and bring them to Placentia. The brig William, having cruised on the Banks her appointed time without meeting the convoy, proceeded to Halifax, and thence to Placentia, where she was discliarged on the 24th of September following. The Bonetta sloop, commanded by Peter Bume, master of the Syren, was much more fortunate. She met on the outer edge of the Great Bank Governor Graves, in the Antelope, with a large fleet of merchant-men, which were thus prevented from falling in with the enemy. Bume was immediately ordered by the Governor to transport a party of marines from the Antelope to the Island of Boys, near Ferryland, where it was understood that a considerable number of the inhabitants of that part of Newfoundland had taken refuge, and which was to be as strongly fortified as cir- cumstances would permit ; he was thence to proceed with the utmost expedition to Halifax with the Governor's and Captain Douglass despatches. Fe accordingly parted from the Antelope, which he afterwards rejoined and NEWFOVNDLAND. UM li'ft at Piaccntia on tlio 30tli of July, and poaclifMl Halifax in safety somr days before the William. (iovemor TiraveM, on \m arrival at Placen- tia, finding; the fortn in a riiinoiiH Htate, and the plare In a J ' 'V m 16i HlhTOKY OF Thf* Frrnch having stopped up the narrow entrance of Quidy-Vidy, by sinking; shallups in the channel, the troops proceeded to Tor- bay, about seven miles to the northward of Saint John's, where they landed under a galHng fire, which continued to annoy the boats until the light infantry compelled the enemy to retire. The latter took to the woods, through which the British force had to go, over hills and difficult passes, under a continual bush-fire, which wounded several of their men. Captain Mac Donald, with his company of light in- fantry, having succeeded in dispersing the enemy's force, the British troops then ad- vanced rapidly to the strong post of Quidy- Vidy, which they took sword in hand. This advantage opened a communication with the ships, for landing the artillery and stores. They next proceeded to dislodge the enemy from a strong position on a hill on the other side of the pond, from which the French retreated with precipitation, leaving several ])risoncrs behind them. The French were still in possession of two very high and steep hills, the one in the neighbourhood of the £nglish advanced posts, now called Signal- Hill, f om which it was necessary to dislodge them ; and this was performed with great re- solution and bravery by Captain Mac Donald, NF.WFOVNULANB. im nt tlir head of hio own and the provincial light infantry. With this corps, he pasned the aen- trioN and advanced )^ard unobserved, nor was he discovered till the main body of the iTcnch saw him climbing up the rocks and ulmoNt at the top, when he actually gained it in the midst of the enemy's fire, which he soon returned with such vivacity that the French pive way. In this engagement the j^alhint Captain received & mortal wound, his Ijientenant and four of his men were killed, and eighteen men were wounded. On the 16th of September, Colonel Amherst proceeded vigorously in his preparations to attack the fort and town of Saint John's. The breastwork and unfinished battery which com- manded the harbour being taken, the guns on Signal-Hill pointed towards the town, and the entrance of the channel cleared of the shal- lops, which the French Admiral had sunk in it, the rest of the artillery and stores were landed from the ships. This, fortunately for the English, was performed before a violent gale of wind drove Lord Colville to a con- siderable distance from the coast; the French Admiral, taking advantage of this circum- stance, slipped his cables and made his escape under cover of a thick fog, without being seen by the English fleet till he had got too far out M 2 ^.';il| m M ■ • -/r 164 HISTORY OF if % liv. ^> !|;i^^ .:!^ at sea to allow of a pursuit. Indeed, his con- duct was so very extraordinary in abandoning a place and garrison which had been entrusted to his protection, that the English could not at first believe that the ships which they de- scried were those of M. de Temay. On the night of the 17th, the Colonel opened a battery with one eight-inch mortar, seven cohoms, and six royals; the French at the same time began a brisk fire from the fort, and threw several shells ; but, finding themselves abandoned by their fleet, they capitulated on the 20th, in the morning, and surrendered themselves prisoners of war, on condition of being conveyed to Brest by the first oppor- tunity. This condition was immediately com- plied with by Lord Colville, who had by this time returned into the harbour. Thus the town and fort of Saint John's, with all the other places which the French had taken on this coast, were recovered by a small number of men, who acted throughout with the greatest resolution, and surmounted many considerable difficulties by dint of indefatiga- ble labour and perseverance. In this expe- dition Lieutenant Schuyler of the Royal Americans was killed; Captain Mac Donald died of his wounds ; Captains Bailie and Mac Kenzie were wounded, but recovered ; and SfV NEWFOUNDLAND. 166 not above twenty men were lost on tlic part of the English in all the diflferent actions with the French, who are reported to have been a tine body of troops. It is said that this retaking of Newfoundland was, at that time, highly extolled as " adorn- ing the lustre of the Britisli arms," in a year remarkable for the conquest of Martinique and of all the Caribbees ; of the Havannah, with its fleet and rich magazines ; and of the Philippines, or Manillas, which is represented as one of the best conducted, most splendid, and most important of aii the successes which marked the progress of this glorious war. It is likewise observed by the writers of that period, that, in the retaking of Newfoundland, as well as in the reduction of the Havannah and of the Philippines, the fleet and army co-operated with singular harmony and suc- cess ; and that both the whole plan and the subordinate parts of these expeditions, were conducted with consummate wisdom and heroic bravery. With respect to Newfoundland, the French squadron, then in Saint John's, consisted of the Robuste, of seventy-four guns, TEveille, of sixty-four, La Garonne, of forty -four. La licome, of thirty, and a bomb-ketch: they had fifteen hundred soldiers, and a proportion- •;»■< J'' :iis M< im HISTORY or m ■,'K, hi I able quantity of artillery and stores ; whilst the English, with an inferior squadron; had only eight hundred soldiers, and these were neces- sarily divided between Placentia, the island of Boys, and the expedition engaged in the re- taking of Saint John's. The French had had sufficient time to strengthen themselves in a place which they had taken without any loss either of men or of ammunition, and to avail themselves of every advantage of a position fortified by nature, and capable of every im- provement which art could add to its strength. That the French government was particularly anxious to keep possession of Newfoundland is evident, from the activity with which the French Commandant repaired and added to the fortifications of Saint John's, and also from the circumstance of a lai^e French frigate, bound for that island, with a considerable supply of military stores, which Captain Hervey, afterwards Earl of Bristol, met and took, in the month of September, in his passage from the Havannah to England. Having paid this just tribute of praise to the officers who eminently distinguished themselves on this occasion, justice requires the honour- able mention of two merchants, whose names are still well known and highly respected in Newfoundland, and whose public spirit and NEWFOUNDLAND. 167 Rcrvices wcri .sentially useful at that critical time. One of them was Robert Carter, a merchant at Ferryland, who, by his prudence and inde- fatigable exertions, found the means to procure a sufficient supply of provisions and other necessaries, for the support, not only of the garrison at the island of Boys, but also of a considerable number of distressed inhabitants, who had retired thither for protection and re- lief, from the 24th of June to the 9th of Octo- ber. From the account of the articles thus supplied, during that period, and afterwards certified by four magistrates and principal mer- chants of Saint John's, to be according to the price current, previous to the arrival of the French squadron on that coast, it appears, that the wholesale prices were as follows, viz. Bread, 14*.— -flour, 16*. — and cordage, 50*. per cwt.— Beef, £3, and pork, £4 per barrel. — Butter, 9d. — cheese, 4d. — and nails, 6J H,'-, 108 HISTORY OF "it:'' ii for a considerable time, a small detaphment which he had obtained from the head-quarters for that small island, with fire-wood, provisions, and additional pay, until the French took it and destroyed the works and batteries. He Avas also most active and successful in pro- viding, in conformity to a requisition of Gover- nor Graves, a number of seaitien from his dis- trict, for the English squadron, on condition of being dischai^ed, if they required it, as soon as the people should be enabled to follow their usual business. Mr. Garland was fully indemnified afterwards for his expenses, and his services were most honourably acknow- ledged by the government, Another fact relating to a single individual, which 1 shall beg leave to mention, is, that under the respectable, but, at that time, very inferior character of Master^ the Northumber- land, one of Lord Colville's squadron, con- tained the, afterwards, justly celebrated Cap- tain James Cook. This great and imfortunate officer, to whom it was reserved to prove to the world, by re- peated trials, that voyages might be protracted to the imusual length of three and even four years, in unknown regions, and under every change and rigour of climate, not only without affecting the health, but even without diminish-f It !H!J NEWFOUNDLAND. 160 ing the probability of life in the smallest degree, was, in the year 1758, appointed master of the Northumberland, the flag-ship of I^ord Colville, who commanded the squadron stationed on the coast of North America. It was there that, when about thirty years of age, during a severe winter, he first i:ead Euclid, and applied himself to the study of mathematics and astro- nomy, without any other assistance than what a few books and his own industry afforded him. He remained in that ship until the conclusion of the war, in the year 1703; when, through the recommendation of Lord Colville, and of Go- vernor Graves, he was appointed to survey the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the coasts of Newfoundland. In this employment he con- tinued till the year 1707, when he was fixed upon by Sir Edward Hawke to command an expedition to the South Seas. The charts, which were drawn from the surveys taken by him at that time, are still held in very high estimation. Governor Graves, on resuming his command in Saint John's, very humanely directed hist attention to the means of alleviating the extreme distress, which had been occasioned by the cap- ture and temporary occupation of that town by the French. The principal inhabitants reprc" sented to him, that there was a great number of !;.;; m '' ■-■X- 'VkI ^ ■ • -^t > •%■-■■ £ «i t)l f ;4i , m. I*; 170 HISTORY OF distressed Irish servants in the island, without masters, and without means of paying for their passage home; and that there was not provistions enough to subsist even the poorer inhabitants throughout the ensuing winter. They proposed to send as rhany of them home, as two sloops, then lying up in the harbour of Saint John s, could carry, engaging to furnish a sufficiency of provisions for that voyage. The Governor readily acceded to this proposal, and agreed to take the two sloops into his Majesty's service for that purpose, at the expense of govern- ment. The unexampled success which, in the latter half of the year 1762, had attended the naval and military enterprises of Great Britain, and the consequent losses suffered by France and Spain, produced in the French and Spanish Cabinets an unfeigned inclination to peace, from which the Court of London was not averse. On the 25th of November, his present Majesty declared, from the throne, that *' He *' had pursued this extensive war in the most " vigorous manner, in hopes of obtaining an *' honourable peace; and that, by the prelimi- •' nary articles, it would appear that there was •' not only an immense territory added to the " empire of Great Britain, but a solid founda- " tion was laid for the increase of trade and NEWFOUNDLAND. 171 " commerce; and the utmost care had been " taken to remove all occasions of future ** disputes between his subjects and those of " France and Spain." This was in reference to the si^inv of the preliminary articles of f)eace bet\veen the three powers, which had been done at Fontainbleau, on the 3d of the same month. In the coui-se of the negotiations, France unequivocally acknowledged her sense of the importance of her Newfoundland fish- ery, by accepting that privilege as the com- pensation for her voluntary unsolicited cession of the whole country of Canada. By the Definitive Treaty, concluded at Paris, on the 10th of February, in the year 1763, France renounced all pretensions to Nova Scotia, or Acadia, and to Canada, with all their dependencies, as well as to the island of Cape Breton, and all the other islands and coasts in the Gulf and River of Saint Law- rence; and England agreed to grant the liberty of the Catholic Religion to the inhabitants of Canada, as far as the laws of Great Britain permitted. The thirteenth article of the Treaty of Utrecht, relating to the privilege of the French to fish, and dry their fish, on the part of the coasts of Newfoundland therein speci- fied, was renewed and confirmed. The French were also allowed to fish in the Gulf of Saint •MM .'i^i h\i I' 172 HisTouv or h hi Lawrence, but only at the distance of thre« leagues from all the -^oasts belonging to Great Britain, as well those of the Continent as those of the islands situated in the said Gulf of Saint Lawrence; and of fifteen leagues from the coasts of the island of Cape Breton. Eng- land ceded to France the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelons in full right, to serve as a shelter to the French fishermen ; the King of France engaging not to fortify the said islands, nor to erect any buildings upon tbeni, but such as were necessary for the convenience of the fishery, and to keep upon them a guard of fifty men only for the police. And, by the eigh- teenth article, the King of Spain desisted from all pretensions to the right of fishing in the neighbourhood of Newfoundland. By this Treaty, Great Britain acquired a totality of empire in North America, extending from Hudson's Bay to the mouths of the Mississipi. The countries and islands thus ceded were formed into four distinct govern- ments, called by the names of Quebec, East Florida, West Florida, and Grenada. And to the end that the open and hev, fishery of the subjects of Great Britain might be extended to, and carried on, upon the coast of Labrador and the adjacent islands, his Majesty thought fit to put all that coast, from the River Saint ii, i NEWFOUNDLAND. 173 John s to Hudson s Straits, together with the islands upon the said coast, under the care and inspection of his Governor of Newfound" land ; while the islands of Saint John s and of Cape Breton, or Isle Royale, with the smaller islands adjacent thereto, were annexed to the government of Nova Scotia. The title of the Governor of Newfoundland, which was before " Governor and Commander- in-cliief in and over the island of Newfound- land, the fort and garrison of Placentia, and all other forts and garrisons erecteeen disregarded. To hnw merely <;h'ared the ground of a few bushes, to have carried on the fishery for one or more seasons on the same spot, was considered as conveying an exclusive right thert-to, though the claimant neither actually used it, nor intended to use it, for the purposes of the fishery. Masters of fishing-ships, not connected with the principal mercantile houses there, though qualified ac- cording to the act of King William, frequently found themselves under the necessitA- of paying an arbitrary rent to some of the in;'ai;ik'nts, for the use of convenient places foi'h^ ,;tiijj.)se« of curing and drying their fish, which were then NKWPOl'NDLANl). 177 ■ r ! unoccupied, rather than mjiir«' their voyages by the delay, or cxposr thi 'nselve^ l<> the doubtful issue and certain Iokh ot a refennc-e t■■>•■; p V ;;?*'% f\ '■%! ,^^| ".' 'Jl ' ■•»,l 1 ■■ ^* ■ ■ ^^ y. M € 180 HISTORY OF m w •R. :!H;< ■*>'; ^^:^'< foundland to his native country, in order to prevent their being left beyond sea, it having caused many to turn pirates and robbers," the fishennen were embarked in ships from Great Britain and Ireland early for the fishing sea- son, and returned the following winter to their respective homes ; that ships were prepared in a cun'ent manner for the accommodation of servants from Europe to Newfoundland, and back atraiii from Newfoundland to their native countries, at the end of the season. No allow- ance seems to be made, in the latter part of this statement, for the different degree of accommo- dation for such purposes, in vessels going out in ballast, or with a small cargo of goods, and in vessels returning home or going to market with a full cargo of fish and oil. He adds that, a real fisherman never wintered at Newfound- land^om choice in those days, which is readily admitted, though not in the sense which he means to fonvey; and what he says farther, that no master ever kept more winter-servants than the occasion of his situation compelled him to do, is a confinnation of the state of wretchedness to which servants were then re- duced. Attempts had been made, at various times, by the Governors of Newfoundland, to open a communication and establish an intercourse NEWFOUNDLAND. 181 with the native Indians of the island; but hitherto without success. About this time, one Scot, with another ship-master and a strong crew, went from Saint John's to the Bay of Exploits, which was known to be much frequented by the Indians, during the summer-seai^on. Scot and his party having landed at the mouth of the Bay, built there a place of residence, in the manner of a fort. Some days after>vards, a large party of Indians appeared in sight, and made a full stop, none of them showing the least inclination to ap- proach nearer. Scot then proposed to the other ship-master to go among them :. the latter advised to go armed ; Scot opposed it on the ground that it might create an alarm. They proceeded towards the Indians with part of their crew, without any arms. Scot went up to them, mixed among them with every sign of amity that he could imagine, taking several of them, one after another, by the hand. An old man, in pretended friendship, put his arms round his neck; at the same instant another stabbed Scot in the back ; the war-whoop re- sounded, a shower of arrows fell upon the English, which killed the other ship-master and four of his companions. The rest of the party then hastened to their vessel, and re- turned to Saint John's, carrying one of those •m V'^ ■m H I ' I ■V'V! .4, e if. .1: ! K«| ¥■ 182 HISTORY OF U -A ■li •i i who had been killed, with the arrows sticking in his body. Captain Thompson, of his Majesty's ship Lark, was more successful with another tribe. He was cruising, in September, 1763, as Surro- gate, along the south-west part of Newfound- land, when he observed a large party of the Indians, called Mickraacks. Having had a conference with their chiefs, he succeeded in concluding with them, in the name of the whole tribe, a treaty, by which they engaged themselves to live in strict friend- ship with the subjects of Great Britain where- soever they should meet them, and to give their assistance against the enemies of the King of Great Britain, as long as the iun and moon should endure. It has been already seen, that by the Treaty of Paris, Spain entirely gave up all claims to the pri- vilege of fishing in these latitudes. With respect to France, it had been contended that, should the fish-trade to Newfoundland be allowed to her under any restrictions, this would be giving her the surest and best nursery for seamen, and enabling her to rear again with facility a rival naval power, which it had been one of the greatest advantages reaped by this war to have destroyed ; that she would not only acquire by it this invaluable benefit, but also be enabled m. NEWFOUNDLAND. 183 to carry on and enjoy the profits of a superior trade, as she had done formerly. On the other hand, it was observed, that comparative bene- fits arising to France were an unsure scale of the interests of Great Britain; that tilings of less value to her might be of an importance to Great Britain, infinitely greater than others which she held at a much higher price; and that the greater or less facility of obtaining certain objects should be rated as constituting no in- considerable part of their intrinsic value, be- cause they tended to hasten or protract the conclusion of peace, and to prolong or shorten its duration: that the total loss of the New- foundland fishery would be to France more than any positive gain to England ; that France and her islands would be exposed to all the extremities of want, rather than open their markets to British fishermen; that this was true, not of France only, but of Spain, who had, since her declaration of war, prohibited the importation of fish fi-om Newfoundland; and the Pope had freed her subjects, by indulgen- ces, from those fasts which rendered it indis- pensably necessary. How far the same eccle- siastical policy might prevail in other popish countries (and those of that persuasion are the only customers of England for fish in Europe) could not be foretold ; but should an enmity to ' . '« m 'm^'i^C^ ■'"ii :::f1 ' -J .'' ' ■' 111 1/ ',.-' t k Its **» ill B ' 'i .1 184 HISTORY OP \&^^ ih 1< m ■ 1 li ■f ' heretic England prevail with the see of Rome, to dispense with her own injunctions, and a jealousy of Engand incline other popish states to avail themselves of such dispensations, in- stead of acquiring more by an attempt to possess all, England might lose a considerable part, if not the whole of the advantages which she before enjoyed from that fishery. The first overtures to the Treaty declare, that the privilege of the fishery at Newfound- land was the compensation for Canada, whilst England considered Canada as of considerable value, both as an acquisition of country and as a frontier; and her conquests in North America, in general, as the first and most im- portant objects of that war. The British colo- nies, thus secured from every hostile attack at the price of British blood and treasure, and of many national advantages which England had it then in her power to exact from France and Spain, were placed in such a situation as no longer required the immediate protection of Great Britain. From that moment they may be said to have obtained independence, when their condition enabled them to assume it. By a census taken at the close of the year 1763, it : ppeared that the population of New- foundland consisted altogether of 13,112 inha- bitants, including women and children; of l •I |-> .; Pi. l-t, NEWFOUNDLAND. 185 whom 4795 were Roman Catholics, and 7500 were constant residents in the island. It ap- peared also that, in the course of that season, there had been made 386,274 quintals of cod- fish, of which 348,294 quintals had been car- ried to market; 694 tierces of salmon; 1598 tons of train oil ; and fur taken by the inhabi- tatits, estimated at the value of about £2000: — and that there were 106 ships qualified, ac- cording to the act of King William, for carry- ing on the fishery; 123 sack-ships, that is, vessels coming to Newfoundland for the sole purpose of purchasing fish ready made; and 142 ships from the British American colonies. Of the number of quintals of fish stated above, 235,944 had been caught and cured by the resident inhabitants of the island. No men- tion was then made of a *6a/-fishery there; but it was thought that a very considerable whale and sea-cow fishery might be carried on in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and upon the coast of Labrador. 1'^ %iH m^ I, ;;a l»' ■.•':. %\ ••'■'ii '.j% . 'I • 'I. "i 1. >"•' ! M 'm • 186 1 HISTORY <»F CHAPTER IX. 1703--1775. %-4 0^H I^U Pi" i i r'i The Treaty of Paris, after many warm debates, had, at length, obtained the sanction of both Houses, and the animated warfare between political writers on this subject had ceased, in some degree, to agitate the public mind. The pacific intentions of the French and Spanish Courts had been sufficiently manifested in every transaction since the conclusion of the Treaty ; and, if any doubt could have remained of the sincerity of those intentions, it must have been completely removed by the known strength of the British navy in the parts where those powers were most vulnerable. Nevertheless, a considerable degree of dissatisfaction still prevailed among the people. The Earl of Bute, under whose auspices the peace had been made, had never been popular; and the judicious liberal spirit which had dictated the conditions of the Treaty, was considered as a mean surrender of the many important advantages whicii might NEWFOUNDLAND. 187 easily have been o})taine(l from the decided superiority of England at the termination of the context. The " North Briton" of John Wilkes, which, in hatred to that minister, who was a native of Scotland, revived those national distinctions which ouf;ht to have slept for ever, from the time that Great Britain became united imder one Sovereign; and the satirical publica- tions of Churchill, added fresh fuel to the fer- ment. Just at this critical time, a sloop of war arrived at Portsmouth from Newfoundland, with the intelligence that the French had a formidable fleet on that coast ; that, in opposition to the positive stipulations of the lateTreaty, they had manifested an intention to fortify the isKand of Saint Peter's; and that the British squadron, on that station, was by no means in a condition to prevent that measure. As soon as this intel- ligence became public, an immediate war with France was pronounced to be unavoidable, unless the British government were disposed to sacrifice all the advantages which had been obtained by the peace. Commodore, after- wards Sir Hugh Palliser, then Governor of Newfoundland, despatched a sloop of waf to the French Governor at Saint Peter's, to inquire into the truth of these reports, and to know whether he had mounted cannon and erected works on that island. The French Governor hi ■ t .1 % .::■■#[ y IS ? 188 HISTORY OK '■! f^ i»w- t,- Ij V answered by apjurances, that he had no more than one four-pounder mounted, without a platform, and with no other intention than to make sisals, and to answer those which were made by the iishing-ships ; that the guard ha»l never exceeded fifty men; and that no works or buildings whatever had been erected con- trary to the Treaty. A ship of fifty guns, a frigate of twenty-six guns, and another of infe- rior force, formed their whole strength ; Captain Palliser was also assured that none cf those vessels had ever attempted, or would ever at- tempt, to enter into any of the harbours on the coast of Newfoundland. Thus ended an affair which had threatened both hemispheres with the renewal of the horrors of war. The origin of this mistake could never be satisfactorii.v traced to its source. All the information that can be ob- tained from historians on this subject is, that the suspicions had arisen from the haughty, reserved, or equivocal conduct of the captain of the French fifty-gun ship on that station. The considerable increase of the British Newfoundland fishery, since the last peace, may easily be estimated from the following short statement of the number of quintals of fish carried to market, viz. i r- ; r," NEWFOUNDLAND. IHii of In I7(i3. .;i4U,204, us Ntated by (Governor Cjlraves, and I7(M. .470,118,) as stated by Governor l705..4y.V>54, t Palliser. making a difference between 17G3 and lltWi of 145,3fjO quintalis. Captain Palliser was fiovernor of New- foundland from the year 17(}4 to the year 1768, both inclusive. When about thirty-tive years of age, in the year 1756, he had received, in a desperate action in the Mediterranean, with a frigate of superior force, a severe wound in the leg, which, baffling all the skill of the faculty, subjected him ever after to ceaseless torture, and eventually occasioned his death in March, 1796. He was, notwithstanding, indefatigable in business, and acquired a considerable de- gree of experience and knowledge in the vari- ous concerns of the fishery. The wise and salutary laws which he afterwards caused to be enacted for the benefit of the Newfoundland trade, and the protection of the fishermen, were proofs of a sound mind and of a just and humane disposition. He had sufficient oppor- tunities to observe the confusion which pre- vailed there among all classes of persons, and a corresponding degree of humanity and pa- tience to investigate, in order to find out a remedy for the enormous abuses which existed, !■', «7 :rk' ''I'll •- "■■•,'■ il • ,1. • < 'i.y ', i . I:' HI.: m 1, ■' I" m m nb fi '■I' m. i- m MM) HISTURV OF at that time, in the island. He appeiirK, like- mini, to have \teen ably Hupported in liiN views by the captains of his Nquadron, whom he sent as Surrogates to the different out-har- ]>our8. Sir Hugh PulIiHer was succeeded, in the year 176i>, by the Honourable Captain John Byroii, a son of William Ix)rd Byron, and who has left the reputation of a brave and excellent officer. He is well known for tlie important share which he had in the voyage of discovery made under the com- mand of Commodore Anson, and still more for the result of a similar voyage to the unex- plored parts of the southern hemisphere, imder his own command, during the years 1764, 1765, and 1766, the plan of which had lieen formed soon after the accession of his present Majesty to the throne. Governor Byron shewed himself in no respect inferior to his predeces- sor, during the time of his government of Newfoundland. The spirit of insubordination which, since the year 1764, had been rapidly increasing in the British North American colonies, had, as it might be expected, communicated , some of its baneful influence to Newfoundland. The year 1765 had been remarkable for several acts of open violence throughout the island. M WFUtNul.ANU. IMI 111 Conception- Bay, in particnlur, u furmidnble riut had taken placr, in which the anthority of the ma^istrateN and conntahlen waH Met at de- Kance, and th< ir {lersonw nioHt ^ronnly iiiHnlted in the execntion of their oHiee. Twelve of the principal ofl'enders having heen at last appre- hended and brought to Saint .IoIuih, were tried and condennied to HuH'er ,• ■!i]! . K, 1;i''.. d tentions between the legislatures of the pro- vinces and their respective governors, soon assumed a more formidable appearance after the passing of the Stamp-act, which required, that bonds and certain other instmments of ■writing, in order to be valid, should be drawn on stamped paper on which a duty was laid. This act was repealed in the following year ; but this measure did not allay, in a material degree, the spirit of dissatisfaction, which, four years after, broke out with irresistible violence on the passing of another act, which imposed a luty of three-pence per pound on all tea inv ported into the colonies. This was followed by open acts of insubordination, an avowed determination to resist by force the measures of the British Government, and, at last, a revolution, which, from Boston, flew like an electrical shock throughout a considerable ex- tent of British America. Although Nova Scotia and Canada, as well as Newfoundland, successftdly resisted all attempts to induce them to enter into the association, yet the in-r terruption of trade, and the total deprivation of supplies from the other colonies, which this new state of things occasioned, produced, particularly in that island, a degree of distress which has, even to this day, left there the most painful recollections, NEWTOUNDLAND. 107 The first act of the *• General Congress," which met at Philadelphia, on the 5th day of September, in the year 1774, was the publi- cation of an address to the people of Great Britain, which, among other things, contained the information that ** they had suspended their importation from the British dominions ; and that, in less than a years time, unless their grievances were redressed, they woulcl likewise discontinue their exports to those countries." This resolution, in which tha in-f habitants of Newfoundland were peculiarly concerned, inasmuch as they had hitlierto been in the habit of procuring the greatest part ot their provisions from those colonies, was ac- tually carried into effect against them by the second, or " Continental Congress," in the month of May following. This Congress having met at Philadelphia, on the 10th of that month, two memorials were presented, on the 15th, by some merchants of that town, respecting cargoes which they had purchased with the intention to send them to Newfound- land, and which had been stopped by the committee of that city ; — and, on the 1 7th, it was " unanimously resolved, that all exporta- tions to Quebec, Nova Scotia, the Island of Saint John, Newfoundland, Georgia, and the Floridas, should immediately cea^e ; and that .H if 'm llf'i {**ll '■ -v.' /K ^1 ■K. ^f! :?ft:. -t m II 108 HISTORY iiV \£ ..ft \^V ! >(J W P- k^ If J*il ;''' W'i iliit M: .! 1 1! ""i^l: # l;ll.lf no provisions of any kind, or other necessaries, should be furnished to the British fisheries on the American coasts, until it should be other- wise determined by the Congress," that is, until those colonies should have consented to join the association. So determined were they to enforce this measure with the ut- most rigour, that, in order to prevent such sup- plies being clandestinely obtained by the Bri- tish fishermen from or through Nantucket, an island belonging to the State of Massachusetts, and situated about eight leagues to the south- ward of Cape-Cod, it was further ordered by the Congreso, on the 29th of the same month, that " no provisions, or other necessaries of any kind, should be exported to that island, ex- cept from the colony of Massachusetts-Bay, and that, only as much as should be necessary for its internal use, and no more." It was fur- ther stated in this order, that ** the Congress, deeming it of great importance to North America that the British fishery should not be furnished with provisions from the con- tinent through Nantucket, earnestly recom- mended a vigilant execution of this resolve to all committees." This sudden suspension of the usual sup- plies was particularly distressing to the inhabi- tants and fishermen of Newfoundland ; so (hat, NEWFOI.'NDLANn. 199 in order to prevent an absolute famine, several ships put immediately to sea in ballast for Ire- land, to procure provisions. From this time, all comraeree and communi- cation ceased betv»^een Newfoundland and the American colonies which had consented to the object and terms of the association ; and from which that island is said to have hitherto annu- ally imported produce to an amount nearly equal to that of her imports from Great Britain and Ireland, namely, upwards of three hun- dred and forty-five thousand pounds sterling. These measures of the Continental Congress against Newfoundland and the British fisheries in North America, and the severity with which they were enforced, led to the passing of the act of the 15 Geo. III. cap. 10, by which the colonies that had joined the Association, were prohibited from coming to the fisheries in those seas ; and this Avas in Decembei* followed by another, prohibiting all trade and inter- course whatever with them. In the same year was also passed the act of the 15 Geo. III. cap. 31, commonly called " Sir Hugh Palliser's Act," which forms an important epoch in the History of Newfound- land. The British parliament, in making regula- tions for the revenue on salt^ usually granted •. (■ .■: ''-'r ••.J-i'i't', n. ! ' ■'' .' Mt. ■: .11 ' •J(M> IIIM(IK) Ol m ^' ■ ccrtiiin allowancrN on tiic rxporlaiioii of Hullctl t'lHli, which upcratod in the nature of a iMunty. Ily the 5 (ico. I. cap. IH, the colh't'torw of tlie Nalt-diitirs were direcled to aUow Wm^ nhilUn^^s |M»r hiindnul of <'o(l-Ush of a certain size ex- ported from Cireat Britain. The next experi- ment wa8 to encoiiraf»e, hy ilirevt bounties, the Jiltini^-out for the purpose of tliese lishericH. This was first done in 1733, respe<;tinj; the whale-fisliery, and, by Sir Uufj;li PalUser s act, extended to tlie Newfoundland hank iishery, carrietl on in vt'ssels whicli luid cUnired out from the British KuropeAin dominions, and which had ctmiplied witli the conditions retpii- red in the .act. Tlie privilege of Umdin^ and drying iish on tlie shores of Newfoimdland was confined to British subjects arriving there from British Europe. Ships duly cpialified might occut)y for the fishery any part of the island not in actual use for that purpost", and were declared not to be liable to any restraint with respect to days or hours of working. This last clause has frequently given offence to well-meaning people in Newfoundland. It is probable that the contentions between mas- ters and servants, of which an extreme tender- ness of conscience on this point might have been either the cause or the pretence, in a con- cern which demands so much attention and 4 KV- NKH rol'NDLANI). 201 (■(tiitiiiiiiil can" SIM tin- JislKTy carru'tl on at INewfoiiiHlland, could ni> have hecii (|iiirt('(l l»y any other nu'tliud. I/AIiIm' Kaynul scfniM also to throw sonic li«;ht on this Niilijoct, when, amon^ tlir many j^rirvanccs of which lie pre- tendH that the French fishermen there had, at that time, reason to ■.■ .\ri.'^:-(. ■■'v4';}^ •iio HISTORY OF ¥^ could cure and dry their fish on the British North American shores, only in the unsettled bays, harbours, and creeks of Nova Scotia, the Alagdalen islands, and the coast of Labrador. The stipulations of the Treaty of Utrecht re- specthig Newfoundland were fully confirmed, with one important exception, namely, that the Kin^ of France, " in order to prevent (fuarrels which had hitherto arisen between the two nations of ji::^ngland and France, renoun- ced the right of fishing from Cape Bonavista to Cape Saint John, granted him by the Treaty of Utrecht, and agreed, that henceforth the French fishery should commence at the said Cape Saint John, situated on the eastern coast of Newfoundland, in about Jifty degrees of north latitude, . and going round to the north, and down the western coast of Newfoundland, should have for boundary the place called Cape Ray, situated m forty-seven degrees fifteen minutes of north latitude." This new arrange- ment, by clearly defining the limits of the French shore of Newfoundland, put an end to the last source of contention in those distant countries, between the two kingdoms, arising from uncertainty of boundaries, and to the perpetual quarrels that had prevailed on that account among the English and French fisher- ler- NEWFOUNDLAND. 211 men there, from the time of the conclusion of the Treaty of Utrecht, to the commencement of the war with France in the year 1778. The increase of the British Newfoundland fisheries, from this time, may be estimated from a comparison of the quantity of dried cod-fish carried to foreign markets (in addition to the fish and oil sent to British Europe) in the two years following the peace of 1763 and that of 1783. From the official returns made by Sir Hugh Palliser and by Governor Camp- bell, it appears, that the number of quintals of dry cod-fish sent from Newfoundland to foreign markets, amounted, in the years 1764, 1784, 1765, 1785, to 470,118 497,884 493,654 591,276. In the year 1785, an act was passed for re- gulating the intercourse between Newfoundland and the United States of America, which limited the importation from the States into that island, to bread, com, and live stock. To these Indian corn was afterwards added by another act, and such importation was directed to be made only in vessels British built and owned, and navigated according to law, which should have cleared out within seven months before such importation, from some port of the British dominions in Europe, with a license r2 m 't' ^'^ .1- •' . ■ / ■ f'ftfy. -M% , 'H'i 212 HISTORY OF 11 H R' - ^ T' i' ^p t'^ : 1 |]-j;W ... :;i!| ^ li' '•■'"j 1': 1 mi'fl I i WM' r wmi- '■**'' "'*' Bt^l' "'! ■^. f I'tJ'.^ .•;'■ ! If' ' ''] 1 ff'. '( i ■I'/V' ■ nr^'''r' 1 li'''"< 1 )i 1 ' ^■:VI from the Commissioners of the Customs in Great Britain, or of the Revenue in Ireland. Early in the year 1786, the encouragement ' '* t" e British fisheries, both at home and dkt . j&d, was amply considered b]* parliament. In the course of the debater which took place in March and April on the Newfoundland fisheries in particular, it appeared that thie Right Honourable Mover, on the subject of the British fisheries in general, Mr. Jenkinson, had taken a principal share in preparing and con- ducting through the House, with the assistance of Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, the Newfound- land Bill passed in the year 1775. The Right Honourable Grentleman manifested, on this occasion, the same sense of the importance, and a perfect knowledge of the nature and management, of the Newfoundland fishery, as well as of the pernicious tendency of the system on which it had hitherto been carried on, with respect to the discouragements given to adven- turers from British Europe. I* then appeared, from the accounts of the preceding year, that the gain upon that trade to this countr}' amounted annually, at least, to five hundred thousand pounds sterling; and that Ireland also was a considerable gainer by this trade, as she supplied Newfoundland with all her salted NEWFOUNDLAND. 213 provisions. Having stated these facts, in order to manifest the great importance of the object, he then proceeded to the principles on which he thought it advisable to regulate that fishery, the most essential of which was to preserve it entirely a British fishery ; for, no sooner was New England colonized, than the colonists took the fisheries on their coasts into their own hands, and Old England lost them. It was also stated, that France had thought it necessary to encourage her fishing trade by a bounty of ten livres per quintal, on all fish caught by her fishermen and brought into her islands and provinces; and that she had laid a duty of only five livres per quintal, on all fish brought either into her colonies or her provinces b^ foreign vessels ; this was con- sidered as a proof of the debility of the state of the French fisheries, by evincing that the fish which they supplied was insufficient for their own consumption ; for otherwise, it was said, France would, like Great Britain, have laid an actual prohibition on the importation of all fish into her colonies in foreign vessels. A writer of those times observes, that there never was a ministry who so effectually mani- fested their sense of the importance of keeping constantly in view the interests of the British navy, than the then servants of the crown. m '-■^ - utA ■■ ■ '214 lilSTOUY OF m U. They not only kept in pay about four thousand Heamen more than were retained after the treaty of 1 703 ; but they exerted themHelven to enlai^r trade, and to give encouragement to those inclined to adventure in any of the seas in which the English had a right to fish; and, consequently, they took the most effectual of all steps to promote navigation, and to pave the way to success and victory in future Haval operations. A new act was then passed, the 26th Geo. III. cap. 26, which continued for a further period of ten years, the bounties granted to the fishery carried on on the banks of Newfoundland, by the 15th Geo. III. cap. 31, with considerable improvements on the provisions of the latter act. The hitherto unbounded jurisdiction of the Court of Vice- Admiralty was now abrid- ged, by reserving exclusively to the Courts of Session the power of inquiring and determining all disputes between masters and servants; ai! ' hence arose a most formidable opposition to the new regulations, from the person who then held the office of Conjmissary and Judge of the Vice- Admiralty Court in Saint Johns, and from his deputies in the out-harbours. The difficulties which Rear- Admiral Elhot, at this time Governor of Newfoundland, had to encounter in his endeavours to establish NEWFOUNDLAND. 215 order and justice, were such as must have dis- courEiged and disgusted a man of less judg- ment, prudence, and perseverance, than he fortunately possessed. The records of the courts there, particularly of those of Saint John s and of Harbour-Grace, during the years 1786, 1787, and 1788, dev elope a system of audacious and persevering resistance to the arrangements introduced by the new act, which almost exceeds credibility. But, although Governor Elliot was very far from completely succeeding in this important work, he, however, materially contributed to facilitate the more effectual improvements which v^ere afterwards made by Chief-Justice Reeves. He was ably supported in this arduous task by his secretary, Mr. Aaron Graham, and by Captains Edward Packenham and Robert Carthew Reynolds, who were employed as his Surrogates in the principal out-harbours. Much of the confusion which prevailed at that time in the island arose from the want of a distinct court for the trial of civil actions, and from the consequent unlimited extension of the authority of the Courts of Session. In order to remedy this deficiency, Admiral Mark Milbanke, appointed Governor in the year 1789, established, on his arrival at Newfoundland, a Court of Common Pleas. This wise in- w*! ' i! b*t| 210 HISTORY OP "i n^'-' § 1^1 8titiition, however, far from allaying, on the contrary, increased the spirit of opposition which had hitherto been directed against the other courts of justice. An important advan- tage had been gained by the removal of the former Judge of the Court of Vice- Admiralty; and now the great and decisive blow was struck, by the removal of the Registrar, or Clerk, of that Court. Thus Mr. Aaron Gra- ham, the Governor's Secretary, had, at last, completely cut the Gordian knot. But his spirited exertions excited considerable alarm among the determined friends of the *• good old customs." Representations, petitions, and complaints, poured in copious streams into the office of the Board of Trade, who, after a patient and miiuite investigation, made a report to his Majesty, which was afterwards printed by order of the House of Commons. They recommended that his Majesty would appoint, or expressly authorize the Governor to appoint, a Court of Civil Jurisdiction in Newfoundland, which was accordingly done in the year 1790. This Court was directed to proceed in a sum- mary way, in consideration of the complaints which had been made to the Lords of the Council of " the frequent holding of courts, and of the people being continually called from their business to attend on juries." :^m NKWFOUNULAM). 217 This subject heinjj; ajEjain taken up by the Board of Trade, a hill was presented to par- liament, under their direction, in 1791, for in-, stituting there a Court of Civil Jurisdiction, <;onsistiiifj: of a Chief-Justice, appointed by his Majesty, and two Assessors named by the Governor of the island. Being intended as an experiment, this act was made to continue for one year only. The result of this experiment occasioned another act to pass, in the year 1792, for instituting a Court of Criminal and Civil Jurisdiction, under the name of the " Su- preme Court of Judicature of the Island of Newfoundland." This also was only for one year. A gentleman, eminently qualiHed in every respect for the important office, was then appointed Chief- Justice of Newfoundland, with directions from government to observe the state of the fisheries, to inquire into the customs and usages of the several courts there, and to make, on his return, at the close of that season, a report of the result of his observations. Chief-Justice Reeves, onhis arrival atSaint John's, found that Mr. Aaron Graham, under the auspices of Admirals Elliot and Milbanke, had, in a great measure, cleared the way before him. His prudent, polite, and, at the same time, firm and precise manner, soon silenced all im- pertinence, and shamed all attempts at opposi- 1 1 ■ ,.{. . >*' ■* ^ it? *21U HIMTOK>i OK } * i! 1 * ■11 t- I, tioii. After haviiiK cNtabliHhed order niul vtm- fidencc there, he |)roce«jded to Conception- Bay, a part of the island which he clearly saw had not been visited by Mr. Aaron Graham, or in the least benefited by his exertions. The spirit and practices of the former Court of Vice-Ad- miralty ; the unbounded voracity of the Court of Session, which still took in every description of causes, not even excepting such as had already been determined by some of the Float- ing Surrogates; the perpetual and disgraceful squabbles between the four magistrates of that district, who agreed only on one point, namely, universal uncontroled empire; all these struck him at once on the day of his arrival there. He remained a few days in this district, during which his time was fully employed; and his presence being required at Saint John's, Cap- tain Graham Moore was sent as Surrogate, and continued in Conception-Bay, where he held Court from the 18th to the 27th of September, 1792. The Chief- Justicfe, whose knowledge, activity, and penetration, were fully adequate to the arduous and complicated task which he had undertaken, collected a mass of information from the records of the several courts there, which, with his own observations and the Newfoundland entries and bundles among the »*> NRWFOVNDLAM). •21!) recordH of the late Board of Trade, and of the ComniitteeH of Council for Travin(>: winter into " A History of tht' (iovemment of Newfound- land," which he published in the spring of the year 1 79.1. ThiH same year, in the month of June, was passed the memorable act of the 33d Geo. III. cap. 76, by which the adminis- tration of justice in Newfoundland was esta- blished upon a sure and permanent grciind, and the wisest and most equitable regulations. This act, which may justly be considered \ih forming, with Sir Hugh Palliser's act, a com- plete system of jurisprudence for that island, though made, like those of 1791 and 17.92, for one year only, was by experience found so very beneficial to the trade and fisheries of the island, as to be continued, from time to time,* until the year 1809, when, by the 49th Geo. HI. cap. 27, the Courts of Judicature, which had been instituted under that act, were made perpetual. The clause in the act of 1793, relating to cases of insolvency and the manner [ which the ancient custom of the island, mentn.ned in a preceding chapter,t is there explained and * Viz. by acts passed in 1794, 1795, 1796, 1799, 1803, and 1806. t Page 162. I fV * '. ■ V'» ,1 ■■'* ■ir m I .a ' 220 HISTORY OP ■ti confirmed, have very justly been pointed out as deserving peculiar notice. In order to pre- vent the British, as well as the Newfoundland creditors, from being injured by Jrauduient banh-uptcies, the act of 1809 extended, in such cases, the jurisdiction of the Supreme and Sur- rogate Courts of Newfoundland, and the effect* of certificates granted there to debts con- tracted in Great Britain and Ireland. NEWFOVNDLAM). •i*2l CHAPTER XI. i I! 1793—1818. The government of England appears, from a very early period, to have entertained a just sense of the importance of the fisheries and trade of Newfoundland. But many causes conspired to prevent them from obtaining the degree of information which was requisite to enable them to derive from them all the na- tional advantages of which they might have been the source. The insulated situation of Newfoundland, its vast distance from the mo- ther-country, the character under which it was industriously represented, of a mere barren contemptible rockly island, where, during the greatest part of the year. Sad Winter reigns, with all his gloomy train. Vapours, and fogs, and storms. All these circumstances furnished to a few individuals an opportunity of engrossing in their own hands the trade and the government of that island. < 'i' "3 I m 1 V » Jl j' t '' .'I S3 222 HISTORY OF m m m'- w. m I! v1. i'^ d::. As soon as a new Governor arrived, he was immediately surrounded by a number of indi- viduals, who had preconcerted the impressions with which they hastened to prepossess his mind ; while those who were capable of giv inaj useful infonnation were studiously kept at a distance from him by every art that ingenuity could devise. If he was disposed to be flat- tered by an appearance of popularity, all he had to do was to remain quiet, let things go in their usual course, and refer any petition that might be presented to him to the court which was most in favour with those around him. But, if a Governor came there with his mind prepared by previous information, and deter- mined to do his duty, then he must have been well aware of the necessity os being on his guard against the insinuations and artifices of tliose who might think it their interest to im- pose upon his feelings, or his credulity, on his arrival there. He would persevere in doing what he judged to be right, in spite of all dis- couragements, of all opposition, and of all atJ mpts to lead him astray; and he certainly would do essential good. Such had been Sir Hugh Palliser, Admiral Elliot, and Admiral Milbanke. These were eminently useful in aflbrdiug to government more correct informa- NEWFOUNDLAND. 223 s}>< tion on the state of things in Newfoundland than they had before been able to obtain, and by that means, in essentially contributing to those important improvements in the adminis- tration of justice in that island, which have been adopted by the legislature since the time of Governor Palliser. It is, however, proper to observe, that these excellent Governors were fortunate in having in their secretaries men well-informed, active, and persevering. Sir Hugh Palliser had a most valuable assistant in Mr. John Horsenaile; and Admirals Elliot and Milbanke. in Mr. Aaron Graham, who, happily for Newfoundland, was continued in that office under both Governors, as was after- wards Mr. Joseph Trounsell, a gentleman of equal worth and ability, under Admirals Gam- bier and Sir Erasmus Gower. Let us, nevertheless, acknowledge that Chief- Justice Reeves most justly holds the first place among these benefactors of the island of New- foundland. The very great importance of the improvements in the administration of justice there introduced, on the recommendation of ' that gentleman, by the act of the 33d Geo. III. cap. 76, will appear evident, when we consider, in addition to the advantages which the whole population in general has derived from them in ■ >i. I m it,. ;<•> .-II ■ ■ >i 'W 224 HISTORY OP i't' If m y 71 ht S.: the more complete and more distinct distribu- tion of judicial authority among the several courts, and in the more effectual preservation of public order and peace, — that the Newfound- land fishery is, of itself, a very simple conc( m, requiring only a judicious and impartial admi- nistration of justice, calculated to inspire general confidence, and to secure to every one his just rijj I r s but this is of the highest importance to its prosperity. From the vast amount of the property which is annually engaged by the merchants and planters in that fishery, on the mere probability of a successful season, — the many uncertainties to which it is liable from a variety of unavoidable accidents, — and the great fatigue, labour, care, and perseverance which it requires, it is obvi- ously of the first consequence that the mer- chants, the planters, and the servants, should be equally and effectually protected against any loss or discouragement which might arise from unfair dealings, dishonesty, or wilful neglects, in any of the parties with whom they are thus connected. The importance of those improvements was soon manifested by the unprecedented increase in the fisheries and trade of Newfoundland, which is most satisfactorily proved by a state- ment published in the year 1796, when some the awl Frs all ^lti| ' -yi: I NEWFOUNDLAND. 225 serious apprehensions were entertained in England respecting the safety of that island. " To give," says the writer, " a proper idea of the trade of the island of Newfoundland and its consequence to this kingdom, the following is a statement of its produce and of the pro- perty employed therein, during the last year, viz. 1795: I- 400 sail of shipping; 38,000 tons, at per ton, £7. 500,000 quintals of dry fish, at per quintal, 18*. 3700 frails of salmon, at per frail, 40». ICOO barrels of herrings, at 10*. 3300 tons of oil, at £25 per ton. 4900 seal-skins, at £4. 2000 shallops and boats, valued, large and small, with their fishing-craft, upon an average, each at £30. " Sundry merchandize, at that time in store, amounting in value to about three hundred th< -sand pounds. *' Making an aggregate of nearly one million two hundred thousand pounds." It is very remarkivble that, at one of the most avi^ul periods of the history of Europe, when France, every where victorious, was spreading all around the terrors of invasion and of revo- lution; when sedition was disturbing the tnui- Q i'«" -■■f^'-} r-s* : jt" 226 HISTORY OF jlf^ UM, 'vWi''iM II i quillky and threatening the very existence of the British Kmpire; wlien Ireland wns torn by rebellion; and Prussia and Spain hml lieen driven to seek their safety in i\ 8epar;>te pea^e ; still the dangers to which Newfoundland waa understood to be expof-od, at that ijiiie, en- grossed a ctTnsitierabU' portion of the public attention and anxiety in England. This alarm was occasioned by the informa- tion that a French squadron, commaruled 'l-\ .\dt.?i^al Ric'liery, had escaped the vigilance of A -iioiidl Mann out of Cadiz, and had proceeded to die coat" t of Newfoundland. Captain Taylor, ill the Andromeda, of thirty-two guns, had parted from Sir James Wallace, the 17th of August, on the banks, with orders to cruise there for the protection of the tradt. On the 3d of September he spoke with a schooner, the master of which informed him that he had seen on the coast an enemy's fleet, consisting of nine sail of line-of-battle ships and several frigates. The muster of an American ship soon after confirmed this report, stating, that he had seen that fleet on the 29th of August, about forty leagues to the eastward of New- foundland, steering north-west. Several other accounts were received by Captain Taylor, from which it appeared that that fleet, on the 1st of September, was standing bctM'een Cape X i NEWFOUNDLAND. 227 Spear and the Sugar-loaf, and, on the 5t)i, liad been seen off the stream of Ferryland-Harbour. Captain Taylor hastened to England with this intelligence, and arrived on the last day of September. The alarm was still farther in- creased by information received at Lloyd's Coffee-house, that the French had actually landed fifteen hundred men at Bay- Bulls, and two thousand at Portugal-Cove, in Conception- Bay, from which they were on their march against Saint John's. The public anxiety was, however, completely relieved by an account brought to I'oole, on the 17th of October, that the French squadron had left the coast on the 29th of September, without doing any other damage than the de- struction of the houses, stores, and shipping, at Bay- Bulls ; whilst the Patriots of France were, at the same time, amused with the authentic information that Admiral Richery '* had sum- moned Saint John's, the capital of Newfound- land, to surrender, had captured a considera- ble number of ships and fishing vessels, and above one thousand sailors, whom he had sent to Saint Domingo^ In the year 1797, Sir James Wallace was succeeded in the government of Newfoundland by Vice- Admiral Waldegrave, afterwards Lord Radstock, who went there in the Aginrourt. «'2 .■■■."j'':i 228 HISTORY OF 'f- m His principles and manners were perfectly suited to the dignity to which he was raised soon after ; but his attention to the interests of religion, and to the due administration of jus- tice, was an insurmountable obstacle to hig acquiring any popularity in Saint John's, where Paine's Age of Reason and Jtigiits of Man had poisoned the public mind, and had more weight than either the Bible or the acts of par- liament. The distribution of two hundred and fifty copies of the popular Refutation of that man's impious sopliistry by the Bishop of Lan- daff, the building of a new church in Saint John's, in lieu of the old one which had long been in a very bad state, an increase of the annual salary of the clergyman of that place, and two large stoves for the use of the new church given afterwards by Lord Raflstock, are some of the obligations for which the fnends of religion in Newfoundland are in- debted to his Lordship. In the fall of the year 1798, a plan was formed in Saint John's to institute there an establishment of education for the children of both sexes on a liberal scale. Certain resolu- tions were entered into and signed by about twenty-five of the principal merchants and in- habitants of that town, who annexed to their names the respective sums which each agreed I', ■ NEWFOUNDLAND. 22y to contribute, so as to make vip an annual salary ot three hundred pounds for three years certain. These resolutions specified distinctly the various branches of education which were to be taught in both schools ; the description and duties of the person under whose superin- tendence the establishment was to be placed, namely, a clergyman of the Church of Eng- land, who was to provide a proper person to direct the female department, and an assistant for the boys' school ; and the description of the children whom he should admit, namely, such only as should be sent to him by the sub- scribers. The then Chief-Justice of New- foundland was authorized to engage and agree with such a person in England. Anxious to promote an object which pro- mised to be so highly benef cial to the rising population of Newfoundland, considering him- self, as he expressly declared, as acting for gentlemen of nice honour and integrity, and concluding, from t'*e nature of ihe proposed institution, that mut. greater advantages would accrue to the person who should undertake the oflSce, than those which were stipulated in the resolutions, Chief-Justice Routh, himself a gentleman of integrity and nice honour, on his arrival in England, applied to, and at last pre- vailed on, a clergyman to accept the situation. »?■ fv 'h -i^ •4' • I'ii^ m ) , ' ii I— 'uini S-.M •; 2.'10 illNl'ORV OP !i).. &h ;««■ ■% «-." 1-1-' I P An agreffment, grounded on the resolutions of* the Bubscribers, was accordingly made in J»ine, 1799, "vliicii, so Tie days aftei wards, was, at the expresis desire of the late very Revei-end l)o»;tor Vincent and of Admiral Waldegrave, W'-awn up by an attorney on stamped paper. After a long and boistf mis navigation, the clergyman and his family arrived at Saint John's, on the 13th of October, 1799. They were received with very great kindness by the Governor, the officers of the squadron, and the principal gentlemen belonging to the garrison, for which they expressed a just sense of grati- tude. This was, however, as it proved after- wards, a most unfo. tunate beginning ; for it had been expected that the stranger should attach himself exclusively to the other party. The Governor, who was to sail from New- foundland on the 25th of the same month, sig- nified to the clergyman of the place his wish to hear the strrnger on the Sunday following. This was complied with, and, from that day, the clergyman of Saint John's, a clever man, but as artful as he was apparently indolent, conceived a most inveterate hatred for the 'pO ' stranger, which continued to his death, in 1810. Admiral Waldegrave took his final leave ^f Saint John's, anti of Newfoundland, on the 1- '4- ) (I NKWFODNUi. .MD. 2.31 •i'itli of O<'tol»er. Soon after, a meeting of the siibHcriberR took place, in which a material alteration was made in the original plan, by resolving, that each snbscriher xhouhl contri- buti' towards tlie new eNtablishment according to the mimber of' children that he had engaged to send ior instrnction. The parson and neve- ral others, who had large farailies, finding that their proportion of the expense would amount to much more than they h^d originally agreed to c( ntribute, became as hostile to the institu- tion a« they had before been anxious to see its formation. From this time, the great object in view was to cancel the legal instrument, to which the stranger would not consent. Every measure, that the deepest and most exercised cunning could contrive, was employed to harass, frighten, and discourage the stranger ; such as, on the most frivolous pretences, with- drawing the children, and threatening those who did not do the same with being compelled to pay the whole amount of the expenses ; so that, for several weeks, no children were sent to either school. The stranger, and those under him, continued, nevertheless, at their post, during the usual times : he still kept lus ground with a resolution and constancy which could hardly be expected from a young man insulated as he was, with a family under his ■i"i W s if if HI n '^ y m '1 i i^» :* ^1 fk w ii 1 11 Ii IP 1 i ' ^ p B 'S 232 HI.^TORY OF I if: i, < • : It ,' charge, at the difltance of two thousand miles from his nearest friendM, unused to 8uch treat- ment, and HO cruelly disappointed in the ex- liectatioHH, on the faith of which he had been prevailed upon to engage in this unvaH |>ro|)erly qualified to assist the reply was in th«' uftirmativr. On the •i4th of October, IHOO, the stranger wbh <^ongratuluted by the Chit'f-.Iustice on the eomph'te termina- tion of all misundtTHtandingH, with an assu- rance that, as Hoon as the Governor liad left the island, which was to take place the next day, the establishment should be allowed to proceed without any farther interruption. After the Ciov«'i*nor's departure, the private meetings of the committee resumed their forunr activity, when, at last, it was agreed, that some of the subscribers should refuse to pay their part of the contributions towards the first year's salary ; writs would in consequence be taken out against them; the stranger should then be paid, and they might, in their turn, use the same weapcii against him. This was accord- ingly done; three of them were sued and cast before the Supreme Court; and, on the evening of the 15th of December, 1 800, the High-Sheriff of Newfoundland waited upon the stranger with a writ for fifty pounds damages, returna- ble the next day at twelve o'clock, at the suit of one of them whom they justly considered as the fittest person for such a proceediu;, ; for he certainly was eminent for self-impoi laiice and conceit, as well as for a wonderful facility and 1^ ^^.- *.*! Ml tu niSTOKV OF *■» fa .'to-' i;l- ^1? ■1 '. • ■' .«,, (.«-'.. If .- \ i'^ IP" Ufa, m. mh- plauHibility of expressions. It is to be remem- bered, that by the Judicature- Act an appeal lies at liome, from the Supreme Court, only on judgments for any sum exceeding^ one hundred pounds. The following morning, the stranger attended at the school as usual, resolved to appear before the court at the time appointed. About a quarter of an hour before twelve o'clock, he was waited upon by the principal officer of the dourt, with a request from the Chief-Justice for liis immediate attendance. He accordingly went, with a full confidence in the justice of his cause, and with still more elevated and satisfac- •tory feelings. He found a considerable as- semblage of people, among whom he observed ■with pleasure the captains of the Pluto, Con- cord, and Camilla ships of war, and several officers of the garrison. His opponents, strong in number, and inso- lently confident in looks, opened all their bat- teries with a most tremendous and continued fire, relieving one another in succession, pour- ing in affidavits, which are very cheap in that country, and exhausting all their joint stock of malignity and eloquence. When they had done, and were already enjoying the satisfactions oi their expected triumph, the stranger was called upon for hi« his NEWFOl'NDLANn, 235 (\v(ence. He had sat up the whole nigtit with his ofisihitant to look over his notes; he had, during six years" residence in England, made a particular study of Blackstone's Commentaries, and frequently attended the Courts in West- minster, and at the assizes in the country. He was prepared. The sight of his folio brief, which he then deliberately drew out of his inside pocket, operated upon his opponents like a thunderbolt. Surprise and confusion were conspicuous in the countenance of every one of them. He began, and twice an attempt was made to internipt and disconcert him ; till, at last, he appealed to the court for protection, and was then permitted to proceed without any farther interruption. He gave a detailed, and rather amusing history of the several transactions that had taken place from the time of his arrival to that veiy day ; as he went on, spontaneous marks of approbation and disgust burst out from various parts of the room, the crowd gradually withdrawing on his side, until, at last, the party were left by themselves on the opposite side of the bench. After he had concluded, not a word of what he had advanced was contradicted, and judgment was given in his favour in terms most honourable and most gratifying to his feelings. — " Well," said the eloquent orator, at whose suit the writ had •i;-;-, 1 . "- ■ ■ !|-" ■ " 'i- 1 ^ ^''' ,'', 'A f ■ '\ 'i ■;•; :; ■i i 1 " ■ ^M ' * "^H Tl % 236 HISTORY OF ■'■%'' '■ It*;' «: I; ' If* f' . m w been issued, " well, we will pay the three " hundred a year; but, at the end of the three " years, Mr. willlenve this country with " as much disgrace" "As he came to it," rejoined the stranger: and not a word more was said. *' They have treated us both in the most un- handsome manner," very justly observed the Chief-Justice to the stranger, on the evening of the same da"''. Such were the men who wanted to command and legislate for the island of Newfoundland, in opposition to every superior authority. From this time every thing went on peace- ably, and, at the expiration of the three years, the stranger repaired to the vacant mission of Conception-Bay, to which he had been ap- pointed in the spring of the year 1802, by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, with the additional office of a magistrate of the island, conferred on him by Admiral Garabier, then Governor of New- foundland, from which he gradually rose to be Deputy-Governor and Judge of the Civil Court of Judicature, in the most populous and im- portant district of the island. The appointment of Admiral Gambier to the government of Newfoundland, in 1802, was the epoch of a highly beneficial change in the n. ^ NEWFOUNDLAND. 237 police and general state of the inhabitants. Mr. Joseph Trounseli, who came out with him as his secretary, Mas equally zealous and able to second the benevolent views of the new Governor for the moral improvement of the people. The gentleman who has been men- tioned before as acting in Saint John's, in the capacity of an attorney, or notary public, was appointed a magistrate, and soon after Chief- Justice of the island, for which office he was well qualified by his extensive legal acquire- ments, and intimate knowledge of the trade and business of that country, as well as bj his enlarged views, firmness of character, and steadiness of conduct. In Conception-Bay, the administration of justice was in the hands of two old magistrates, who had ever been at variance, so that it might be said with truth, that the wiiole government of that district was f;entred in one singl ina- gistrate of the old school. For, equally desti- tute of inclination and of ability to alter hi» old ways, and to suit his plan of conduct to the regulations made by parliament, he still persevered in every respect in the system of the late Court of Vice-Admiralty. Tlie Sheriff of the district was his nephew, and the Clerk of the Court his son-in-law, both clever men, 1-.^:.^ ,H- %' ■«'■ ' 1 1 ! 1, J,'' ' , r i;,. » - )r ■■ ' ■ ^'^ ■f.M ■1 '' ! :i:,twl HSv .,- i^\ •r ™ 'I'JK s* \ "i ■ -ji • . r*^ ^■S ' ; • m ■ fi ; . 1 1$ is 238 HISTORY OF in a certain sense, but with very little education or knowledge. These three great men thought themselves sufficiently strong to set at defiance all regulations made either by the legislature or by Governors. The other magistrate had hardly any authority ; and it must be acknow- ledged, that neither his abilities nor his natural dispositions were calculated to promote a cor- dial co-operation and harmony between him and any other magistrate. The confusion and anarchy which resulted from such a sort of government can hardly be conceived. Not only common V)reaches of the peace were extremely frequent, but also pitched battles ana alarming riots; the wild sons of Erin, who had of late arrived there in conside- rable numbers from their distracted native island, used to indulge themselves without any molestation in their favourite pastime of fight- ing with bludgeons, counties against counties. The Commander-in-chief, or Surrogate, secure in his castle, which was situated in a retired part of the harbour, near a point of land at a considerable distance from all other habitations, and completely out of the way of either mis- chief or noise, took very little concern in dis- orders which could not reach him; though he generally carried with him a sword in a cane, 0/ ■;!;'p- iiW NEWFOUNDLAND. '23it and has even been known to come from the place of his residence to the Court-House, in a boat, for lufreater safety. A third maiu^istrate was put in the commis- sion for that district in tlie fall of 1802; and the consequent introductiwi of the mode, usuai in England, of openinj^ and holding regular quarter-sessions, and of proceeding in the trial of every kind of criminal offences, within the limits of the commission, with all the solemnity of the forms observed at the assizes, was at- tended with the most beneficial effects. Every breach of the peace was immediately brought to trial ; and though the punishment never ex- ceeded a trifling fine, and binding over to the peace or the good behaviour, still the forms of trial struck both those who had gone through them, and those who were present, with a dread that induced thera to avoid being brought before a court which they plainly saw it was no longer safe to trifle with. Tlius the public tranquillity was completely established, even in the most distant parts of a district where there was no military force, and whicli includes an extent of coast of twenty-eight leagues. The next point of importance was to enforce tlk^. regulations relating to the payment of wages. This was at first attended with some difficulty, but yet sioon settled on a profjer A.nd 'Mm f ■ k-)':. tvy 1^ W: 240 HISTORY OF permanent footing. Thus was corAiidence re- stored, industry encouraged, and, in less than a twelvemonth after his arrival there, the cler- gyman of the Established Church, not only could go in the greatest security tlirough any part of the district, but his visits were received with evident marks of satisfaction, his call for refreshment at any house was acknowledged as an honour, and that dwelling was considered as still more highly honoured, where he con- descended to fix himself for the nigl^t, in the course of his clerical and judicial visitations. His comforts were attended to with the most cordial and anxious care, even bv the wildest Irishman, or the most bigoted Roman Catholics. The great advantages resulting from this new order of things in the courts of New- foundland were soon manifested by the rapid increase of the trade and fisheries, which mav easily be ascertained by referring to the returns of the Newfoundland Custom-House. The mission in Conception-Bay had been va- cant during nearly four years. The regular pub- lic service and ordinances of the church, which had been suspended during that time, were now re-established; »?nd the new Missionary, besides the immediate adoption of catechetical lectures every Sunday afternoon in the church of Harbour-Grace, directed his attention to S, ■&. NEWFOUNDLAND. 241 tlie means of instituting schools in the moat populous parts of that district. A society for improvinjij the condition of the poor was formed in the month of June, 1803, at a pub- lic meeting ; the resolutions then agreed to were afterwards transmitted to Governor Gam- .bier, who expressed his sense of the impor- tance of the measure in very high terms. As the children there are employed during the week as soon as they (.'an make themselves useful in the fishery, Sunday-schools were considered as being of most immediate utility, and one was at once established at Harbour- Grace. In the year 1804 ?i similar society was in- stituted in Saint John s, on a scale suited to the superior means of the inhabitants. A con« siderable supply of Bibles, Testaments, Com- mon Prayer Books, and other books, for the use of the school at Harbour-Grace, was also this year brought from England by Admiral Gambier, which proved the most valuable gift that could be bestowed on this hitherto neglected part of the world ; and an addition was made by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts to the salary of their diligent schoolmaster, at Harbour- Grace, for his trouble in superintending the Sunday-school there. R t ■ ; ■ Ml M ^ 1 J, 'i 1 i ■'i f, 1 , ■ f 1 m "• w i ii M mk IJE'ff ' », gSii' H '•i/ i 1^-; ,'•*'- _' tS;.; \ . *■» ^^^ ff '^'' V 1 > \^i:^- >•;.■ jHf ■Ml- 24-i HISTORY OF The public gaol and Court-Hoiise for the district of Conception- Bay, which had been suflered to remain for several years in a ruinous state, were rebuilt and enlarged; the church and parsonage-house of Harbour-Grace wore repaired, and t new school-house erected on a larger and more commodious plan than the old one, with the liberal assistance of the Government and of the Society at home. Other improvements were also made for the security and convenience of the inhabitants, and the greater facility of communicating between the several settlements, as well as for the pre- servation of the buildings from accidents by fire. The most essential clauses of the acts of parliament, relating to the trade and fisheries, were notified in proclamations issued by tlu; Governor, and distributed through e\ery dis- trict in the island, so as to exclude all pre- tences of ignorance on the part of the magis- trates or of the persons concerned. By the fifteenth article of the Treaty of Amiens, concluded in March, 1802, it was stipulated, that the fisheries on the coast of Newfoundland, and the adjacent islands, and in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, should be placed on the samc^ footing as they were before the last war, according to the stipulations of ■ ■„;• I NEWFOUNDLAND. 243 the Treaty of 1783. It was also agreed ihat the French fishe.iiien, and inhabitants of the islands of Saint i'lcnre and Miqiielons, should have th'^ privilege of cutting such wood as tliey might stand in need of in the Bays of Fortune and Despair, for the space of one year from the 26th day of April then last past. It was, however, impossible thit this new order of things should be of long duration. The clergyman, who, at th. t time, officiated in Saint John's as Missionary und chaplain to the garrison, in the absence of the resident Missionary then on a visit to his friends in England, having, according to custom, met the General on the parade, to proceed thence to the church with the regiment, the following conversation took place : — " Well. Mr. " 1 suppose you will give us a thanksgiving " sermon on this occasion ?" — " Most certain- " ly. General, if you order me to do it ; but I " do not feel very sanguine." — ' Why so?" — " Because this peace cannot la":!." — How ?" — " Buonaparte will not sufiier it to last long." This was received by the Genaral and the surrounding officers with a lof;k of astonish- ment ; and, after a short pause : — " Well, " then," said the General, " you may do as " you please." The Newfoundland regiment u 2 •'; its >14 ;;i - - (. / ii : ■ ■■ •f' ~ . , M J, ■■; I \ ' V ' •i! i'll Ii it 244 HISTORY OF l.'v ' was .s«>on after disbanded; and n^'^ many months elapse<( before the (ieneraJ received (»rders to rditic another of one thousand men, when the island was thrown into a state of painful anxiety from the dread of an attack, as it would recjuire a considerable time before a force could be raised sutticient to defend the place, and as some late importations had considerably increased the number of the dis- affected amon^ the lower classes. The result of the measures taken, on the re- newal of hostilities, to dispossess the French of those parts of the island which they then oc- cupied, placed in the clearest light the value which they set upon the privilege which they had o'.jt;iiued by the Treaty of Amiens, and their rSt termination to make the most of it w ithout any loss of time. For the quantity of dry fish captured by the English, and the number of prisoners, among whom were a Commissary, and several merchants, were very considera- ble. The ships of war on the Newfoundland station were uncommonly successful in their cruises. A vast number of prizes, some of great value, from the French West Indian Islands, were brought into St. John's, together with several passengers of respectability of both sexes. NKWFOrNDLAM). •245 Anotlier remarkable occurrence assintcd likewise in giving employment to the public curiosity and attention. It uas the arrival of a female native Indian of Newfoundland, brought in by the master of a vessel, who had Mcized her by surprise in the leiuchbourhood of the Bay of Exploits. She ared to be about fifty years of age, \ ^e, and evidently diflerent from all the ' ndiann or savages of which we have aav .1 wledge. She was of a copper colour, with black eyes, and hair much like the hair of an European. She showed a passionate fondness for children. Being introduced into a large assembly by Govemof Gambier, never were astonishment and pleasure more strongly depicted in a human countenance than hers exhibited. After having walked through the room between the Governor and the General, whose gold ornaments and feathers seemed to attract her attention in a particular manner, she squatted on the floor, holding fast a bundle, in which were her fur clothes, which she would not suffer to be taken aw^ay from her. She was then placed in a situation from which she had a full view of the whole room, and in the instant lost her usual serious or melancholy deportment. She looked at the musicians as iw ^■ '•* \T •:::i!J • ' *> 1 •■:1^ .m m IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 L4|||28 12.5 ■so ^^~ I^H >U Iii2 12.2 1.1 US us u |A0 L25 111 1.4 III 2.0 1.6 Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 33 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716) S72-4503 ■«« 240 HISTORY OF '■'M ' peared to be sensible of it. Being allowed to take in the shops whatever struck her fancy, she showed a decided preference for bright colours, accepted what was given her, but still would not for a moment leave hold of her bundle, keenly resenting any attempt to take it from her. She was afterwards sent back to the spot from whence she had been taken, with several presents; and a handsome re^ muneration was given to the master of the vessel who had brought her, with a strict chaise to take every possible care for her safety. '-'■• '" ' ' About the same time, a schooner, belonging to Island Cove, on the northern side, and near the entrance of Conception Bay, brought in twenty-nine persons, whose appearance showed the very last stage of human wretchedness, occasioned by the dangers of the sea. The •I'-. N£WFOUNDLAND. 247 Lady Hobart Packet, on her voyage from Halifax, in Nova Scotia, for England, had struck against an island of ice, on the morn- ing of the 28th of June, and foundered, at the distance of about three hundred and fifty leagues from Newfoundland. Captain Fellowei:, with his passengers and crew, had just time to save themselves in the cutter and jolly-boat, before she went down. The captain, three ladies. Captain Thomas of the Royal Navy, and fourteen others, were in the cutter, bringing her gunwale to within six or seven inches of the water; in the jolly-boat were the Master of the packet, Lieutenant-Colonel Cooke of the guards, and nine other persons. After having undergone, during six days and five nights, every kind of suffering that can be inflicted by wet and extreme cold, in foggy and stormy weather, the spray freezing as it flew over the boats ; at last, on the morn- ing of the seventh day, they saw the sun rise for the second time only since they had quit- ted the ship ; and, as the fog dispersed, they discovered land, and a schooner in shore standing off towards them, which took l>otIi the boats in tow, and landed the whole of them in the evening at Island Cove. Here they were treated with every mark of atten- '^1 ■-^■■;^4 ■^f1;?i i l«? I'lll} 1 V, l.> 248 HISTORY OF ■ft tion and kindness by Mr. John Lilly and hi^ family, and other inhabitants of that place, who anxiously exerted themselves to render their situation as comfortable as their limited means could permit. Having thus, by a Pro- vidential deliverance, for which they all joined with great devotion in thanks to Heaven,, escaped with the loss of only one person, a French captain, who having, on the fifth day,, drank salt water, in a fit of delirium jumped over-board and sunk instantly, they were con- veyed to St. Johns, whence they proceeded to England. In the year 1807, a printing-office was es- tablished in Saint John's, and a weekly paper was, for the first time, published on the 27th of August in the same year, under the title of " The Royal Gazette, and Newfoundland " Advertiser." ■.,.•-,>,'. In the month of February, in the year 1808, a meeting of the magistrates antri inhabitants of St. John's was held at the .rt-Fouse, for the purpose of embodying an additional defensive force for the protection of the island ; and such was the spirit which prevailed there at that time, that a respectable volunteer militia was immediately formed. The year 1809 was remarkable on account i-:'M: NEWFOUNDLAND. 240 of the eHtablishment of a regular post-office in Saint John a and the other principal districts, under the usual regulations respecting ship- letters ; an establishment which was become highly necessary, in consequence of the great increase of population, and of the impor- tance of preventing, in the distribution of let- ters, uncertainties or delays which might fre- quently prove the source of considerable pre- judice to persons in trade. The Courts of Judicature, established by the act passed in the year 1793, were now made perpetual ; and the Coast of Labrador with the islands ad- jacent were re-annexed to the government of Newfoundland. His Majesty, by his proclamation of the 7th of October, 1763, had placed the Coast of Labrador, from the River Saint John, the north-east boundary of the Province of Quebec, north-west of the island of Anticosti, to Hudson's Streights, with the islands of An- ticosti and Madelaine, and all other smaller islands lying on the said coast, under the care and inspection of the Governor of Newfound- land. By an act, passed in the year 1774, for making more effectual provision for the govern- ment of the province of Quebec in North America, those parts were detached from the 250 HISTORY OP ,!'?, '^ '':: y y government of Newfoundland, and annexed, during his Majesty s pleasure, to the province of Quebec; and when, in the year 1791, that province was divided into Upper and Lower Canada, those parts continued annexed to the latter. And now it was enacted, that the said Coast of Labrador and the adjacent islands, (ex- cept the islands of Madelaine,) from the River Saint John to Hudson's Streights, the island of Anticosti, and all other parts which had been so annexed to the government of Newfoundland in the year 1763, should be re-annexed to the said government, and placed within the ju- risdiction of the Supreme Court of New- foundland. ' ' *" In the same year Lieutenant Spratt was ordered by Governor HoUoway to proceed in an armed schooner to the Bay of Exploits and neighbouring parts, in order to attempt a communication with the native savages of the island. He carried with him several ar- ticles which were intended as presents for them, and a lai^e painting, which represented an Officer of the Royal Navy in fall dress shaking hands with an Indian Chief, and pointing to a party of seamen behind him, who were laying some bales of goods at the feet of the Chief. Behind the latter were some male NEWFOVNPLAND. irti and female Indians presenting furs to the Officer. Further to the left were seen an European and an Indian mother lookin;;^ with delight at their respective children of the same size, who were embracing one another. In the opposite comer a British Tar was courting, in his way, an Indian beauty. The importance of the attempt, and the pro- mise of promotion, were sufficient inducements to Mr. Spratt to use every possible exertion in order to bring the enterprise to a successful issue. He was, however, disappointed. Not- withstanding his zeal and activity, he could not meet with any of that tribe; and, after having remained the appointed time on that station, he returned to Saint John's. ' In consequence of a prohibition existing at Halifax, Prince Edward's Island, and Quebec, against the exportation of cattle from those places, and of the very limited intercourse, at that time, with the United States, so great a scarcity of cattle prevailed in Newfoundland, that even the inhabitants of Saint John's had. for several weeks, been deprived of the use of fresh meat; and the contractors for sup- plying his Majesty's ships with fresh beef were unable to fulfil their engagements. A repre- sentation having been made by the merchants ,:!,:; i ■'1; 111 252 nisTOKY or % and principal inhabitants uf that place to Governor Holloway, he accordingly issued, on the 24th of July, a proclamation, signifying his intention to grant licenses for the purpose of importing cattle, corn, and fruit, from the Azores, to any o^vners or masters of vessels >vho might apply for the same. In the year 1810, Sir John Thomas Duck- worth, K.B. then Vice-Admiral of the Red» came out in the Antelope as Governor of Newfoundland. Soon after his arrival he visited Harbour-Grace and Trinity-Bay. He after>vards re- published the proclamation issued by Governor Robert Duff, in July, 1775, for the protection of the native In- dians of Newfoundland, and sent an armed schooner to renew the attempt to open a com- munication with them, which had been unsuc- cessfully made the year before by Lieutenant Spratt. ' ' The schooner proceeded with a considera- ble quantity of such articles as were sup- posed to be acceptable to the Indians, to the Bay of Exploits, and a camp, or collection of Wigwams, was actually found there scattered along the banks of the river. The officer who commanded the schooner gradually prevailed upon some of these people to wait until he NEWFOUNDLAND. 2rt3 came up to Ihem, and succeeded in in- spiring them with some degree of confi- dence, until, at last, there appeared to reign between both parties such a good understand- ing as encouraged the most sanguine hopes of complete success. They advanced to- gether to a certain distance into the country, conversing in the best manner that could be practicable under such circumstances ; and then proceeded on their return to the place of their meeting, where the first object that presented itself to their view were the lifeless corpses of two marines, who had been left there to wait for the return of their officer. At this sight, all the Indians who were with him took to flight; every endeavour to prevail upon them to remain was vain, and from that mo- ment not one of the tribe could, at any time after, be met with or seen. Equally grieved at the loss of those two men, in whose tried courage and prudence he had great confidence, and at the unexpected check which this un- fortunate event gave to his well-grounded ex- pectations of merited success, the officer con- tinued on that station during the time that had been appointed him, and, on quitting it, he very judiciously left on the spot the articles which had been intended as presents 254 HISTORY OF ^:i for the natives. This measure tended to tronvince them that, whatever might have been the cause of the death of the two ma- rines, still no feeling of resentment or revenge was entertained by their visitors ; if, at least, reflections like these could enter into the com- prehension of wild Havages, whose general disposition has invariably been found, in all countries of North America, even to the pre- sent time, to be distinguished by cunning, per- fidy, and cruelty. In the year 1811, an act of parliament was passed for instituting Surrogate Courts on the coast of Labrador and islands adjacent; and also for taking away the public use of certain ships' rooms in the town of Saint John's. These fishing ships' rooms, which, for a considerable number of years, were become useless, and rather public nuisances, as well as the source of endless disputes and contentions among the inhabitants, were, by this measure, converted into a real benefit to the town. They were divided into a certain number of lots, and put Aip to public auction, on leases for thirty years, renewable at the expiration of that term, upon payment, in way of a fine, of a sum equal to three years rent of the lot so purchased, if built with timber; and of a sum equal to one year's rent, if NEWFOUNDLAND. Ili.'t built witli stone or brick. Tlie purcbaser of a lot migbt, at his option, take the next lot ad- joining backward, at the same price as he paid for the first. Party-walls between adjoining lots were to be built of brick or stone, of twenty inches thick, to stand equally on each lot. The buildings were to be of the height of two stories, or not less than eighteen feet from sill to wall-plate ; and no encroachments were to be made on the space allotted for the streets by bow-windows, porches, or other erections. On the Admiral's ship's room, a common-sewer was to be made at the joint expense of the holders of lots on that room, and a sufficient drain to communicate therewith by each indi- vidual; in all other situations, proper drains were also to be provided by the lessees. Thus an opening was made to improvements which would most effectually contribute to in- troduce cleanliness, salubrity, and even ele- gance, into a town hitherto remarkable for a confined and unwholesome atmosphere, where the slightest infection assumed at once the character of the most inveterate and ob- stinate pestilence; and where the habitations, made of timber, without any order, regularity, or regard to the public safety, conveyed to the mind the idea of universal and unavoidable \\ '■'il} 250 HISTORY UF !i:.'^ iiaiSi':^ •t .' !■ I I... detitructinn in the event of a fire. Under tliiM 'new regulation, groiindH which no one could apply to his own use, becnuse no one was qua- lified to do it in the manner prescribed by the act of King William, at the same time that, being public property, they could not be ap- plied to other purjioses without the sanction of public authority, being now legally disposed of, were to be used for the erection of build- ings which it was intended should be arranged in such order as to facilitate the free circula- tion of air, to allow a proper width to the Ntreets, and to diminish the dangers arising from accidents by fire. The terms of this intended sale were clearly described in hand-bills, published and distri- buted for that purpose. A sufficient time was allowed for consideration : the public were, in fact, the sole agents in this transaction ; and the lots were all disposed of in a short time, and on very favourable terms. The attempt to open a communication with the native Indians was again made this year by the same officer who had been employed on this service the year before, and who remained in the Bay of Exploits, during the months of August and September, without seeing an^ traces of them. A proclamation was also is- NEWFOUNDLAND. 257 sued, oAering a reward of one liundred poiindtt to any perHon who should eflt'ctually contri- bute to thJN object. A spirit of infatuation appcaru to have seized, at this time, a considerable portion of the principal inhabitants of the British colonies on the other side of the Atlantic. Considered at a distance, these acts of insubordination appear like mere children's play, in which men who are capable of becoming wiser as they advance in years and experience, must feel ashamed of having taken a part. They were, nevertheless, at the time, attended with very serious consequences on the peace and essential interests of those colonies. The magistrates were compelled to act with increased enei^y, to preserve order and tranquillity against the attempts of that class of men, every where so numerous, who are always ready to seize the first opportunity or pretence, to set at defiance the laws which protect the peace of the com- munity and the property of individuals ; whilst the people at large, distracted by violent pas- sions, and taught to be dissatisfied with the existing order of things, could not be expected to give a proper degree of attention to their business. In the latter end of June, 1812, papers, re- ceived in Saint John's, from Halifax, announced VM v,-J '•ffl ^ J^^ 't 1 1 , ^'iJlfJ!J!i ■,.m. ■ \m -.1 m ^$f: ' ■ •258 HISTOBY OF that every thing done at the seat of govern- ment in the United States wore the appearance of a decided intention soon to declare war against Great Britain; and, on the 6th of July, a government schooner arrived express from the same place, with the intelligence that war had actually been declared, on the 17th of June. ' It was soon after reported that the Ameri- cans had a squadron at sea; and, on the 24th of July, a vessel arrived in Saint John's from Trinity, and brought the information that fifteen sail of the line, supposed to be French, had been seen in longitude 27° and latitude 42°. It happened, at this time, as it had happened in the year 1796, when Admiral Richery was on that coast, that the summer was uncommonly hot, and an infectious disorder raged in the town . of Saint John's. The small-pox, as universally dreaded as it was always fatal in its conse- quences, on account of the deeply rooted pre- judice of the inhabitants of the island against any mode of inoculation, created a considera- ble alarm in Conception-Bay, where the fishery was then entering into its full activity. Means of prevention were, therefore, employed by the inhabitants, under the sanction of the magis- trates, which were fortunatelv attended with the desired success. In Saint John's the m-^ NEWFOUNDLAND. 259 infection daily increased in malignity, and swept off a considerable number of persons of all ages. Whilst the inhabitants of the whole district of Conception-Bay were distracted by the dread of this infection, a fire, either acci- dentally or desi^edly kindled in the woods, was, by the direction of the wind, making rapid approaches towards the town of Harbour- Grace, which it soon threatened with complete destruction. The inhabitants, collected toge- ther by the ringing uf the church-bell, pro- ceeded to the place, under the direction of the Chief Magistrate, and, by cutting and carefully clearing a semicircular space, between the town and the part of the woods on fire, put a com- plete stop to the ravages of that destructive element, and saved the town. The awful grandeur of the spectacle which this fire pre- sented at a distance, during the preceding night, and on the spot, during the efforts made to arrest its ravages; the flames advancing by sudden and rapid strides, firing at once a large grove of trees, emitting into the sky immense volumes of fire and ignited fire- brands, with the violence and report of heavy pieces of artillery ; then in front, on the right, and on the left, rising with a loud and hissii^' noise, which gradually increased and decreased liWII # ■'I'iwf mk 260 HISTORY OF as the flames reached the top of each tree; here and there, excavated recesses formed by the standing burning trunks and thicker branches, around the blazing ruins of the con- sumed smaller trees and underwood ; all these horrid, though awful and grand scenes, pro- duced, at the time, feelings which no pen can describe. The weather was extremely hot, whilst in the mouth of the bay and along the coast were stationed several large islands of ice, which had remained aground since the spring. At the time of the declaration of war by America, Great Britain had on the Newfound- land, Halifax, and West-Indian stations, three sail of the line, twenty-one frigates, nineteen sloops of war, and eighteen brigs and schooners, making a total of sixty-one armed vessels. With such a force, little could be apprehended, in those seas, from the United States. No attempt was made on Newfoundland, where Saint John's was then in the most respectable state of defence ; nor did its trade suffer any material loss by the cruisers of America or of France; .while, on the other hand, it was most essentially benefited by the exclusion of all competitors m the fisheries, from those seas, and from the foreign markets. The increased circulation produced by the enlarged naval and J V a i] r' -J NEWFOUNDLAND. 201 military establishments, the numerous captures brought in by the several ships on that station, and the general practice of merchant vessels, freighted in the out-harbours, coming round to Saint John's for the purpose of joining convoy, gave to that town an unusual degree of prospe- rity and of consequence. By the ever-memorable Treaty, signed at Paris, on the 30th of May, and ratified on the 17th of June, 1814, the French right of fishery upon the great bank of Newfoundland, upon the coast of the said island, and in the adja- cent islands in the gulf of Saint Lawrence, was replaced upon the footing on which it stood in the year 1792. But the lateness of the season, and the escape of Bonaparte from Elba, in the following spring, did not permit the French to derive any advantage from this cession before the year 1816, when the French Commandant there, in the latter end of .June, was formally put in possession of the island of Saint Peter and of the Miquelons. Early in the same year, on the night of Monday, the 12th of February, the town of Saint John's was nearly destroyed by a fire, which broke out between the hours of eight and nine, whilst a tremendous gale was blow- ing fi'om the south-east. The conduct of the seamen from the King's ships, and of the tiuH XJ&«^^ 262 HISTORY OF m iini''!ir>^> X ■' troops from the garrisons, under their respective officers, as well as of the respectable parts of the inhabitants, is represented, on this critical occasion, as beyond praise, while the bulk of the lower orders stood, with their arms folded, surveying this disastrous scene with an apathy , disgraceful to the human character, and ap- pearing to have no object but pillage. The aggregate pecuniary loss occasioned by this conflagration was estimated at upwards of one hundred thousand pounds sterling; and about fifteen hundred persons were driven to seek new abodes in February, the most inclement month of a Newfoundland winter. The dis- tresses of these unfortunate sufferers were con- siderably aggravated by the depredations com- mitted by the populace upon the property snatched from the flames. The rapidity with which the houses were consumed is almost inconceivable. Many of their inmates had barely time to escape without any covering except blankets, standing shiver- ing in the storm and snow, while all they had in the world was perishing before their eyes, having no where to rest their heads and to shelter themselves from the rigorous inclemen- cies of the weather, and happy to find a refuge on board the shipping in the harbour. When every circumstance of that calamity is consi- NEWFOUNDLAND. 263 tiered; — the season of the year when the inha- bitants, hemmed in by vast barriers of ice and snow, had no interior to fly to but a frozen trackless wild; — the materials of which their houses were constructed, namely, wood, no brick but in their chimneys ; and all irre^larly built and huddled together, as suited the conveniency of their various owners, without any regard to order or safety : — every thing tended to complete the horrors of that night. And yet all this sinks in the scale of comparison when we carry our thoughts to the very narrow escape of the ma- gazines and stores, the destruction of which must have reduced a population of twelve thousand souls to a complete state of starva- tion. It very providentially happened that these stores and magazines were saved, and that only one life was lost, that of a man who was in bed at the time, and was supposed to have perished in the flames. The humane exertions of the principal officers of the army, of the navy, of the public depart- ments, and of the mercantile houses and other respectable inhabitants of Saint John's, were not confined to their ovr efforts to stop the progress of the flames, and to afford to the un- fortunate sufferers such immediate assistance as the nature of their circumstances would permit; but a most liberal subscription was n-- v-t| ;^rilM 2(i4 HISTORY OF m . immediately entered upon and raised by them for their relief. ■ • ■ '•:, On the 20th, a meeting of the magistrates and principal inhabitants of Saint John's was held at the Court-House, where several resolu- tions were adopted to provide against the recurrence of such a calamity. Among other things it M'as resolved, that the Chief Magis- trate should be requested to prevent the erec- tion of any buildings which might endanger the public safety, until the arrival of his Excellency the Governor. Thus was acknowledged the utility of a regulation by which, previous to the year 1811, no building could be erected without leave from the Governor; a regulation, the sole object of which had been the convenience of the trade and fisheries, and the safety of the settlements in Newfoundland, and which had ever been complained of as an intolerable hard- ship and stretch of power. The calamitous visitation of the 12th of February was only the prelude of other severe trials. The distress which was universally felt by almost every class of people in the com- mercial world, in consequence of the sudden and violent return of general commerce to a state of peace, and of the subsequent failure of the harvest, fell with peculiar weight upon the inhabitants of Newfoundland. Accustomed NEWFOUNDLAND. 265 by long possession to be the sole suppliers of every market in Europe, in the West Indies, and in South America, the merchants now be- held the termination of the vast profits which they had annually derived from this trade, and naturally reduced to a proportionable scale the extent of their speculations in the amount of their imports, particularly in provisions, which, at that time, were scarce and at a high price in the mother-country, as well as in the number of planters whom they undertook to supply.* * When the Newfoundland trade was first established, the merchants and their immediate servants were the only classes of people engaged in it. To these a third class was some time afterwards added, under the denomination of bye- boat-keepers, who were supplied by the merchants to whom they sold the produce of their voyage; these bye-boat- keepers kept also a certain number of servants; and, in pro- cess of lime, became resident planters, whilst each mercan- tile house kept there an agent and a certain number of clerks to transact their business during the winter. A new division of labour took place in consequence. The merchants at- tended only to those parts of the business which were consi- dered to be strictly commercial, whilst the planters were solely occupied in carrying on the fishery. The class of servants, already extremely numerous, became still more con- siderable by the numbers who were annually imported from Ireland and other parts, as well as by the natural increase of population among the resident inhabitants of the island. Strictly speaking, the great supplies could be procured through the medium of the planters only. These last pur- i» (i 266 HISTORY OF I '.yijr K^ I W^^4 IKiring the last war, tlie island had exported in one year one million two hundred thousand quintals of fish; and, in 1817, the exportation did not amount to more than half that quantity. As the people depend there entirely on the fruits of their labour for support, and on exter- nal supplies for subsistence and every article of first necessity, extreme distress could not fail to be the consequence of this new state of things. The starving population became a lawless banditti: they broke open the mer- chants' stores, carried off their property by wholesale, seized the vessels which arrived with provisions, and set the police altogether at defiance. On some occasions, where sub- sistence could not otherwise be had, they even proceeded with arms in their hands, demanding and enforcing a supply of provisions from the sitting magistrates. So early as the middle of April, the greatest possible distress existed in that island, from want of the common necessa- ries of life; and how dreadful must, under such circumstances, have been the prospect of a Newfoundland winter, when, the island being again surrounded with an impenetrable barrier chased the whole of their necessary supplies from their respective merchants, on the credit of the produce of the ensuing voyage, and kept separate accounts with each of their servants. NEWFOUNDLAND. 267 of ice, the population would be placed beyond the reach of human succour, and left to their inevitable fate! A statement of these facts was laid before his Majesty's ministers. The attention of par- liament was also directed to this subject in the month of June, 1817 ; and, upon the report of a Committee of the House, appointed to inquire into the situation of Newfoundland, a debate took place on the 8th of July, in the course of which it was stated, that Newfoundland em- ployed yearly eight hundred vessels, and pro- duced a revenue of two millions in returns of various kinds; that the population of the island amounted to eighty thousand inhabi- tants; and that the sufferings experienced by the great majority of that population, which had already involved in its consequences the violation of private property, and the destruc- tion of civilized order, would, unless speedily provided against, amount to the certainty of absolute famine. Mention was made of a mercantile house in Conception-Bay, who had sixty thousand pounds in the trade, and who had lost twenty thousand pounds the prece- ding year, having resolved i henceforth to send out only supplies sufficient to maintain their own servants. It was then stated by ministers, that government had extended re- it I 268 HISTORY OK ,j ''•' lief on account of the fire at Saint Johns; and, as soon as they could ascertain the circumstances of that country, from local informal on, they would be disposed to pursue a similar course on the present occasion. A discretionary power would be sent to such effect to the Governor of Newfoundland. This liberal and judicious mode of administering relief to the distressed inhabitants of New- foundland proved, as might be expected, the most effectual to compose the public mind and to supply the wants of the needy ; nor could such a power have been placed in the hands of a gentleman better qualified to give full effect to the humane views of government than Vice- Admiral Pickmore, then Governor of New- foundland. Late in the fall of the year 1816, the parish church of Harbour-Grace, in Conception-Bay, which had been repaired and enlarged at a considerable expense, and was nearly com- pleted, was seen on fire, at twelve o'clock at night, and in one hour reduced to a heap of ashes. The inhabitants lost no time in pre- paring to erect another ; the building was nearly finished, when it was likewise destroyed by fire. As the spot on which the church was originally built stands upon an eminence, in the centre of the church-yard, and at some distance N£WFOUNOLANI). 200 from the town of Harbour-Grace, tht» fire could not fortunately affect any other building. But, on the 18th of June following, between eleven and twelve o'clock at noon, a most d«^stnictive fire broke out at Carbonier, about three miles from Harbour-Grace church. The wind blow- ing a heavy gale from the westward, scattered the flaming fragments like a shower over the town: the Methodist chapel, though nearly half a mile from the place where the fire com- menced, and at a distance from other buildings, was in a very short time totally consumed, from some of the burning matter alighting among shavings in the surrounding burying- ground: from this spot the fire was carried half a mile farther, as far as Crocker's Cove, where it was at last stopped, after having totally destroyed fifteen houses, besides the above- mentioned chapel. The ill-fated town of Saint John's was doomed to experience again this year the cala- mity which, the year before, had threatened it with absolute destruction, with additional cir- cumstances of wretchedness and horror. On Friday night, the 7th of Noven.ber, 1817, about half after ten o'clock, some flames were discovered issuing from an uninhabited house nearly in the centre of the town, and in ten minutes they communicated to the surrounding ' , If «ii 270 HISTOMY OF i 1 1' m . n mi-: ir.p building, spreading in every direction with tlie rapidity of li^litninf^, until about nix o'clock on the following morning, when the excitions of the more rcHpectable part of the community, aided by the officers and men of the arniy and navy, nucceeded, at last, in arresting its pro- gress westward. The Hames, however, conti- nued to rage in the opposite direction with unabated fury until seven o'clock, when they reached an open space, and there the Hre stop ped, after having reduced to ashes all the buildings that covered a space extending; nearly a quarter of a mile in length, and thrci> hundred yards in breadth, including the warehouses and wharfs, and with them the greater part of a very large stock of provisions, which had been stored in them. As soon as the direction which th(; [ire was likely to take had been ascertained, every effort was made to remove the property from the stores, by rolling it into the water, or shipping it off in boats and other craft. On the premises of one of the principal mercantile houses, when the flames reached their stores, they had a considerable lot of cordage sunk between their wliarfs: but owing to a large quantity of pitci .i'kI tar, which they had likewise thrown v**; the viiarfs, iuid the water being low at that time, the whole liecame exposed to the flames and was com- NEWFUl NULANU. 271 p1etelyconHumn;otl»»'rwitli llir irreatest part of the proviNJonN, whiili had h«^n attempted to be preserved hy thai ..icans. 1 hat part of the harbour, on tl.'; margin of thr iKtrth Hide, was in one general blaze; and what increased the hor- ror of such a scene was the savage conduct of the I wer orders of the community, who, instead of assisting in arresting the ravages of the fire, actually retired to a short distance from it, exulting openly at the destruction of the pro- perty of the inhabitants: they obstinately re- fused their assistance, notwithstanding repeated remonstrances, entreaties, and offers of reward, which were made to them ; and extensive de- predations were committed, during the horror and confusion of that dreadful night. Most of those who had suffered so severely in the fire of the year 1816, were involved in the present distressing calamity ; many respectable indivi- duals had now lost all their property, and found themselves again reduced to a similar situation, without covering or shelter at this advanced season of the year, with a long dreary Newfoundland winter before them, and dreadin4( a repetition of the scenes of violence and outrages which they had witnessed not many months before. Thirteen mercantile establishments, and near one hundred and 272 HISTORY OF l/i) ^* i' r:r 'rJ' IK-', forty dwelling-houses, occupied by not less* than one thousand one hundred persons, had been consumed, and the amount of the property destroyed was estimated at from four to five hundred thousand pounds sterhng. Vice- Admiral Pickmore issued a procla- mation, by which a temporary embargo was laid on all the vessels and boats in the har- bour of Saint John's, in order that the extent of the evil, and the quantity of provisions in the town might be ascertained, so tiiat every posisible measure might be taken to secure to the community whatever should be yet re- maining. That itself, with the addition of what was expected from abroad, would not, it was apprehended, be near sufficient to sup- ply the wants of the inhabitants of Saint John's, till the opening of the navigation in the spring of the following year. They, however, solaced themselves, under the severe pressure of their distress, with the consideration that they had still one half of the town left, in which they should find shelter from the incle- mency of the season. A fortnight had not elapsed before another fire threatened that re- maining half with total destruction. About half an hour after three o'clock, on the morning of the 21st of the same month of NEWFOUNDLAND. 27.1 November, a fire was observed issuing from the premises of a mercantile house in Water-street, which soon extended its ravages to the west- ward and eastward, until about half-past nine o'clock, when the active and indefatigable ex- ertions of some of the inhabitants, favoured by a calm, fortunately succeeded in stopping its progress. Fifty-six houses, besides the stores and wharfs of several principal mercantile esta- blishments, were laid in ashes; and the depre- dations committed on the property of the inha- bitants were most extensive and dreadful. It cannot appear surprising, that strong sus- picions should have been generally entertained that these fires were the work of incendiaries. The Governor and the Magistrates adopted every possible means that could lead to a dis- covery; and, upon the strictest inquiries, there was sufficient reason to believe that they had been the effects of accidents. A considerable number of the inhabitants of Saint John's retired to Nova Scotia, or to the out-harbours of Newfoundland; others came over to Great Britain or Ireland. Every measure that could alleviate the distress, and provide for the wants of those that remained in Saint John's, was anxiously taken by the Go- vernor, the principal officers of all the public T r.r i'.-. Ji ''!m ■^^■'1 274 HISTORY OF departments, aod the merchants, both that tall and as early in tiie spring as the state of the weather would permit. The befifinning of the year 1818 was remark- able for an intense frost, Mhich lasted, with very little intermission, during the months '^f January, Februai), and March, with a severity exceed- ing that of any winter within the recollection of the ohiest inhabitants. On the 10th of Fe- bruary, the harbour of Saint John's was frozen over below Chain-Rock to a considerable thickness. A great quantity of snow had fallen, and the weather wore the appearance of the rigid climate of Greenland. It was par- ticularly fortunate, that abundant supplies of provisions had arrived previous to the setting in of the frost, so as to prevent a recurrence of the melancholy scene with which that town had been afflicted the preceding winter, when every effort to relieve the wants of the dis- tressed inhabitants was rendered abortive by the extensive barrier of ice which surrounded the coast. They had, however, to lament the death of their excellent Governor, Vice- Admi- ral Pickmore ; in consequence of which Captain Bowker, of his Majesty's ship Sir Francis Drake, the senior officer on that station, took the oaths on die 10th of March, as Governor NEWFOUNDLAND. 275 and Comraander-in-chief o( the island, pro tempore. On tlie eveninjjf of the same day, the remains of the late Governor wen- taken from the vault in the church where tliey had been depositeil, and conveyed on board his Ma- jesty's sloop Fly, with every mark of respect from the mer^'hants and other inhabitants that feelini;' and i»ratitiide could inspire. lint, al- though several hundred men \ver(? employed in cutting a passage througli the ice for the Fly, and other vessels whicli were ready for sea and anxious to leave the harbour, it was not till after a laborious exertion of nearly three w^eks that this object could be effected. The ice was found to be from three to live feet thick, and the tlistance to cut the channel was about one mile. The Fly reached F^ngland after a passage of twenty-eight days, and Sir Charles Hamilton was soon after appointed to succeed the late Governor. The seal and cod fisheries proved unusually successful, as they have always bei^n found to be after a severe winter; the favourable change which had taken place in the commercial world began to be felt at Newfoundland; and Saint John's, plurnix like, rose from its ashes with new and improved splendour. The in- creased breadth of tlie streets, ifu; solidity of ifi T 2 k« >..) 276 HISTORY OF the materials used for the new buildings, parti- cularly the party-walls, and many other im- provements of a precautionary nature, promised to render fires less frequent and destructive; and it was expected, that by the ensuing fall the rebuilding of that town would be com- pletely effected. ^iifip' 1 y-*..*- ,1 l|| NEWFOUNDLAND. 277 arti- im- lised live; r fall com- CHAPTER XII. DESCRIPTION OF THE BANKS AND OF THE ISLAND OF NEWFOUNDLAND, AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. Of the Tarious theories which have been formed to account for the manner in which America was originally peopled, the theory of the Abbe Clavigero, a native of that Continent, has generally been considered as the most plausible and the best supported. He sup- poses that there was anciently, since the flood, an union between the equinoctial regions of America with those of Africa, and of the northern parts of America with Europe on the east, and with Asia on the west; so as to allow a passage from the hot and cold coun- tries in Europe, Africa, and Asia, to the cor- responding latitudes in America. From various reasons he is induced to believe, that there was formerly a tract of land uniting the easternmost part of Brazil to the westernmost part of Africa, which may have been sunk by some violent agitation of nature, leaving only a few traces ^^A \:mSi€ Bf ft- mm -^ Wm ^^' K '''^■ iP! '••' II ^''J W, , '4- , ' *>.: 1'^ ,k'' ^^■? .,, - ','% ;_ •278 HISTORY OF }y: - of it in that chain of inlands, of which Cape de Verd, Fernandez, Ascension, and Saint Mat- thew ishinds make a part: nor is it necessary to ascribe to a single shock this stupendous revohition, which is supposed to have sunk a tract of land more than fifteen hundred miles in length, as it may have been eftected by a succession of earthquakes at various periods. Diodorus Siculus and Plato make men- tion of an island, called Atalantis, at the distance of several days' sail from the Conti- nent of Africa; and some learned men have considered Madeira, which was discovered in the year 141P, as the poor remains of that island. Diodorus Siculus, who enlarges upon the population, manners, laws, fertility, and remarkable things of Atalantis, says that it had been discovered by some PhoDuicians, who, having jiassed the pillars of Hercules,* were overtaken by a violent storm, which carried them out into the main ocean, and who amved there after having experienced several days of bad weather; and that, on their return, they published an account of their voyage and dis- coveries. In Plato's Dialogue, intituled Ti- mceus, Critias says that Solon, when in Egypt, was informed, by one of the priests, that the * The Straits of Gibraltar. NliU'FOUNDLANI). 27f> Athenians had, in ancient times, subdued a for- midable power, that had overrun Europe and Asia l)y a sudtien irruption of warriors issuing from the midst of the Atlantic ocean, from a region more extensive than Asia and Lybia taken together. A short time after these in- vaders had been driven back to their own country by the Athenian fleets, the whoh^ island sunk and disappeared in an instant. A circumstance, which is considered by many writers as corroborating the assertion of the existence of such an island is, that the ocean, which at this day bears the name of Atlantic, is not of any considerable depth ; and that, at a great distance from its shores, marine sub- stances are found which indicate the existence of an ancient continent. The history of the world, for the last four hundred years, affords numerous and well au- thenticated instances of revolutions produced on the surface of our globe by volcanoes and earthquakes, those formidable instruments of nature, by which she converts mountains intf) plains and plains into mountains, changes the beds of rivers, turns dry land into stagnant pools, and raises islands in tiie midst and from the depths of the ocean. Tiiese changes are evidently the consequence of the tremendous convulsion which was produced by the univer- I ■ ^^i -280 HISTORY OF W'i> sal deluge in the structure of the earth, of wliich an examination of its internal and exter- nal state affords ocular demonstration. As the causes to which philosophers ascribe volcanoes and earthquakes have had a ten- dency to produce the same effects ever since the deluge, what changes may we not suppose to have taken place in the course of upwards of four thousand years, in countries discovered only about three hundred years ago, and of which our knowledge is still so very imperfect? Earthquakes have been known from time immemorial to be frequent in Jamaica, Saint Christopher's, the whole extent of Peru, Cu- mana, &c. Although these formidable con- cussions may generally be attributed, in those parts, to the agency of the numerous volcanoes which are found there, it is well known that earthquakes have not been confined to such countries as, from the influence of climate, their vicinity to volcanic mountains, or any other causes of a similar tendency, have been considered as particularly subject to them: but they have also been felt, though not in any degree so extensive and calamitous, even in London,* in Oxfordshire, the counties of Dor- set, Lincoln, Northampton, Nottingham, and '\,r • Particularly in the year 1750. NEWFOUNDLAND. 281 several other parts of Great Britain. If they are mucli more frequent and destnictive in warm countries, the northern latitudes have not been altojjjether exempt from such visita- tions. Not only Scotland and Norway, but even Canada and the more northern regions of America have been affected by earthquakes. The Abb^ Clavigero informs us that in Canada, in the year 1663, an earthquake, which began on the 5th of February, and continued at inter- vals for the space of six months, caused the most dreadful agitation in the earth, the rivers, and the coasts of the ocean, over the extent of nine hundred miles from east to west, and four hundred and fifty from south to north, and actually overwhelmed- a chain of mountains of free-stone, more than three hundred miles long, changing this immense tract into a plain. It reached even as far as New England and New York, which were violently shaken : the River Saint Lawrence underwent remarkable changes with respect to its banks and some parts of its course; so that new islands were formed, and others were considerably enlarged. This river affords now evident marks of its waters having, at some period, separated at Cape Rouge, flowed to the eastward through the level country, and re-united at the promon- n 'i;;*^ (» /i \!ji m If ':." 28i HISTORY OK u- '- tory of Que'iec, inHulatin{j; the lofty i^ruund from Ca\)v Kou^e to the latter place. Accordinfi to Doctor M<>rse, Boston, in the State of iMassachusetts, was considerably da- maj^ed by an earthqnake, on the liJ)th of Octo- ber, 1727; and there are undonbted proofs of the powerfnl operation of such convulsions at Saint Paul's Bay, Mai-Bay, and at Carao- raaska, which are still suiyect to partial earth- quakes. It may not be unreasonable to con- clude, tiiat the earth in those regions contains a permanent source of convulsions of thii kind, whicii at some former period may have produ- ced those changes which the external structure of the island and of the banks of Newfound- land seems to indicate. The same writer also informs us, that the peninsula known by tlie name of Gay- Head, in A'^artha's Vineyard, contains evident marks of tiiere having formerly been volcanoes in that part of the State of Mas- sachusetts. He says, that the remains of five crateras are plainly to be seen. One of them, now called the Devil's Den, is at least twenty rods over at the top, fourteen and a half at the bottom, and full one hundred and thirty feet at the sides, except that next to the sea, which is open. He farther states, that a man then alive, viz. in 1797, related, that his mother NKWKOIMH-AM). 2«3 roiilcl rernrmhor >vlu'n it was roniiiion to 8o<» a light upon (iay-Head in tin* nifflit-time; othrn* e»aicl, tliat tlu'v liad been tohl hv their fatliers that the uhaU'-men used, in their time, to ;;uide themselves in theni{;5ht by the hj^lits whieli were seen there. If we take a survey of the island of New- foundlnnd and parts adjarent, as far as the eastern edge of the Outer, or False Bank, we shall behold an extent of sixteen dej>rees of longitude, and ten degrees of latitude, where the depth of the sea, on an average, is from sixty to thirty, and sometimes even only ten fathoms, in places lying at a considerable distance from the nearest coasts either of Newfoundland, or of the North American Continent. We shall be in- clined to conclude, from this survey, that these are the remains and ruins of a >ast island, which, at some former period, experienced a convulsion similar to that which shook Canada and the neighbouring parts, as far as New York, in the year 1663; and which, weakening and loosening the arches, or foundations, on which that island rested, excepting what now constitutes the island of Newfoundland, preci- pitated all the other parts into the deptlis of the sea and of the earth, in proportion to their ori- ginal altitude, and to the various degrees of solidity of the surfaces which they met in their J" 11 I t* ;ife"; .; i]M r I m- ^^:' ,f, m 1 it; -*: ^♦*. V 1 '^^ *J ^'-^ «»* 'A" !< > 2B4 HISTORY OF In fall. Or, perhaps, the whole was originally a part of the North American Continent; for the Straits of Bell-Jsle, which Ncparate Newfound- land from the coast of Labrador, are very little more than four leagues in width, throughout an extent of near fifteen marine leagues. The Outer, or False Bank, extends from the fortv-sixth degree and ten minutes to the forty- seventh degree and a half north latitude, and from the forty-fourth degree and fifteen minutes to the forty-fifth degree twenty-five minutes, west longitude; giving soundings over its sur- face at from one hundred and fifty-eight to one hundred fathoms. Thence to the Great Bank, over a space of two degrees and forty- five minutes, the soundings vary from two hon- dred and eighteen to one hundred and twenty fathoms. The Great Bank is five degrees wide in its broadest part, from east to west, including JaquetBank, the southern extremity of which forms its outer edge, and upwards of nine de- grees in length from north to south. Jaquet- Bank, rising with a steep edge, and giving from eighty to seventy fathoms, is connected with Great Bank by a bottom where soundings are found at seventy and at sixty fathoms, from east to west and south-west; and from east to north-west, from one hundred and twenty to NEWFOUNDLAND. •286 one hundred and twelve fathoms, until it breaks off, leaving a very steep edge on the corresponding side of Great Bank. The ground in manj parts of the eastern edge of the latter bank is so extremely steep as to fall off sud- denly from twenty-five to ninety, and from thirty-five to one hundred and sixty fathoms, and even to no ground at that depth, close to a spot which gives between thirty-five and fifty fathoms. The surface of Great Bank varies from ten to fifty, seldom exceeding forty-five fathoms in its southern half, and increasing towards the northern extremity generally from forty-five to sixty fathoms. In the forty-sixth degree and a half of latitude is an elevated space giving from ten to twenty-five fathoms, which is designated by the appellation of Rough Fishing-ground; and farther on the western edge of the bank, in the same latitude, are rocks, called Cape Race Rocks, or the Virgins: a similar rock has likewise been discovered at the distance of about two degrees and twelve minutes west from the extremity of the bank's tail. From the western edge of Great Bank to the coast of Newfoundland the soundings are generally from ninety to twenty fathoms, whilst, around the southern parts of that island, the ground is occupied by a continuation of banks !'.;' •i8« HISTORY OF ?!■,',. I. Iff '/♦Si; ^2 and shoals as far as Cape Breton and Sable Island, where sountlings vary from eighty to twenty-four fathoms, incliidin;L; Wliale-Bank, Green-Bank, Saint Peter's Bank, Banqnerean, Middle-Bank, and Sable Island. To these must be added Porpoise-Bank, which lies to the south-east of Sable Island. The northern extremity of Great Bank seems to have a com- munication with the coast of Newfoundland, at fifty degrees of north latitude, by the Funk islands, and by various shallows, ledges, and rocks, Wadham ar.d other islands, as far as Cape Saint John; whilst, from the fiftieth to the fifty-first degree, soundings are obtained in various places at from seventy-four to one htm- dred and sixty fathoms, giving muddy ground, brown sand, large stones, or rocky ground, and forming within that space, from the fifty-second to the fifty-fourth degree of longitude, an extent of ground generally of no greater depth than what has been observed of the Outer, or False Bank. The Abbe Raynal, in his description of the Great Bank, says, that it is one of those moun- tains that are formed under water by the earth, which the sea is continually washing fiom the Continent. Doctor Morse, the American Geo- grapher, thinks that it is highly probable, that the sand carried down by great rivers into bays. m ■ NEWiOl NDLANI). 287 and tlie cuneiit out ot" these bays; ineetinj^ with th(.' gulf-stream, Ir.ne formed, by their eddies, iVaiitucket Shoals, Cape Cod, (ieorji^es Bank, the island of Sablr, &(\ Many reasons might be adduced, \\hieh seem to as(;ribe to the Banks of Ne\\fomi{iland a more solid founda- tion and prrraanent consistency. Ever since the year 1500, these Banks have been frequented by Europeans, for the puiposes of the cod-tishery, in the same manner as they are at present. In the relation of a voyage to Canada, made in the year 1006, inserted in Churchill's Collection of Voyages, the author says: " Before we come to the Great Bank, where the fishing of green cod is made, the seafaring men have warnings when they come near it by certain birds, the most common of which are godes, fouquets, and happe-foyes, or liver-catchers, because of their greediness to devour the livers of the cod-tish that are cast into the sea after their bellies are opened. These banks are mountains grounded in the depth of the waters, which are raised up to thirty, thirty-six, and forty fathoms, near to the upper face of the sea. The Great Bank is holden to be two hundred leagues in length; and eighteen, twenty, and twenty-four leagues broad; which being passed, there is no more l)ottom found until one come to the land." ^■■m '.^ -2 II: :-^i^ 'H'ifl vsm ■'iH i mi 288 HISTORY OF Pi This account agrees exactly with our most modem charts, if we suppose tlie soundings to have been taken about the forty-fifth degree of latitude, and not beyond fifty fathoms. The longitude and latitude of the inner and outer edges of the Great Bank, and of the False Bank, observed by Chabert, in 1750, and by Fleurien, in 1769, were found correct, and adopted in a chart of the Banks of Newfound- land published in the beginning of the year 1803, and stated to have been " drawn from a great number of hydrographical surveys, and from the recent observations of Francis Owen.* Governor Pownall, in his observations on the Currents in the Atlantic, and Doctor Franklin, in his notes annexed to that work, account for the variations in the direction of the Gulf-Stream, by saying, that where it meets with lands, islands, or rocky ground that oppose and divert its course, or where it tuns through channels which draw it into other directions, the general effect must partake of the operation of these several causes. When, therefore, we consider that these supposed masses of sand, scattered in a stormy ocean. • Mr. Francis Owen was at Newfoundland in the year 1799, as Master of the Agincourt, and was afterwards offici- ally employed for the purpose of taking a survey of the Banks. NEWFOUNDLAND. 289 are at a consiflerablo distance from any coast or land which might give them sufficient sup- port and consistency, and that they are con- stantly acted upon by strong currents; it is not easy to conceive how these banks, if mere masses of sand, should, notwithstanding, have remained stationary; should have preserved that constant uniformity of longitude, latitude, and soundings; should not either have been carried away, or have been increasing in extent, so as to fill up the spaces which separate them from each other, and from the island of Newfoundland. The extraordinary steepness of nearly the whole of the eastern edge, and of a great part of the south-western borders of the Great Bank, seems likewise to indicate a solid mass of rock on which the violence of the northern ocean, or of the cur- rents, cannot make any impression. The remarkable phenomenon known by the name of the Gulf-Stream is a current in the ocean, which runs along the coast, at unequal distances, from Cape-Florida to the Isle of Sables and the Banks of Newfoundland, to about forty-one degrees and a half of north latitude ; thence it proceeds south-easterly to- wards the coast of Africa, running along that coast in a southern direction, until, falling into the course of the intratropical trade-winds, it u • HIS < "'I il ! i 1 !' ■i- *i;^i' I 'i.00 HISTORY OK fi'J^ hV' i iP'-- ■?;/: .#;, »■'''■■ supplies the place of the waters carried hy those winds from that coast to the Caribbee and Bahama Islands, runs down to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, and being there ob- structed by the main land, the waters are piled up, as Governor Pownall expresses it, to a veiy elevated level. These aggregated waters run off laterally, and as if descending an in- clined plane, along the coasts of Mexico, liOuisiana, and Florida, and thence along the coast of North America, thus producing a continual circulating current round the Atlan- tic ocean. Governor Pownall observes also, that this Gulf-Stream branches out into other currents, according to the variations of winds and sea- sons, and that, to the northward of its highest boundary, another general current takes place, running in an east-southerly direction across the Atlantic towards the coasts of Europe, and setting continually through the Straits into the Mediterranean Sea. Other currents have likewise been observed, according to the same author, running along the Esquimaux shores and the coasts of Greenland. Sir Martin Fro- bisher, in the year 1577, at the distance of six days sail from the Orkneys, met with a great quantity of drijl wood which was continually driven forwards with a current setting from the c c NEWFOUNDLAND. 201 Houth-west to the north-east. This fact, says Doctor Forster, has since been frequently con- firmed : for it is by this current that so many West Indian woods and fruits are cast on the shores of Ireland, Scotland, the Faro and Western Islands, the Orkneys, the Shetlaads, and Nor- way : in the same manner the Icelanders are furnished from North America, as well as from the West Indies, with wood for firing in great quantities ; the same .has been found to be the case in Nova Zembla, Spitzbergen, and Green- land. He supposes that those currents which, he says, are also found from the coast of Brazil round the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian ocean, and from the Siberian sea round the North Cape into the Atlantic ocean, occasion similar currents in the air; and this is assigned as the reason that, in the temperate zones the westerly winds predominate, whilst, in the frigid zones the easterly winds occur more frequently than any other winds : hence voyages from North America to Europe are generally much shorter, at least one-third, according to Governor Pow- nall, than those from Europe to North America, it having been observed that the winds are west- erly for three quarters of the year. Seafaring people coming from North America to Europe call it going down hill, and vice versd. The common course of navigators, bound to the west- L 2 laifi ■ i' ' . : !■ ' ,5 i'iu •11*' m 292 HISTORY OF Vil'; m ward, is to pass the banks of Newfoundland in about forty-four or forty-five degrees of north latitude; to sail thence between the northern edge of the Gulf-Stream and the shoals and banks of Sable Island, George's Bank, and Nantucket, by which means they make better and quicker voyages. This precaution is so important that, accord- ing to Doctor Franklin, a vessel on her voyage from Europe, getting into this stream, may be retarded at the rate of sixty or seventy miles a day. The breadtli of the Gulf-Stream varies in its course; when it comes out of the Gulf of Flo- rida, it is about eight leagues broad ; and at its other extremity on the coast of Africa, between 27 and 20° north latitude, its breadth is about a hundred and fifty leagues. It is easily dis- tinguished from the other parts of the ocean by its superior warmth, which is eight or ten de- grees greater: it is of an indigo blue; never sparkles in the night; and, in cool latitudes, it produces thick fogs. It is, therefore, to the superior warmth of this stream that those fogs are attributed which generally cover the banks of Newfoundland, and which a certain degree of cold in the surrounding atmosphere converta into sleet and snow. The Great Bank is almost constantly co- CD- NEWFOUNDLAND. 293 vered with such fogs, extremely thick ami cold. A great .swell marks the place where it lies ; the waves are always in a state of agita- tion, and the winds high about this bank. The cause of this is said to be, that tlie sea being irregularly driven forward by currents bearing sometimes on one side sometimes on the other, strikes with impetuosity against the borders of this bank, and is repelled from them with equal violence : whilst, on the bank itself, at a little distance from the borders, the situation is as tranquil as in a harbour, except in cases of heavy gales coming from a greater distance. The island of Newfoundland, like its banks, presents features of the most eccentric character, as if nature in disorder seemed pleased to ex- hibit stupendous monuments of her power. It bears visible marks, both along its coasts and within its wide and extensive bays, of a great convulsion which, at some former period, changed its original form and extent. Lying to the eastward of the River and Gulf of Saint Lawrence, it is separated from the coast of Labrador by a narrow channel, about four marine leagues wide, called the Strait of Bell- Isle. This strait, in width, is nearly the same as that which separates North America from the corresponding parts of Asia, and which Doctor Robertson is inclined to suppose to have been opened by some violent convulsion from vol- ''■•.(ll tiff ■ M II m ;: •294 HISTORY OF I -I* l# »1 canoes and earthquakes, which broke the isthmus that formerly united America to Asia in those parts. Newfoundland is of a triangular form, and \M supposed to contain thirty-five thousand five hundred square miles. Little can be said of its inland parts, in consequence of the difficulty of penetrating into them, and of the apparent inutility of succeeding in the attempt. What is known of it consists of a rocky and barren soil, steep hills covered with bad wood, some narrow and sandy valleys, and extensive plains covered either with heath, or with rocky sur- faces, more or less extensive, where not a tree or shrub is to be seen, and which are from thence usually called Barrens. The number of fresh water lakes is very considerable, and springs of most excellent water abound in every part. The ground is frequently so boggy and marshy as to make riding impracticable, and even travelling on foot dangerous. Those places which have been penetrated within the distance of thirty miles from the coast, by walking over the ice and snow during the winter season, abound with deer and an uncommon variety of fuiTed animals. The coasts are in general rude and rocky, either covered with hanging woods sloping to the water edge, or broke into short precipices. The south-west coast presents some high head- NEWFOUNDLAND. 295 lands. The whole, howeTer, abounds with creeks, roads, a:^d very fine harbours; also with beaches, or la .^^ spaces covered with pebbles, which seem as if they had been placed by desi^, for the purpose of drying the fish caught in the neighbourhood. Vast bays, of several leagues in breadth and depth, are also very numerous on these coasts. Vessels lie in the smaller bays and harbours in perfect secu- rity, being well sheltered inside by the moun- tains. Thus, round the island and in the large bays, a multitude of basins are formed, of from one to two leagues in length, and near half a league in breadth, into which several rivers and brooks of excellent water come from the adjacent mountains. The south-east part of this island is formed into a peninsula of twenty-six marine leagues in length, and from five to twenty in breadth, by two extensive bays, the heads of which are separated by an isthmus, or beach, not exceed- ing four miles in width, where it is not unusual to see fishermen pass from one of these bays to the other drawing their skiffs over it with ropes. This peninsula has five bays of considerable extent, and several smaller bays, excellent har- bours, and capes. This is the part of New- foundland which Sir George Calvert had erected into a province, under the name of Avalon. Trinity-Bay, on the north of Avalon, and on f 'I t i - i Jl ii SfJ ■i'ff m ."5 n ■ ll-T^ E- i^o B'i u i > I 2»(i HISTORY Ol' li^ the eastern side of the island of Newfound- land, lies between forty-seven degrees fifty- three minutes and a half, and forty-eight de- grees tiiirty-KCven minutes of north latitude. It has several considerable settlements, and con- tributes largely to the amount of the exports from the island, both from the seal and the cod fisheries. Separated on the north from the bay of Bonavista by a neck of land, which, in some places, is little more than two miles wide, it has on the north side Trinity- Harbour, Ireland's Eve, formed by a branch of the bay which receives Random-River, Long-Harbour to the south-west, Bulls-Bay and Bulls Islands, Tickle-Harbour, and to the south Chapel-Bay. Thence, turning to the eastward and north-east, we find such places as Heart's Delight, Heart's Content. Proceeding from hence through the harbours of new Pelican and old Pelican, we find the less pleasing names of Scurvy Island and Break-Heart-Point, which lead us to the Point of Grates. Round this last point of land, at the distance of about three miles from the north-eastern ex- tremity of Conception-Bay, lies a small island, called Baccalao, the name which anciently belonged to the island of Newfoundland and the islands adjacent. This small island, or insulated rock, is remarkable for the extra- ordinary number of sea-fowls which nest and NEWFOUNDLAND. 287 lay thi'ir eggs on its nii;ged Hides and iiiir- face. These are generally called Uaccalao birdi, and have ever been considered as of sufficient importance to mariners, parti- cularly in foggy weather, by giving them notice of their approach to the coast even as far as the banks, as to deserve the special protection of government against the attempts of birds and eggs hunters. Notwithstanding the proclamations issued, from time to time, by the Governors of Newfoundland, for that parti- cular object, it has not unfrequently happened that, tempted by the vast profit produced by the sale of those birds, of their eggs, and of their feathers, and regardless of the extreme dar.:];er8 which attended the attempt, some daring individuals contrived, by means of ropes, poles, and wires, to make a general sweep of the eggs, as well as of the birds themselves. This last operation is performed by striking the birds with long poles, or by covering with nets the chasms in the rock where the birds are nesting ; these, frightened by the firing of mus- kets, or by very loud hallooing, fly up and are caught in the net. Conception-Bay is undoubtedly the first dis- trict in the island of Newfoundland, on account not only of the number of commodious bays, harbours, and coves, which it contains, but also IV. ^■il■^ ■l^- iom !2»8 lll.m» vincr of Avalon, hnuicliin^ out on one side into arms and Unyn, wWuh art' slifltcred by lofty hilU and capcM, prcHontin^; a Hccncry par- ticularly striking by the bold and broken out- line of mountainN, promontories, bays, and islands; while its p;eneral aspect on the oppo- site side is one of asperity and rup^^edness. Harbour-Grace is the principal town of this district; it has several steep and barren rocks in its entrance, a bar which renders it dangerous at particular seasons to large ships, and an ex- tensive beach, round which there is a capacious harbour, where ships ride in the greatest safety. Carbonier, formerly Carboniero, or Collier's Harbour, the next town in importance, has likewise a spacious harbour, but by no means so safe, on account of its greater exposure to the easterly winds. Between these two places is a deep and commodious cove, called Mos- quitto-Cove, whrTc it is supposed that Governor Guy formed his settlement, in the year HilO. From Carbonu^r to Point of Grates, the space is commonly called the North Shore; it con- tains a numerous population, and is the seat of a considerable fishery, notwithstand- ing the natural wildness of the coast in this part, and the losses wliich tji inhabi- tants experience at every fall by tlie gales of wind or heavy seas injuring and sometimes t H i; ■•t M 300 msToiiv OK 11^ .: ^5: ;l:- ,1 ! r ,:)' ■'- ,vN ' destroying their stages and fishing-craft. This circumstance obliges them to terminate their fishery much earlier than is done in the other parts of the bay. On the 12th of September, in the year 1775, this coast was visited by a most terrible gale of wind. In Harbour-Grace and Carbonier all the vessels in the harbours were driven from their anchors ; but the inhabitants of the north shore suffered with still greater severity. They even now, with evident signs of dread and horror, show a cove where upwards of two hundred fishing-boats perished, with all their crews. Farther up from Harbour-Grace, as far as Holy-Rood, are several considerable settle- ments, formed on the borders of deep bays, which are separated by high perpendicular rocks of two or three leagues in length, and scarcely more than a mile in breadth. The scenery here sur- passes any thing that can be conceived of wildness and confusion, through an extent of several leagues. Opposite to Port-de-grave, and at the southern extremity of the land, the rock is pierced with two natural arches, which lead to a wide circular space open to the very top of the rock, through which the sea flows. Each of these arches is sufficiently high to admit a boat to pass freely to the basin, where both passages form an angle from east to south. On the eastern side of this bay lie several NEWFOUNDLAND. 301 islands of various sizes, the most remarkable of which is Bell-Isle, so called from a very re- markable rock, called the Bell, high, perpendi- cular, and cylindrical, standing almost close to its western side. This island, distant about four leagues from Harbour-Grace and four miles from Portugal-Cove, is remarkable for the {)ar- ticular quality of its soil, which consists en- tirely, and without any mixture of stones, pebbles, or gravel, of a loose blackish earth very deep, and so extremely fertile as hardly ever to require the assistance of manure. Por- tugal-Cove, the only settlement of any conse- quence on the eastern side of Conception-Bay, and about eighteen miles by land from Saint John's Harbour, is a small open creek, or cove, without roadstead or shelter even for the smallest fishing-craft, lying exposed to the wind from north by west to north-west by north, which heaves in a very heavy sea; so that the boat-keepers there are obliged to haul up their craft not only at the fall, but also whenever it blows high from those quarters. At the distance of seven leagues and a half from Portugal-Cove lies the Cape of Saint Francis, the eastern boundary of Concej)tion- Bay, distant seven leagues from the entrance of Saint John s Harbour. Four leagues lower is Torbay, called in old books Thome-Bay, a IJInV :ii ' •lis, i- t ' ^^1 ■i i ' ■ * '1 :iK ' . ■'? ( . ^* i I ' '•. 'i 1 ■ .A-'% 'M • ■\s\. 'f^ ^'H ;'i m ii' ■t'l-s'" 1 ' . ' - % -;: ?'! r ■0 ' \ ; •; It ;, ■ > 1 \\ ■ ■t - m :|:.f ifj: no2 HisTOKV or p-^ i s '!■■• ■ ,,,' f " ^■j f -■' ^•' '■ i '^•- - ■i wide cove fit only for the fishery ; and three leagues farther is the town of Saint John's, lying on the bay of the same name. Its har- bour is one of the best in the island, Ijeing formed between two mountains, at a small dis- tance from each other, the eastern points of which leave an entrance very appropriately called the Narrows. It is rather difficult of access, on account of rocks and shoals. It ex- tends about two miles inland, having from ten to seventeen fathoms in the first mile, and in the second from fourteen to four fathoms of water, up to the mouth of Little Castor's River. The south side is formed by high hills almost perpendicular ; and on the north side a steep ascent leads to a long rocky space, known by the name of the Barrens, which forms the com- munication between Fort William and Fort Townsend. To the north, behind the former, or old garrison, is a very fine lake, called Quidy-Vidy-Pond, communicating with the sea by a cove of the same name. This cove, once the seat of military operations for the taking and retaking of Saint John's, has since been rendered inaccessible from the sea, and is now no more than a small fishing-place. To the south of Quidy-Vidy are very high hills, with extensive ponds at a considerable eleva- tion, which abound with very fine trout. How NEWFOUNDLAND. no3 the spawn has been conveyed thither is a pro- blem difficult to solve. Saint John's, however, is not in this respect without a parallel ; for we are informed that, in the Orkney-Islands, Hoy- Head, which forms a part of Pentland- Firth, and is a promontory particularly re- markable for its extreme height, has at its summit a very extensive lake of fresh water, likewise abounding w ith trout. On the top of a lofty hill, close and nearly perpendicular to the sea, is a tower, from which, by appropriate signals, the inhabitants of the town are informed of the approach of . jL^els, and of their particular description. On i^ift vessels nearing Fort Amherst, situated on a low ground at the eastern extremity of the south side, they are asked through a speaking- t mpet where they come from, and the answer is signified by certain signals, which are imme- diately repeated on the tower of Signal-Hill. Saint John's is the seat of the Government and of the Supreme and Vice- Admiralty Courts of Newfoundland. In time of war it is a place of considerable importance. The greatest part of the property in the island i« deposited there for greater security. All the vessels of the different out-harbours, except those bound for Liverpool, Scotland, and other parts to which they may safely venture to run north about, are -» f ■ >i '■ I . i\ h .1 #5 > HK '^. flfli''^ **j' ^BRi'f .'■ IBRNtSi 't,' QBa .~j 5; ffis'.-' ^'■. ^K^'^ ,1 UB^'4'' ^Bm.)';' ...i ffip|r i'\ ^^■V ,.^: ,, Ij^^^^Y ' ■'■ K^^E A' ^ ■fl^B ff^it H^m d'* Hdi^ '''^ B|V- *" /■ B||i' Hi'*" Ht^r ^^■Kl^j' ^^^X ' if ^K'n;>. mp: - ^m '^' JUmu? ' -^ *■ ' W§'%: S'.^S"' r^'' * '^^ P^ ■ H; ^ vi mi »»1 :' ft , ■ ' m' B'<" ; L 304 HISTORY OF obliged to rendez*^ous in the port of Saint John's, in order to join convoy ; and the naval and military forces occasion an increase of cir- culation, of consumption, and of amusements, which add considerably to the wealth and gaiety of that place. The natural difficulty of access to this har- bour, the commanding position of the hills on each side of its entrance, and the numerous forts and batteries which have been erected for its protection on every point, make it a place of such strength as to defy all attempts of an enemy. Only one ship can enter the harboin- at a time, and the Narrows are so guarded that a hostile ship cannot venture into them without being instantly sunk : Saint John's ii» not more assailable from any other quarter. On the south side of Sigual-Hill are a few scattered spots not so steep as the rest. On one of these an officer of the regiment then stationed in Saint John's had erected a small grotto, fitted up and ornamented with consi- derable ingenuity and taste, provided with a table in the centre, and seats around. Above the entrance, low and narrow, was the fol- lowing inscription: " Pro amico;' and in another place, " Ne vile fanny A brother officer complimented him on his invention and taste in the following lines, which were inserted NEWFOUNDLAND. 306 ill the Newfoundland Gazette, in January', 1812. " Near the Metropolis of that drear i:ile, Where sickly iialuie strives in vain to smile: Whilst o'er its rugged rocks and barren plains, Silent and sad, fell desolation reigns : Stupendous mass, see Signal-Hill arise, And brave the shock of hyperborean skies: Its* rifted side no pleasing verdure yields. Unlike the soil of Albion's fertile fields. On its bleak summit to command uur praise, See forceful art its proudest trophy raise: A height so vast, a spot so wild and waste, Has Couet'nay chosen to display his taste. There, whilst its beauty all aloud proclaim. His grotto stands t' immortalize his name: To Friendship sacred, there no cares annoy Our chast'ned pleasure and our teinp'rate joy ; No Bacchanalians there, a frantic rout. Their midnij^ht orgies tell with horrid shout: But in that happy spot we ever find The social joys that elevate the mind. " Ne vile/ano" hints to thoughtless boys. That wit consists not in obstreperous noise ; Whilst " pro amico " gives the welcome meet. To all who visit this perspective seat." The south-east limit of Saint Jolin's Bay is Cape Spear, ^vritten in some old hooks Cape Espere, or Hope-Cape, about four miles from the Narrows. Petty- Harbour is a fisiiing set- tlement of some note. Bay-BulKs, anciently X I'-.t Hi ii ; T ' 'i'lSl ' '-'^ '(. * -^S^iis jV- - "' '^9 1' '■' M V, ^ 11 :'r ■ 306 HISTOKY OF Ik' ft*" ''i' fr\ Baboul-Bay, is about seven leagues from the mouth of Saint John's Harbour; its entrance, rendered hazardous to mariners who are not well acquainted with that part of the coast, by two rocks, one of which has frequently less than nine feet of water, is br'^ad and spacious, running up to the town of that name one mile and three quarters. Here vessels ride in safety, being land-locked, and having nothing 'to fear, except a strong wind from south-south-east to south-east, to which the mid-channel of the harbour lies open. Bay-Bulls is distant from Saint John's, by land, twenty-seven miles; tlie path, or foot-way, which forms the communica- tion between those two places, is through the woods, and small, uneven, and in-egular bar- rens along the sides of stupendous hills and rocks bordering on the sea-coast; in many places, the fordable parts of strong and rapid rivers, running from the ponds of the interior country into the sea, are so narrow that not more than a single person can with convenience pass at a time. Bay-Bulls, notwithstanding these dlfticuiiies of communication with Saint John's for the march of a body of troops, has been the point from which hostile forces have directed their attacks against that place. This happened in particular in the year 1762, when Saint John s was actually taken. But it should Vh - NEWFOUNDLAND. .•)07 be remembered that the enemy's artillery was then landed at Quidy-Vidy, which has since been rendered altogether inaccessible from the sea. Besides, Saint John's, at that time, wati by no means in a state to make any effectual resistance. We have also seen that, in the year 1796, Admiral Richery landed some troops at Bay-Bulls; but this attempt ended merely in the destruction of the wooden houses and stores near the water-side : its population then did not exceed two hundred inhabitants ; their number has considerably increased since that period, and several respectable houses carry on there a considerable business. Cape- Broyle-Harbour lies in a small bay, bounded to the south-ea * by a cape of the same name, and is said t . oe about thirty miles from Saint John's. Ferryland, called in old books Fenil- ham, has some respectable establishments, and is remarkable for having been, in former times, the place of residence of the Lords of Avalon and of their Deputies, and the seat of the muses. Near this settlement is the Isle of Boys, which, in the year 1762, was fortified and received a small garrison, several inhabitants of that part of the coast having retired thither for )>rotection and relief whilst the French were in possession of Saint John's. Aquafort and Fermowes, anciently Formose, or Formosa, a name which x2 " ^^ '^iiSJils^'/:^ mm IlIMTOUY itV ft'. fit- p. i « < ' SI) \%- p.. r ;'■■■; '. •>■, li^ ;l: seems to fjive a favourable idea of tlie appear- ance of the land in that quarter, together with Renowes, of Reueau's Harbour, well calcu- lated for the fishery, and much frequented for that purpose during- the season, are the only settlements of any consequence on this part of the coast as far as Trepassey-Bay. Cape-Race is the south-east point of IVew- foundland, four leagues south of Cape-Ballard, and in forty-six degrees forty-three minutes of north latitude, and fifty-two degrees forty-nine minutes of west longitude. At about twenty leagues to the south-east of this Cape, on the ■western edge of Great Bank, the Virgins, or Cape-Race rocks, much dreaded by mariners, seem to form a connexion between that bank and the south-eastern coast of Newfoundland, from Cape-Broyle to Cape-Race, by a bottom which gives from ninety to thirty fathoms of water, and a rock or bank of two leagues and a half in length at twenty fathoms, two leagues east from Cape-Race. At the same distance from this cape, to the westward, are two points, frequently mistaken for Cape- Race by mariners, when they first make the land from the south- ward. From Mistaken-Points westward to Cape- Ray, the coast is indented into a considerable number of bays, harbours, and coves, where NEWFOUNDLAND. 309 the fiHhery is carried on to a vory ^vnt rxtont. This roast is also lined with an incredible number of islands and rocks of various sizes, the soundings never exceeding one hundrt>d fathoms at the distance of forty leagues from the sliore, from Cape-Freels to the southern extremity of Whale-Bank ; seldom above sixty fathoms within upwards of ninety leagues from Cape-Pine to the southern extremity of Great Bank; and never exceeding one hundred fathoms within the distance of near seventv- five leagues from Cape-Rouge, in Placentia- Bay, to the south-west extremity of Banque- reau. Trepassey-Bay, formerly Abram Trepasse, about seven leagues north-west of Cape-Race, is a wide bay with a harbour large, well secured, and having excellent anchorage, Biscay-Bay lying to the north-east, and Sailing-Bay to the north-west. Six miles from this last bay is Cape-Pine, and farther to the west and north- west Cape-Freels and Black-head, which lead into Saint Mary's Bay. This bay contains some harbours and coves where a considerable fishery is carried on, and receives Salmon- River, the use of which is snflicientlv described by its name. Colinet-Harbour, at the head of the bay, is separated from Conception- Bay at U ' I ■}* i '■ mo HISTORY or • 1 I If.- !■ h^ 1^^ ■;■■■ f; - ■f- ',' i: '>:^ U'*- Holy Rood, by a neck of land between lour and five leagues broad. Placentia-Bay opens l)etween Cape Saint Mary and Capc^Rouge on tht; west, fifteen leagues and a balf distant from one another. It is very spacious, has several islands towards Hs head, and forms a good harbour for ships. The port and town of Placentia are on the eastern side. The harbour is so capacious that one hundred and fifty sail of ships may lie in security, and can fish as quietly as in any river. The entrance into it is by a narrow channel, which admits but one ship at a time. Sixty sail of ships can conveniently dry their fish on the Great Strand, which lies between two steep hills, and is about three miles long. One of these hills is separated from the strand by a small brook, which runs out of the chan- nel and forms a sort of lake, called the Little Bay, in which are caught great quantities of salmon. The French had formerly here a fort, called Saint Louis, situated on a ridge of dan- gerous rocks which contracts the entrance into the harbour. On taking possession of that place, in the year 1713, the English changed the name of the fort into that of Fort-Frede- rick, and erected additional fortifications on Castle-Hill. ;-]i|| NKWFOUNDLAND. :ni Placeiitia lian the iiunoiir uf having given birth to one of the most extraordinary characten* that the last century has produced ; a man who, for Mome years, excited the public curiosity and aHtonisinnent to an amazing degree, was taken notice of, nay, openly patronized, by people of the first consequence, both an to character and fortune, and more particularly by one no less distinguished for his talents and erudition than for his holding a place among the legislators of the country, whose writings in defence of this man and his opinions contributed not a little to give celebrity to the native of Placentia. This once great and admired personage was doomed to be a lamentable instance of the vanity of all sublunary glory ; for how few are there, at this time, who think, or even perhaps recollect the name of Richard Brothers, who was at last confined, and ended his days, in a mad-house. North-Harbour, at the upper extremity of Placentia-Bay, is the northern boundary of Avalon, being separated from Chapel-Bay, in Trinity-Bay, by a neck of land, or beach, of only three or four miles in width. The western side contains a great variety of bays and har- bours, among which are Paradise-Sound, Boat- Harbour, Mortier's Bay, and Burin; and a vast number of islands and rocks of various sizes, the principal of which are Merasheen '• , t f' ! 'fHi m /f f nij HISTORY OF l1 ;!i. *«•.' ^> Island, lla^^od Isliiiids, a nnrnt* vrry appro- priafo not only to this part hnt also to the whoh* of this side of the hay, and IMoiiier's Rocks. May-Point terminates the peninsnia which separates Placentia-Kay from Forluue-Bay, having; to the west the island of Great Miqne- lon on Saint Peter's Bank, distant about eight miles. From May-Point to Cape La Hune, the distance is seventeen leagues, M'hich may be considered as the mouth of Fortune-Bay. The latter is interspersed with several bays of considerable extent and depth : on the eastern side lies Fortune- Harbour, and at the north-east- em extremity is a river running from a pond or lake of fresh water distant two leagues north. Farther to the west is a long narrow bay, called Long-Harbour, which receives likewise the waters of another river; Bell-Bay, which well deserves that name, with Salmon-H'iyer, in a north-east direction. From this part the gi-oiind is intersected by a multitude of bays of various extent, communicating by the means of their respective rivers with large ponds, in a series which loses itself in the unexplored parts of the island, together with ridges of lofty hills be- ginning at no great distance from the shore. Along the south shore, from Cape La Hune, there are several bays and islands, most of NKWFOUNDI.ANn. 31.1 llu'in railed by naiiicfi which arc ilcscriptivc of sonrio striking; inrwh'nt or rir<*nmstanci'. Thus, to the ♦'astwani of that rape we rmd Bay of De- spair, Bay of racheux, Dexil's Bay, Bay of HeiUMMiiiter, wlicre it is known that in former times the native and nei<;hlioiirin^ Indians were extremely trouhlesome to th»; l!!uro|)eans who frequented these parts; in the same man- ner we have here Cape La Ilune, or Mast's Head-Cape, si«?nifyin|:j a jjood look-oit; Pi- jfeon Island ; Penguin Islands, from tiie mul- titude of birds of that name which used for- merly to nest there ; White Bear-Bay and Bear Island, near which are Ramea and Burgeo Islands, noticed in the earliest accounts of voyages to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Great Bur<::eo Island is also called Eclipse Island, and its latitude and longitude were exactly ascertained by Captain James Cook, who, on the 5th of Aujuust, in the year 1765, observed from that island an eclipse of the sun. To the north of Burgeo Islands lies Wolf- Bay : farther to the westward we have Bay of Cinq-Cerfs, or five-stags; Grand Bruit, great noise; La Poile-Bay, from its supposed resemiiiSTice to a frying-pan; Rose Blanche, or VViiite Rose Island; Burnt Island; Pointe Blanche; and last of all Pointe Enragee, whi< h, from its wild and exposed situation on the south-west point I ■■;. >i!a €1 m «■ r 314 HISTORY OF M' W. fe:' of the island directly facing the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and from the number of rocks which surround it, seems fully to answer the descrip- tion conveyed by this appellation, particularly in a heavy gale of wind from the south or south-west. Cape-Ray forms the entrance of the River Saint Lawrence on the north-east, with the North Cape of the island of Cape Breton on the south-west, from which it is about twenty leagues distant. It is also the southern boun- dary of the western, or French shore, so called on account of the exclusive privilege reserved to the French by the Treaty of Versailles, in the year 1783, and confirmed by the late Treaty of Paris, to catch fish and to dry them on land on that part of Newfoundland which stretches from this cape up north and round south, as far as Cape Saint John on the eastern side of the island. From Cape-Ray to Anguille, or Eel-Cape, the coast is wild, and has only Petit-Port, or Little- Harbour, about five miles and a half from Cape-Ray, and a considerable river, called Great Cod-Roy River. Round Cape-Anguille the coast is even and straight as far as Saint George's Harbour. This last lies in a large and deep bay of the same name, into which several rivers, communicating with a variety of NEWFOUNDLAND. 315 ponds and lakes, empty themselves. To the north-west of this harbour is a narrow isthmus, which forms the southern boundary of Port-a- Port, divided into East and West Bay by a sUp of land wliich lies nearly at right angles upon the isthmus. The interior of Newfound- land, from Saint George's Harbour to Bonne, or Good-Bay, appears to have been explored to a greater distance from the coast than any other part of the island, to be very mountainous, and to abound in rivers, marshes, ponds, and extensive lakes. The Bay of Islands has three arms by which several rivers empty themselves into it, among others the Humber, the most considerable river known in the island, running through an extent of thirty-eight leagues from the north, where it issues out of a lake of near ten leagues in length. Bay of Islands contains, as its name indicates, several islands, the principal of which are called Harbour, Pearl, and Tweed. Bonne-Bay has likewise two long arms com- municating with ponds or lakes at some dis- tance from the coast by means of their respec- tive rivers. Thence to Point-Rich the coast has no bay or harbour of any note, except Ingomachoix-Bay, bounded by that point to the north, and divided into two arms, in l^jf^JlIf i -ill I'V- ■'■■'. ,1 .'Mfl Hl.STOKY OF ^;.'- il 4 1 ' l'\r ■ t '-:' •V *"'^' -J V iwS' " . fv" p!?' '■■" {«.■' ^•i ,'/'•. i',-: ■ -i ^i'' • l^> ;j w'' w^. ij* :','t; Cf , , . which are Hawke's Harbour and Port-.Saiin- ders. Farther north round Point-Rich is Saint John's Bay, containing three islands, the prin- cipal of which is Saint John's Island. This bay receives the waters of Castor's River, the size of which is considerable for fifteen miles inland. Here is also a range of lofty hills, called the High-Lands of Saint John's. Be- yond Point- FeroUe, the northern boundary of Saint John's Bay, are a few inconsiderable bays, islands, and coves. Along the Straits of Bell-Isle the coast is uniformly straight, and in some places not much more than three leagues distant from the eastern side of the island. Cape-Norman, twenty leagues from Cape-Fe- rolle, is the north-west point of Newfoundland, having on the east a large bay, called Pistolet- Bay, bounded by Burnt-Cr^y,^, three leagues distant from Cape-Norman. Q?urpon-Harbour and Island, the northern point of Newfound- land, Griguet-Bay, and Saint Anthony's Har- bour, were much frequented, during the war, by the people of Conception-Bay in the fishing-sea- son. Hare-Bay is a wide and deep gulf, which reaches up more than two-thirds of the whole breadth of this part of the island, branching out into arms and bays which are sheltered by in- Nr.WFOl NOLAM). Ml lofty hills. Saint Julian's liarbuiir is noticed in the most ancient charts. From this, harbour to the river head of VViiite-Bay and thence to Cape Saint John, the coast is indented by a I'onsiderabie number of bays, harbours, and coves, very commodious and much frequented. Packet-Harbour is the most southerly station on l!ie eastern coast where the French arc allowed to catch and dry their tisli. The Bay of Exploits, prol)ai)ly so called from successful rencounters uith the native Indians who are said to frerpient it duriiigf the summer season, is also remarkable for its river, whi< Ii extends to a considerable distance towards the western coast, as far as it has been traced, receiving in its course several smalh r streams. It contains a vast number of islands and rocks of various sizes, of which the New World Island is the largest, and Twilingate is a populous and thriving settlement. The same description is applicabh; to Gander-Bay ; its rivef; as far as it is known, runs almost parallel to the River of Exploits, and has to the north- east a considerable number of islands and rocks. Fogo Island is described in the old maps by the name of Aves, or Birds' Island ; and, until the middle of the last century, was called Penguins' Island. It was formerly much frequented by tlie native Indians. Some <31 318 HISTORY OF w it liSi. ill k ivriters assert that it was first discovered by James Cartier, in the year 1534. It is a settle- ment of comparatively modem origin, populous and flrarishing. From Cape Saint John, distant about forty- seven leagues from Funk Island, to Cape Freels, the whole of this coast and sea is con- nected with that island by an almost uninter- rupted continuation of islands, rocks, ledges, and shallows. Bonavista Cape and Bay, so called by John and Sebastian Cabot, and the first land that they made on their arrival near this coast, con- tains several islands, the most remarkable of which are Green's Pond Islands, in conside- ration of their usefulness as a fishing station. Here are also several rocks of various sizes and extent, called Outer and Inner Goose- beiTy Islands. It contains likewise Indian- Bay, Loggerhead-Bay, and Bloody-Bay; also Ban*ow-Harbour, an extensive bay divided by Keel's Head on the east from the port of Bona- vista, and on the west from Bloody-Bay, by a large peninsula joined to the island by a narrow isthmus, which forms Newman's Sound. To the southward of Cape Bonavista is Cata- lina-Harbour, or Bay, which contains Ragged- Harbour, so called from the craggy rocks which lie about the entrance of it, both without :^' f^ NEWFOUNDLAND. 3t9 to and within. And tliiis are we returned Trinity-Bay, from which we first set out. The islands of Saint Pierre, or Saint Peter's, and Miquelon, are thus described by Monsieur Cassini, who, about the year 1778, visited tliem and ascertained the latitude of the town of Saint Peter's. " Saint Peter is a very small island ; its ut- most length may be two leagues. Miquelon is somewhat larger, and may be about five leagues long. Saint Peter, however, is the chief part of the colony : the safety of its harbour draws a great number of ships, and probably this is the only reason that has induced the French Governor to fix his residence there; for I am told that Miquelon is a much pleasanter spot. I have sometimes strolled about into the interior to observe the place and its productions : all I found was mountains not to be ascended without danger : the little valleys between them were no better ; some are full of water and form so many lakes ; others are en- {.'>.«mbered with sorry fir-trees and some few birch, the only trees that grow in this country as far as I could find ; nor did I see one more than twelve feei high in all that part of the island where I have been. Miquelon is a little better stored with wood. The most pleasant plant I met with at Saint Peter s is a kind of ■ ■ -ik . ■ % ■■■ ^"!| •II' %';^#^|-j''i# 5 320 IlISTOKY OF ■ ■ .•< I ^^^'ife^v^r,: 1?^ • '■ n. ._ :^'' tea, at least it is no called by the inhabitants. Its leaf is '•voolly underneath, and it greatly resembles our rosemary, both in tiie hhi' and the stu'k. There is another |il;inl vliich the\ (ill anaise: I have tasted of both infused i;: boiling water, and think the Muiisi: the moi*' agreeable of the two. H( nee, ii ippears, how destitute tm' inhabit, iits must be of the neces- saries of life in a coimlrv whert no corn \v(ll grow, and where even the sniullest article nuist be procured from Fran.f. They havv' fixed their dwelliags in a little plain along the sea- coasf, and have small gardens, where, witli mucti trouble, they grow a few lettuces that never come to perfection, l>ut which they eat greedily when they are yet oiiite green. The want of pasture will not admit of breeding much cattle; fowls are the only resource as to fresh meat. Their soups are conmionly made with cod's heads; but I cannot "rjommend them. Our arrival at Saint Peter's was celebrated by the death of a bullock, the noblest reception the people could bestow. From this account one would be inclined to conclude, that the island of Saint Peter can be considered only as a shelter for fishermen driven thither by etress of weather: yet we have made a settlement there. " Towards the latter end of J une," continues NEWFOUNDLAND. 321 the same writer, " the c'd|)eVdn flocked from tlie main to deposit their eggs along the coast of that and the adjacent islands; to which they were followed by multitudes of cod-fish. This is the critical time for the fishermen of Saint Peter's. This island is adjoining to a sand- bank, where the cod is veiy plentiful. What is caught there is brought to Saint Peter's, where it is cured and dried. This is what is sold in France by the name of morue siche, or more properly merluche. Some ships likewise bring the fish which they huve caught at the Great Bank to dry at Saint Peter's ; but these are few : most of the cod th-at is fished at the Bank is brought home to Europe, and sold for morue verte, or barrel-cod." These islands, situated on the north-east borders of Saint Peter's Bank, consist of Saint Peter's, Langley or Little Miquelon, and Great Miquelon. Saint Peter's Island lies in forty- six degrees forty-six minutes of north latitude, and fifty-six degrees four minutes and a half of west longitude, south-south-west of the south- east point of Fortune-Bay. Great Miquelon, which is separated from Langley by a stream called Langley-Gut, is not more than three- fourths of a league in length, and is distant eight miles south-west from Cape-May in New- foundland. It is sometimes called Maguelon. Y II ^ ! ■-. pu a: ' . i| 'I '■^i? i "4 w I't'' '■■, I fi »:' 322 HISTORY OF Saint Peters fiank, a larfj;e Hshing-ground oft* the southern end of Newfoundland, has from fifteen to fifty-five fathoms of water, being connected with Great Bank by (jlreen Bank and Whale Bank, with soundings jj^enerally from twenty to eighty fathoms. To the south and south-west of Saint Peter's Bank are Mizen-Bank, Banquereau, and Porpoise-Bank. The island of Anticosti, the south- western boundary of the territories included within the government of Newfoundland, lies in the mouth of the River Saint Lawrence : it is co- vered with wood, and excellent cod is found on its shores; but it has no harbour; and had no inhabitant until the year 1810, when, in consequence of a shipwreck which had hap- pened there, and had reduced the crew to the most dreadful distress, Admiral Sir John Tho- mas Duckworth, then Governor of Newfound- land, granted s-ated rations and other advan- tages to a person who was willing to settle there with his family, to enable him to aftbrd in such cases every assistance that circumstances would require or admit. This island was, it is said, first discovered by James Cartier, in the year 1535, who gave it the name of the island of Assumption. From the Indian name Natis- cotee the English have made Anticosti. It contains wild goats of a particular kind, which NEWFOUNDLAND. 3-2.J I Doctor Forster helieves to be of Portngucst* (»i'igiii. On the coast opposite to the north- westerly point of Anticosti Island is the Ui»er Saint John, the north-east boundary of the pro- vince of Lower Canada, and the south-east limit of the coast of Labrador. The coast of Labrador, although discovered by Cabot, was very little known until the latter end of the last century, when the progressive increase of the Newfoundland fisheries induced the British government to extend them to this coast, by annexing it to the gev ernment of that island, in the year 1703. The native inhabi- tants of those parts were included in the regu- lations which were, at the same timi', forwardeil to the Governors of the colonies, to prevent the different tribes of Indians from being in any wise molested or disturbed in the possession of such territories as, not having been ceded to or purchased by the crown of England, were re- served to them as their huntmg grounds. All settlements, formed either wilfully or inadvert- ently upon such lands, were to be i nmediately given up; nor were any such lands for the future to be purchased from any of the said Indians, but in the name of his Britannic Ma- jesty, at some public meeting or assembly of the said Indians, to be held for that purpose by the Governor or Commander-in-chief of such V 2 * , !? v-yT" m 4 ^^.' ; Ill ■ ■ \9 .324 iiisToiiY or colony within or near which they »houhl lie. The trade with the said Indians was declared free and open to all British subjects who should take out proper licenses for that purpose. This union of the coast of Labrador with Newfoundland, by placing the former under a jurisdiction which coi.'d, from local circum- stances, more effectually than any other provide for the maintenance of order and the due ad- ministration of justice in those parts, tended materially to increase its importance as a fish- ery without any injury to the fur-trade, both being' perfectly compatible. When this ar- rangement was altered in the year 1774, and the jurisdiction of the Governor of Newfound- land was reduced to its former limits, a super- intendent of trade, appointed by the Gover- nor-General of the four British provinces, and responsible to him, used to reside at Labrador. This measure, which appears to have had for its princij>al object to encourage the fur-trade, must have proved very prejudicial to the fishery, and the source of much disorder and irregularity. The re-annexation of the coast of Labrador and adjacent islands to ^he government of New- foundland, in the year 1309, was consequently a measure extremely favourable to the interests of the trade and fisheries. It appears from the earliest accounts that NEWFOU LAND. 32,^ tliiM toast has always btM-n r<;niarkable for the inultitiulo uf Hsh of various kinds, and particu- lar! v cod and salmon, found un its shores and in its rivers. Like Newfoundland, it s. ' ■f ; I,'.' !- r ■' ■ ■ 'i iji- . , - ..s .' ^ . * '. "^ ' ?-07 7-'' |: fi;-,: ' ,;f f1? .' vii w ^4" 1 .■?•;- ^ •1'. " '■'• 'f' w. ■...■'li of navigation. Bell-Isle is about seven leagues in circumference, and sixteen miles distant from the nearest land on the coast of Labrador : on the north-west side it has Lark-Harbour, convenient for fishing- vessels or small craft; and on the eastern point a cove which will admit shallops. It lies in near fifty-two de- grees north latitude, and fifty-five and a half west longitude. To the west of Bell-Isle is Temple- Bay, a settlement where part of the fleet of Admiral Richery, in the year 1796, did considerable mischl?f. From this bay to Cape- Charles are some bays and islands, much fre- quented for the purposes of the fishery. Near this cape is a considerable river of the same name. The Bay of Saint Lewis has many islands, the largest of which is Battle Island. From Cape-Charles to Cape-Chidley, the south-east point of Hudson's Strait, also called Frobisher s Mistaken Strait, the coast contains some inlets and islands, which are remarkable only for the singularity of their names, such as Jorucktoke, Ockchowet, Canyketoke, Calutie- wcet, Ogbucktoke, Owlitchievie, Grimington, Nowyockshuockshook, &c. It is a country of fruitless valleys and frightful mountains which have here and there a blighted shrub or a little moss: the valleys are full of crooked stinted pines, fir, birch, and a species of the juniper. NEWFOUNDLAND. 329 :ir vitlO In latitude sixty, vegetation ceases on roast, which has Greenland to the north- east, from which it is separated by Davis's Strait. On taking a general view of this part of the world, the names which we tind here recorded naturally convey to the mind a lively feeling of admiration for the courage and perseverance displayed, and of some degree of participation in the severe disappointments suffered by the navigators who first discovered and explored these dreary regions, whilst in search of a north-west passage to the rich and beautiful countries of the east. Cabot was the first who formed such a project and attempted its execu- tion; though he failed in the original object of his voyages, his labours were amply repaid by the discovery of the whole of the North American coast; and, more fortunate than any of those who followed him in the same career, he as well as his sons lived to enjoy the well-earned fame and rewards of their labours. But very different are the recollections attached to the names of Frobisher, of Davis, and of Hudson. An expedition had been sent to these parts, in the year 1527, at the instigation of a mer- chant of Bristol, Robert Thorne, whose en- larged ideas and enterprising spirit have been §3 ■U H m .m ■jf it' ::\y m ■ . s, I'M « '. Iff s^ ■'■ ^-'19 B H i' ^ I ~ raB? f: •*■ •I* I'd'- : ■'•>. : ■ Efe ^.')0 HISIOKY OF noticed in the History of Newfoundland. One of the ships employed on this expedition was lost in the gulf between Newfoundland and Greenland, and the other escaped with great difficulty. In the year 1576, Martin Frobisher, sent out by Queen Elizabeth for the same pur- pose, made the coast of Labrador on the 28th of July; and thence proceeded to Newfound- land, where he had some communication with the natives, to whom he made presents, and who, in return, destroyed his ship's boat and five sailors who had gone on shore contrary to his orders. The next year he again visited those high latitudes, and discovered West or New Greenland, which received from Queen Eliza- beth the name of Meta Incognita, and to which he was again sent, in the year 1578, for the purpose of erecting there a fort and settling a colony. He had with him one iiundred men for the garrison, and a considerable number of gold refiners, carpenters, bakers, and other persons of various trades proper for such an undertaking. An immense accumulation of ice prevented their reaching Frobisher's Straits ; one of the ships, laden witii a great part of the timber intended for the new settlement, was sunk on this coast by a shock from an island of ice, and it was with the greatest difficulty that the rest of his fleet escaped from the most NEWFOUNDLAND. 3;n imminent dangers, brought on by a terrible storm from the sonth-east, and by tiie repeateil and tremendous shocks and pressure of the vast masses of ice which surrounded his ships. At length, a north-north-west wind dispersed all this ice, and permitted them to approach again towards the land; but the appearance of the coast was so much changed by the snow and thick fogs, that they could not in the least distinguish whereabouts they were. And thus this third voyage of Frobisher terminateu like the two preceding ones, without having effected any thing. So many successive cMsappoint- ments and miscarriages did not, however, dis- courage other adventurers from engaging in similar enterprises. John Davis having sailed from Falmouth with two ships, on the 13th of June, in the year 1585, was, on the lOth of July, alarmed by a tremendous noise in the sea, during a thick fog, though he could not ii:/ ■. ground at three hundred fathoms. He fsoon after observed that this noise proceeded from the waves dashing against immen; s^ masses of ice, through which he got off with considerable difficulty and danger; and the next day his eyes were struck with the view of summits of mountains in the shape of sugar-loaves reaching above the clouds, and entirely covered ^m m * M . ,. 1 i ■■>. IP 1 1 ■ li .' '■*!«! * "vw?j # - m ; t 1 «» 'i.vr 4 332 HISTORY OF 'icv K^ ¥ 'y-' VT. with ice and snow, to wliich he gave the appro- priate name of the Land of Desolation. Un- daunted by the rude and forbidding aspect of these coasts and seas, and by the dangers of this navigation, he proceeded in his course to the strait which now bears his name, penetra- ted into the vast sea now called Hudson's Bay, explored the eastern main within that bay ; and having sailed back along the northern and north-eastern coast of Labrador, he thence pro- ceeded on his return, and on ihe 30th of Sep- tember, in the same year, arrived safely at Dartmouth. Henry Hudson had made, in the years 1607 and 1608, two voyages to these coasts, still in search of a north-west passage to India, during which he had penetrated to eighty degi-ees and a half into the frozen zone. In a third voyage, in the year 1610, rising superior to the extreme hardships and dangers which stared him in the face, he determinetl to pass there the winter, in order to pursue his discoveries as early in the ensuing spring as the season would permit. He Mas making the necessary preparations for that purpose in the beginning of 1611; when his crew, grown desperate by sufferings and by the dread of continuing longer in those seafi, muti- nied, seized upon him and seven of his most faithful adherents, threw them adrift in an open M-.WFOINDLAND. :}33 boat, and set sail fur England. Hudson and his equally unfortunate companions are f^up- posed to have either perished in the waves, or to have been destroyed by the savages. Doctor Morse observes, that though ihvse adventurers failed in the original purpose for which they navigated these parts, yet the pro- ject, even in its failure, has been of considerable advantage to England. These countries abound with animals whose fur and skins are excellent. The Hudson's Bay Company, established by charter in the year 1670, have erected there several forts, and found a very advantageous trade. According to the statement of that writer, in the year 1798, the exports of this Company from England then amounted annu- ally to the value of sixteen thousand pounds ; and the returns to twenty-nine thousand three hundred and forty pounds; yielding to the re- venue three thousand seven hundred and thirty-four pounds sterling; whilst the annual produce of the fishery on that part of New Britain, called Labrador, amounted to upwards of forty-nine thousand pounds. Ji.:...-^ WW 'is ui . • 11 >v t< A- .'i:J4 niSTf)RY OK CHAPTER XIII. OF THE CLIMATE OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND OF THE COAST OF LABRADOR. pr' ^ ,M ■d^-' ; ' 'i' i 'iV- ;l- (■•1 1 ■■»■ t'- :ifi '*?%■ ■^r^ .«■ ■ -vl One of the peculiarities which distinguisli North America from the other parts of the world is the temperature of its rlimate. On the general principle that the heat of this globe is derived from the sun, it is natural to expect that this heat should be in a ratio compounded of his vicinity, the direct impulse of his rays, and the time of his continuance above the horizon; and that both the new and the old Continents should be equally affected under similar latitudes, in the distribution and cha- racter of their several seasons. So various, however, are the degrees of heat in both Con- tinents, under the same latitudes, near the North Pole, and under the equator, that phi- losophers have almost despaired of ever ap- proaching towards a system that would give us h priori any rules for ascertaining or account- ing for these varieties. It is very reiiiarkable that we find, at some periods, a considerable degree of heat near NEWFOl NULA.M). 335 the North Pole, and perpeiiuil frost in the vicinity of the t-qiiiitor. But, upon the whole, cold predominates in North America. The rigour of the freezing zone extends itself over half those regions which, by their positions, should be temperate. Even in the parts lying in the same parallel as the provinces of Asia and Africa, which uniformly enjoy such genial warmth as is most friendly to vegetation, the dominion of cold still continues to be felt, and winter reigns with extreme severity, though during a shorter period. It extends itself even to the torrid zone, w here it mitigates the excess of the ardours of the sun ; so that, while the negro, on the coast of Africa, is scorched with unremitting heat, th ^ inhabitant of Peru breathes an air equally mild and temperate. Newfoundland, part of Nova Scotia, and Canada, lie in the same parallel as the king- dom of France; and in every part of these the water of the rivers is frozen during winter to the thickness of several feet; the earth is co- vered with snow equally deep ; and almost all the birds migrate during that season. The Labrador and the countries on the south of Hudson's Bay are in the same parallel as Great Britain: and yet, in all these, ihf' cold is so intense, that even the industry of Europeans has not attenipted t-ultivation. In the vicinity * J; \i iiih , ? ■■ 'I I': r ■ 3m HISTORY OF ':'^ ?, i^i. ,.0^^ |.#;'''- * i;-' I'?;- '■'■■f of Hudson s Bay, Fahrenlieit's thermometer has been known in January to sink to forty-five degrees below the freezing point ; mercury fre- quently congeals at forty degrees, while spirits of wine will show forty-six. With respect to the southr^'-n parts of North America, several of the plants and fruits peculiar to the coun- tries within the tropics, which are cultivated with success at the Cape of Good Hope, could never be brought to thrive with equal certainty in South Carolina or Florida. This defect is generally imputed to the natural coldness of the climate in America, as the vast number and enormous size of the trees there seem to indicate the extraordinary vigour of the soil in its natural state. Doctor Mitchell, from ob- servations carried on during thirty years, sup- poses this difterence in temperature to be equal to fourteen or fifteen degrees of latitude; so that a place lying in the fortieth degn^e of north latitude in America, will have the tem- perature of a place lying in about the fifty-fifth degree in the old Continent. It is farther remarkable that, as the cold of winter is more severe, so likewise the heat of summer is more intense in North America than in most of the corresponding parts of the ancient Continent. It has already been said, tl»at in the vicinity of Hudson's Bay, Fahreu- """Ok J N^KM FOUNULAMI). 337 lu'it's ihermometer lisis sunk, in the muntli of .Innuary, to Ibi ly-five degret's hflow the freezinj^ |)oiiit; it lias ai.o been seen there to rise in July v° liigh as ei<{hty-five degrees. All iiavi- ji^tors who have visited those regions between the seventieth and the eightieth degrees of north latitude, frequently speak of a heat powerful enough to melt the pitch of thr* ships; which Doctor Forster, who accompa- nied Captain Cook in h; voyages of disco- >iry, observes is not the case in the south <>: America, because, he says, *' the globe con- tains a much greater quantity of land elevated above the surface of the sea, in the northern part, than in the opposite polar regions of the south, which, to those who have explored them, have constantly exliibited nothing but a wide extensive sea; this sea absorbs tlie solar rays, wiiile the land, on the contrary, retlects them in every direction, and <1uis a considera- ble degre(j of heat is generatu!." Various causes have been assigned for this difference of climates under the same latitudes in the new and in the old l^jntinents. Mr. Kirwan, having established for fust princi- ples that, after the sun, the earth is the chief source of heat in the atmosphere, and that, consequently, distance from the earth is a ^(Hircp of cold: that the virissUides of win«U a 4 I. 'V^^ B ^ \ ^ 338 fIISTOK\ (»K pi- ,■ f;*-- X- yf are chiefly occasioned by the change of tempe- rature, which they influence in tiie-v turns, and both together form the state of the atmosphere : he enumerates, among others, the following circumstances as governing the temperature of land: 1. Elevation above the level of the sea. 2. Vicinity or distance of large tracts of water. a. Vicinity or distance of other tracts of land which, by their elevation or the circum- stances of their surface, have a temperature peculiar to themselves, as stony, sandy, antl woody countries. 4. The bearing of neighbouring seas, moun- tains, forests, deserts, &c. America extends farther to the I*ole than any other part of the world, and spreads out immensely to the west: its northern extremity is one entire groupe of high mountains, covered with ice and snow throughout the whole year. These mountains rise in those parts of the Continent that have been discovered in Baffin's Bay, and spread all over to New England. Hence the coast of Labrador is the highest of any in the world, and may be descried at the distance of forty leagues; whilst, in the western parts, discovered Isy the Russians, we are in- formed, that the country has terrible mountains 4 empe- 8, and phere: lowing, iture of a. acts of acts of circum- )erature ly, antl , nioun- )lc than •ads out xtremity covered )\e year. ; of the I Baffin's ingland. ighest of ;d at the ; western ? are in- lountaiw NEWFOUNDLAND. 330 covered with snow in the montii of July, in the latitude of fifly-eight degrees. The wind, in passing over such an extent of high and frozen land, becomes so impregnated with cold, that it acquires a piercing keenness which it retains in its progress through wanner climates, and is not entirely mitigated imti' t r ^« hes the Gulf of Mexico. It is evider ^ cold wind blowing over land, will, at -st .ome part of its temperature, because t^ passage it robs the surface of some of its htat. But, if this cold wind continues to blow in the same direction as it passes over a surface already cooled, it will, at last, suffer no farther abate- ment of its own keenness; and, as it advances over a large tract of land, it will bring on with it all the severity of intense frost. Over all the Continent of North America, a north-west- erly wind and excessive cold are synonimous terms: even in the most sultry weather, the moment that the wind \ eers to that quarter, its penetrating influence is felt in a transition from heat to cold no less violent than sudden. These north-westerly winds are the most jjre- dominant there, and blow with a fury which BO wind exceeds. The great lakes of Canada, which are inland seas extending north-west for twelve or thirteen hundred miles, give force and direction to these winds which blow from z 2 I*' * i^W- '.: W" ■.¥■' -K • \ }§' IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ■y cultivation or otherwise for the absorption of heat, will warm the surface of that ground, and will itself acquire an increasing degree of heat. It is a general observation in England, and in other parts similarly situated, that the greatest heat in the day is about two o'clock in the afternoon, the summer warmest about the middle of July, and the winter coldest about the middle of January. This is considered as the effect of the continued operation of the rays of the sun during the long days, and vice versd. For the same reason the forests which cover America hinder the sun-beams from heating the ground, which, not being heated, cannot heat the air; at the same time that they are a great cause of the temperate climate in the equatorial parts. Doctor Wynne, in his History of America, in opposition to the opinion of those who imagine that the severity of the climate of the north of America is to be attri- buted to the woods, says, that they do not dis- tinguish between wet and cold, or the damps of wood-lands and frosts, which are very dif- ferent things : that these colds are so far from being occasioned by the woods, thiit one-half of that Continent which is the coldest, and from which they proceed, has not a wood in it, and is so barren that it does not bear a tree or a bush. He affirms that it is from this want of i- ■•• !■ illl k ■■U\ m V'-':t: fM'.;r-:.i Ills;: 'r'»' »•'> .142 HISTORY OP and the woocIr in the northern pa lakes, that these furious north-westerly winds proceed, wliich, he says, are very much abated by the woods. In the open plains these cold winds are insufferable both to man and 1)east, and that even in the southern colonies, whilst in the woods they may be endured. This is particularly applicable to the climate of New- foundland. On the barrens the cold is intole* rable ; and in the most intense winters there is a considerable degree of heat in the woods, even so as to produce lassitude and perspira- tion in travelling'. In summer, while the sun is above the horizon, the heat is very great on the barrens, and the woods are extremely cool. These various effects may be accounted for on the principle above laid down by Doctor Wynne, as to the temperature of the barrens in winter; and with respect to the difference of tempera,ture in the woods, the heat in vnnter may be attributed to tl bstructions which impede the communicatA^.i. between the atmo- sphere and th^ surface of the ground, which is thus allowed to retain its natural heat, while, in summer, the effect of the interception of the rtiys of the sun is increased by the cooling ex- halations of the earth and the continual per- spiration of the plants. For it is well known, that the yegetative power of a plant occasions f ■■^■■' NEW lOtNDLANU. Mli A perspiration from the leaves in proportion to the heat to which they are exposed ; and from the nature of evaporation, thin perspiration produces a proportionable degree of cold. In Newfoundland, in the same manner as in Switzerland, and in Siberia, where the cold is known to be extremely intense in winter, the snow is observed to melt first at the bottom : as soon as the temperature of the air has un- dergone a change sufficient to produce an im- pression on the surface of the frozen snow, this immense solid mass, four or five feet deep, and composed of several layers formed by different falls of snow on so many hard frozen surfaces, appears to be worked upon by two powers act- ing in different directions until they meet, when the mass breaks and dissolves in torrents. The effects of such a sudden thaw in New- foundlan-^l is almost inconceivable. The snow which rests on a rocky surface, on the contrary, converted into a solid mass of ice, remains until the rays of the sun have completely melted it, and m some parts of the woods con- tinues in that state even until the middle of summer. Immediately after the melting of the snow, the earth is found unfrozen not only at the surface, but also at any depth, except in those places where the ground is rocky at a small distance from the surface. The melting of the m I w' ID i 1 ii --mm .'M4 HibTouv or li:i<. SMvfv nnow is murli mon; rapid in its lower parts, which, in the most severe winters, are found, by dii^jjfin;^, to consist of a soft substance, called in Newfoundland rotten snow. From the principles of the effects produced by a cold and a warm wind blowing over land and over water, may be explained the severity of winter and frosts, and the intensity of heat, in extensive continents; the comparatively mild climates of islands in the same latitudes, as is the case with Newfoundland in compari- son with Canada, which, in fact, lies more to the southward ; the superior rigour of winter in those parts of North America with which we are best acquainted, and the superior warmth in summer of large continents, situated in the temperate or colder zones of the earth, when compared with those of islands. This explains likewise a fact, which otherwise would appear unaccountable, that the same westerly winds which spread the rigours of winter in America as far as the e(|uator, mitigate its severity in the north-west p^rts of Europe, whilst in India these north-westers are welcome visitors. In Canada the extremes of heat and cold ' are astonishing. In July and August the ther- mometer is often as high as ninety-six degrees, while mercury freezes in the depth of winter. The snow begins generally in November; and. 1 i. m:u Foi ni)l\m). f\V, ill January, the frost is so intense, that it is hardly possible to he lon^ out of doors without risk of serious injury to the i-xtreniities. Most houses have very larjfe stoves placed in the centre, whence flues pass to the other apart- ments. Various other precautions are taken a<^ainst the weather, such as double doors and double windows in the houses, and furs or other very warm coverings for the body. In May, the thaw generally comes suddenly, the ice on the river bursting with the noise of can- non, and its passage to the sea truly terrific, especially when it crashes against a rock. The lieat of summer speedily succeeds the frost, and vegetation is instantaneous. July and August are exceedingly hot, with frequent vio- lent thunder-storms. September is generally the most pleasant month in the year. In Newfoundland, the seasons partake of the general character of the climate in those latitudes, but in a milder degree; for although this island lies in a higher latitude than Canada, the winters are by no means of such intense and continued severity as to require the extra- ordinary precautions which are used there against the cold. Winter generally sets in about the middle of November, and terminates about the middle or latter end of April. The extreme frosts are from Christmas to the middle ,1 Ml Hi l:;i I? f m i )• "^ ,\ "vH ■•'^ .. i nil -il \.. .5 340 IIIhTORY OF m.'^- If'- ■V of March. Summer sets in about the begin- ning of June, and the greatest heats are gene- rally from the beginning of July to tiie end of August. Early winters are commonly severe and long: a mild winter produces a wet sum- mer, and a proper Newfoundland winter occa- sions a dry summer. There is some variation in the time when the winter sets in, but there is none in its termination, on account of the re- gular periodical arrival, on these coasts, of the islands and fields of ice from the northern re- gions, the effect of which is to protract the severity of winter, or rather to bring on a second winter, which lasts until the ice has been driven away by a westerly or north- west erly wind, sufficiently strong to detach and move those immense masses. The sky, towards the northern and western parts of the island, is generally clear and serene, whilst the eastern and southern parts, on the shore and in soundings, are more subject to rains and fogs, on account of their proximity to the banks. These heavy wet fogs are most frequent in the spring and in the fall, when they render the navigation near that coast extremely dangerous. To obviate, in some degree, those dangers, guns are fired from one of the forts in Saint John's every half-hour, or every quarter of an hour, according to circumstances, to in- *- . . ■ »■ ,. I. I ) NKWKH'NDLAM). A47 foiin the vessels which may then hnpp■ Mm m 1, ■'$\ r^ 1i fe'^. 4i I. A ^ m'': h^i 'Ih : • I ^ ii- -"?> '- n4H ill HIiiTORY l)r ('<* renderfl nil motion iinpieaftHnt, and is gently carrying the slrt.-p of drath from the ex- tremities to the lieart. To be then preserved from certain destrurtion, tlic travelh'r must he Ahaken and dra^:^^ed hy force from his fatal bed of slumber; for, arrordiiig to Doctor So- Innder's observation, " Whosoever, in such a case, sits down, will sleep; and whoever sleeps, will wake no more." Or, if he is fortunate enough to escape with his life, he runs great danger of coming out with some of his extre- mities bit by the frost, an accident which some- times happens in Newfoundland, under various circumstances, during the .winter; though not so conmion as in Russia. There, as we are informed by travellers, numbers of persons frecpiently lose their nose, ears, fingers, and toes by it : it is not unusual for people, in pass- ing each other, to call out to take care of their nose; for those who have been bit by the frost are not sensible of it themselves, whereas, it is easily perceived by others, from the white ap- pearance of the part affected : a mortification unavoidably ensues, unless it is prevented in time by rubbing the part with snow till the person recovers his feeling; otherwise the part afTec ted will be completely lost; and this effect may be accelerated by using warm applica- tions, or by entering into a warm room. Among NEW KOINUI.AND. :uy the tnaiiy iii»taiici>w of this kiutl which haw passed under my observation, one was of u remarkably stout and stronj? mariner, whose feet happened to be bit by the froHt, in ronHe- quence of wet from sea water, on his passafi^e from Saint John's to Harbour-Grace. He un- happily fell into the hands of one of the exjieri- mental sons of £sculapius, who attempted to cure his feet by the application of warm water; the consequence of this new mode of treatment was, that the mortification gained upon his limbs with the most alarming rapidity, and his life could not have been preserved but by the amputation of both legs above the knees. A cliange of wind sometimes brings on a sudden partial thaw, Ay Inch is soon succeeded by a frost; and then the surface presents a smooth level of ice. In Europe, the dry freezing winds proceed from north to east: in North America they are f'-ora north to west. When these prevail, the sky is clear and of a dark blue, and the nights transcendently beautiful. Tiie moon displays far greater radiance than in Europe; and, in her absence, her function is not ill supplied by the uncommon and fiery brightness of the stars. The aurora borealis frequently tinges the sky with coloured rays of such brilliancy, that their splendour, not eflaced ercn by that of the full ri' 1' i; 'I .» A h 'Til '■■*' ■ U M ■^ . i ^' '%■'■ H.1 •41 364) IIIHTORY OP if I muori, M o( the utmost iiiia^niricriirr, it' tlir moon (loL'H not Hliinc Sonicliim'H it U'^iuH in the form of a scarf of hn;;ht li^lit Mith itHfxtrc- mitien icstin;^ upon tlie horizon, which, with a motion ri'scinhlin^ that of a tinhin^-nrt, and a noise uiniilar to the ruKthii^ of Hilk, {i:lides softly up the sky, >vhen the Ughts frefpirntly niiite in the zenith and form the top of a rrown; at other times, the motion is hke that of a pair of colours ^vavin^ in tlie air, nnd the diHerent tints of li;^lit present the appearance of so many vast streamers of clian^eahle silk : or spreading into vast columns and altering slowly; or by rapid motions into an immense variety of fthapes, varying its colours from all the tints of yellow to the most obscure russet ; and, after having briskly skinuned along the heavens, or majestically spread itself from the horizon to the zenith, on a sudden it disappears, leaving behind a uniform dusky tract : this is again illuminated, and in the same manner suddenly extinguished. Sometimes it begins with some insulated rayso from the north and the north-east, which increase by degrees until they till the whole sky, forming the most splendid sight that can be conceived, crackling, sparkling, hissing, and making a noise similar to that of artificial fireworks. These phenomena, which are generally con- sidered as the effects of electricity, are looked t'i M:\VrOlNULANU. 361 upon as the forprunneni of Kturros; and iwhra these arise (rf>m the north-east they Mprend the most horrid gloom over the island. ImnicnHe islandH and fields of ice, broii(<;ht down from the northern regions, till up and fre<>/e every buy and harbour, and block up the coast to the distance of several leagues into the ocean. The wind, blowing over this immense surface, is full of fro/en fogs or frost-smoke, arising from the ice, in the shape of an infinite number of icy spiculie, visible to the naked eye, pene- trating into ev«'ry pore and into the smallest apertures of the wooden houses, and rendering the exposure to the open air very disagreeable and even painful. The stated period for the seal-fishery, so as not to injure the cod-fishery, does not admit of any delay; otherwise the voyage would be lost, and it is this very ice that brings the seals near these coasts. The 17th of March is generally the time when vessels are ready to proceed on this fishery. The crews collected together, with as many assistants as can be obtamed from the shore, are distributed into two rows, some with hatchets or large saws, and others with strong poles in their hands. Having fixed upon two lines separated by a space of suffi- cient breadth to allow the ships or vessels to pas« through freely, each party cuts ahmg the Hi ii 111 If III \\\ 1}^ •n. Iiij tf*' ,,(■1 ' ■!'•' ''' ■ ,i i I- ' p- ,^ ' pi;-;. § ^': ■ lib ^ 1^' .352 HISTORY OF solid mass into squares, which are afterwards divided across from one line to the other, and shoved M'ith poles under the firm ic*', or else pushed alonj^ to the openinj^, if this iiappens to be at a small distance. Tiiis operation, which is extremely laborious, is continued until a way has been worked into the open sea. Where the harbour is divided by a beach, or by pro- jectinj^f rocks, the space thus cut oft" to those points, if the wind is in the riuht quarter, will generally shake and loosen the whole mass, which is easily removed by means of poles, and the harbours will be completely cleared in a very short time. But when the ice is of con- siderable thickness, after a long and steady frost, the task is harder in proportion ; the o|>e- ration must be continued to the mouth of the harbour, and forms in the middle a beautiful channel, to which the contrast of the white colour of the surrounding ice gives a very dark tint. I saw, in the spring of the year 1801, that operation performed in Saint John's Har- bour, to open a passage to the Pluto sloop of war, commanded by Captain Edgell, a gentle- man whose name will be long remembered there with pleasure. The winter had been un- usually severe; the ice in the harbour, of con- siderable thickness, had the consistency of a rocky surface, whilst its uniform smoothness NEWFOUNDLAND. 353 en un- ;>f con- y of a Dthnes^i gave it the appearance of an even plain. The cold was intense and the day of the greatest beauty. An immense concourHe of people had collected on the ice, where there were likewise several officers and other gentlemen on horse- back. The operation was long and extremely laborious, performed with very large and heavy saws, the hatchets l>eing used only to cut the pieces of ice across from line to line. After the passage had been completely opened through the whole middle channel of the har- bour, the ice still c<^>ntinuing firm on both sides, the appearance of the Pluto, with most of her sails set and filled by a gentle breeze from the westward, proceeding majestically through the channel, was truly grand and exceedingly beautiful. When the ice has completely left the bays and harbours, which frequently happens in the course of one night, the change in the tempera- ture of the weather is great and indescribably rapid; but should the wind turn to the east- ward, all that ice returns instantly and restores things to the same state in which tliey were before; winter then resumes liis empire, and sometimes seems to revenge the temporary in- terruption of his reign by additional severity and rigour. The south-east storms are the most violent, but the north-east are of the 'm 1 ill* . i i'J 'I I ;1f- ••'I '^^1 4t s 354 HISTORY OF i.'v longest continuance, and attended with every circumstance that can complete the asperity of that dreary season. The spring is generally attended by fogs and rains. About the beginning of June the change of climate is sensible, and from the middle of July, and frequently sooner, to the latter end of August, the heats are so considerable as to require a change to what is called summer-dress. Not a cloud is to be perceived, and for some hours, commonly be- tween ten in the morning and four in the afternoon, the warmth of the weather is fre- quently such as, according to the observations of competent judges, not to be exceeded in any part of the West Indies. It is, however, gene- rally not only tolerable but extremely pleasant. The nights are transcendently beautiful: the clearness of the heavens, the serenity of the air, the bright radiance of the moon, the uncommon beauty of the stars, each of which, particularly near the horizon, strongly resembles a ship's light at a distance ; all these produce the most exquisitely delightful scene that can be ima- gined. It is impossible to conceive, much more to describe, the splendid appearance of Concep- tion-Bay and its harbours on such a night, at the time of what is there called the Cape- i^i' MiWrOUNDI, \N1). 3/).') lin-Mkiill. Then its vast suiface is completely covered with myriads of tishes of various kinds and sizes, all actively engaged either in pur' suing or in avoiding each other; the whales alternately rising and plunging, throwing into the air spouts of water; the cod-fish bounding above the waves, and reflecting the light of the moon from their silvery surface ; the capelins hur- rying away in immense shoals to seek a refuge on the shore, where each retiring wave leaves countless multitudes skipping upon the sand, an easy prey to the women and children who stand there with barrows and buckets ready to seize upon the precious and plentiful booty; while the fishermen in their skifl's, with nets matie for that purpose, are industriously employed in securing a sufficient cpiantity of this valuable bait for their fishery. September is the most uniformly temperate month. Towards the middle of October the weather grows cool and variable, and, at the end of that month, the rains and fogs have already begun to alter the state of the atmo- f5phere, and continue, without any considerable interruption, until about the middle of Decem- ber, when snow, frost and cold piercing winds, announce the approach of winter. The coast is then beaten by a rough and heavy sea, which has assumed a darker hue, roaring with incessant A it i ill 'in w I fill ■ ;'^''V' JU. 1 ', ' *• .•-■ ,1 itK ','111 ; 'f :!./■. 1 1 Vr 'i. 1 ■i,.. ',; J li k tti ^ ^n lllil ' ^ M <'-) M ,:l| HT-'tffl .'i| ,'1 E H8 it' ! Ill ^n mm hi'' • .■> 350 UlaiTOUY OF '«Vi re- ■■ ■ i'.- my ■•' noise, shaking and even tearing down the«tage« and other wooden erections for the fishery, which lie in exposed situations, and which have been spared by the equinoctial gales. The wind varies from the south-east round to the north- east and north, driving before it on the shore storms of snow and sleet, till, at last, the north- west having acquired the superiority, the atmo- sphere is cleared, the frost intense, and the weather salutary, though occasionally disturbed by violent storms of snow from the west and north, and of cutting sleet from the north-east and east. From this state of the climate of Newfound- land and the adjacent parts of North America, it appears evident, that this island is not calcu- lated to j)roduce any thing sufficient for the support of its inhabitants. It has, indeed, been justly observed, that most parts of Europe, particularly about the central and northern regions, are now mucli less cold than they were in the time of Augus- tus: this change is attributed to the improve- ment in the agriculture of those countries, the removal of superabundant forests, and the draining of marshes. But let us take a view of the map of Newfoundland ; let us observe those deep bays which, intersecting it into peninsulas, carry into its very centre the frosts and ice of the •'»• I ■;t NEWFOUNDLAND. 357 arctic r^ons, from which proceed the winds that are most prevalent in these latitudes during the winter; and it will appear a very probable conclusion, that no internal improvement can produce a material effect on its climate ; that any attempt of this kind must be fruitless, and lead only to a waste of labour and expense; and that, consequently, Newfoundland can never be truly valuable but as a fishery, unless Greenland should be restored to the state from which it is supposed to have originally derived its name. 'Hi 3.)S IHSTOUV OK i';^- CHAPTER XIV. ^V my m ■;.?.■ - "■ NATIRAL PRODUCTIONS OF THE ISLAND OI-* NEWFOUNDLAND AND OF THE COAST OF LABRADOR. Although the character of the climate, and the appearance of the land in the island of Newfoundland, as far as it has been explored, are by no means calculated to encourage any well-grounded hopes of success in agricul- tural improvements, various circumstances have, nevertheless, led to attempts of this kind from the earliest period, even since the year 1615, when Ferrvland became the seat of the Government of Avalon. Necessity naturally induced the inhabitants to avail them- selves of every advantage of their situation; at full liberty to select those grounds which were most favourable to their views, the coasts, beaches, and coves, afforded them an abundant and never-failing supply of kelp and other sea- weeds fit for manure ; and the ashes of bushes and trees in the neighbouring woods consumed by fires, the effects either of accident or of !A- OF NEWFOUNDLAND. 359 deflign, mnst have made no nmall addition to the natural fertility of the lands so cleared, if they had any. These facilities were appreci- ated and considerably improved by the several patentees, with a view to make the most of the lands allotted them; by the opident merchants, in order to increase their own comforts ; and by several officers of the army, who could more easily devote their time and attention to such pursuits, and procure labourers without inter- fering with the fishery. From the operation of all these causes and facilities, it would be na- tural to expect most extensive improvements in the space of two hundred years. And yet the best cultivated grounds, at this day,* scarcely bring even oats to perfect maturity. Potatoes, and cabbage, both green and red, are the most valuable productions of the island, growing in plots more or less extensive attached to most houses and fishermen's huts. The mode of planting potatoes is the same as in Ireland. The root is cut into several pieces, each of which has an eye: these are spread oh ridges with the hand, or on the back of the spade, after it has been driven to some depth into the ground. These ridges, four or i ii i • Vie. to the year 1812. '■«* r;:^ 3(M) HISTORY UF r^ m:-. l^t. I^X: IS:: ■ |lri,¥'f:!:.' fm:. ■ Km'\ ■ ■.■ It! '^v five feet wide, without any other preparation than a thin bed of !;elp, or other manure, over which the seed is laid, are then covered with earth and stones dug out from furrows, on each side, of somewhat less than half the breadth of the ridge. This operation is repeated at two several times, as the plant is rising above the surface, to give it strength, and is then called trenching. Late in the fall the potatoes are dug out and secured in cellars under ground. This valuable root is frequently injured by the early frosts before it has been housed, as well as in the cellars, during the winter, if the least damp or cold air reaches them. Even in the most favourable seasons the stock of potatoes raised in the island is so far from adequate to the consumption of the inhabitants, that early arrivals of vessels in the spring are expected with great anxiety for fresh supplies of that commodity. Turnips, parsnips, peas, beans, radishes, common small salad, lettuce of various kinds, and sorrel, succeed very well in the gardens, and form an important part of the *' luxuries" of that country. Even the common dandelion is most eagerly sought after in the spring, as a substitute for the greater delicacies of the fine . season. Melons have been attempted with NKWFOt'NDLAND. .3«l MOine success in hot-houHes: curumbers are raised with less difficulty ; and fine hops >vith the greatest facility. Red, black, and white currants, gooseberries, and strawberries, grow there in the greatest j)erfection; a smaller kind of the latter fruit grows spontaneously among the rocks and in the woods; raspberries grow any where. The cherries are excellent, but only of one kind, usually known by the name of Kentish cherries. Damascenes, or damsons, grow in abundance on handsome low trees, but seldom come to complete maturity. The plains throughout the whole island are almost covered with low bushes which bear a variety of wild berries. The snake-root, the capilaire, or maidenhair, and the wisha capucoa, well known in most parts of the north of Ame- rica, under the name of American, or Indian tea^ are likewise extremely common in Newfound- land and the neighbouring islands. When in blossom this latter plant is most beautiful : its leaves green on the upper, and woolly on the under surface, of a very thick texture, are used like tea. M. Cassini, who observed this plant in the island of Saint Peter, says, that it greatly resembles their rosemary, both in the stalk and in the leaf. The common mode of using it is to boil it over night, to let it steep till the morn- ■m 1W '■'H Ivi w H '■i sm It.,'' ■' .*?fl2 HISTORY OP W fe ^.!- liV ■■ m m ing, and then to warm the liquor. It in not only a pleasant beverage, but is also consi- dered by the oldest inhabitants as particularly wholesome in the spring. Another still more remarkable plant, found in the woods of Newfoundland, is the Saracenia, commonly called side-saddle flower, or pitcher- plant. Its flowers, shaped like a lady's saddle, are surrounded with a vast number of pitchers alon^ with the leaves, to receive the rain-water. The lids expand or shut according to the neces- sities of the plant ; and they are of so strong a texture that, being laid on a fire, they will bear for some minutes a heat sufficient to make the water in them boil. This plant is accurately described in the twentieth number of Doctor Thornton's Temple of Flora. The swamps abound with a pleasing variety of reeds and flowers of various sizes and colours ; and the woods with mosses and feme: some of them have a most beautiful and uncommon ap- pearance and texture, particularly those found on the bark of trees which have lain for some time on the ground. On the road from Portu- gal-Cove to the town of Saint John's is an ex- tensive marsh, covered with various kinds of grasses, among which are seen thinly spread about thick cylindrical, black stalks, about two feet in height, surmounted at top with a thick 'i! M.WFOrNPLANI). :i((a circular ttift oniiu* white rottoii-likc (ilainents. Wild rose», both red and wiiitc, vi(»lets, and inary(j;(»lds, ai'i- likeMise coniiuon in Jlit- woods, whilNt tlu' Hun-Hower, the various kinds of lilies, roses, and other superior flowers, succeed very well in cultivated grounds, displaying; in Au;;uHt ami Septendx^r all the beauties of an Kuropt^sin sprin<2:. It is in fact, at that time of the year, that nature distributes ail her most valuable produc- tions: the various bushes and th<' cherry-trees then vield their hemes arrived at maturity ; whilst the merchant vessels brinji: the pine-apple and other delicious fruits from the West ladies, and beautiful grapes, oranges, and lemons, from Portugal and Spain. But this abundance and variety of good things last but a very short time. They all come at once, and, after a few weeks, vanish all together; so tiiie is the common saying in New foundland : " A short feast, and a long famine." Red currants may be an exception to this nde, as they have been seen to remain on the bushes in a perfect state until the mid- dle, and sometimes even to the end of Octolier. With respect to the general character of the woods in Newfoundland, M. Cassini, in his accoimt of the Islands of Saint Pierre and the Miquelons, describes them as consisting of sorry fir-trees and some few birch, the only trees that grew in that country, so far as he I ■ ill' ^ ni .■ 'i ■ ..'«..i m i<.r .Kii NisTnnv oi-- 1^ IV; {"■'■ W 1 y w- ■■■■ could find ; addin^r. that he did not nee n i«iiip;le tree more than twelve feet high in all that part of the island where he went. On tl.e other hand, we find that several respectable writr>rN, on the authority and in the very words of a His- tory of North and South America, published in the year 1776, have held out the delusive hope, that "the island of Newfoundland, whenever the Continent shall come to fail of timber convenient to navigation, which, perhaps," they r^ay, *' is no very remote prospect, will afford a cujuoas supply for masts, yards, and all sorttt of lumber for the West India trade." This substitution of lumber in the last period, to timber in the first part of this sentence, is extremely judioiuus, taking the former word in the sense given by Doctor Johnson: " any thing useless or cum- " bersciiie; any thing of more bulk than value:" nay, it muy be said here, that the value and bulk are generally pretty nearly equal. The few at- tempts that have hitherto* been made to build iu that island ships or brigs, intended for long voyages, have ended in the production of ves- sels that might perhaps live seven years at the most, and which were designated there by the ominoof* appellation of i. • u^vuidland coffins. The inhabitants there -^'r/ns, r ocwithsl.;.«iing • Viz. to the vear 1812. NEWrOl'NDl.ANU. aoA the Ktrun^ iiidnccineiil ''f Ilit- grvjit diflVrt-ace yvUicU it would make in tlu- pricr of tlieir mate- risds, will scarcely evtr trust to the Nevrfouiid- laiid growth for the principal pit'crii of timber lived ill their 8cliooners or Miiuiller <-rat\. In all cases,' where strength and durability are re- quired, recourse is had to timber imported tnuu Miramichi, in New Brunswick, and other parts of North America. Tlie only uses to which tiie Newfoundland lumber is generally applied, are as lungers, posts, and other parts o< th< ir fishing stages; staves for oil and tish < >sks, and even of these a considerable proportion in annually imported from abroad; clapboard and firewood. The severity of the Newfound- land winters, the violent storms and extensive floods to which this island is subject, and the ^ery small depth of the mould, which is scarcely sufficient to cover the roots of the trees, must necessarily prevent these from attaining to their natural size, solidity, and compactedness. The family of firs and evergreens compose, perhaps, the largest proportion of the trees fcMind in the forests of Newfoundland. The spruce, or true fir, grows straight and tapering; its twigs with the leaves boiled, and mixed with molasses, make a beverage, or beer, which is esteemed particularly wholesome. Jlwe are also the white spruce-fir, which grows 1 1 j^"^:! ^1 h'-. H\-. If 300 HISTORY OK f^.k f • lit- •■ f< ,t » •I i; tf' ■ in swamps or marshes, several kinds of pine- trees, small alder, asp, ash, beech, and elm. 1 have seen some beautiful specimens of the silver-leaved Hr on the late Stephen Knights farm, near Quidy-Vidy-Pond. White and black birch are very common, particularly in those parts of the woods which have been wasted by fire. Cherry-trees are also somt>- times seen in those j)arts of the woods which border on the sea-coast. Kelp and several other kinds of large sea- weeds are extremelv abundant in the tlifferenl bays and harbours, and profitably used as ma- nure. Here also are found some of tiiose ex- traordinary productions of nature which com- pose the order of zoophyta, or animal flowers, forming- tlie link between the ve;^etable and the animal kingdoms. The specimen which I had an opportunity of observing, in the year 1811, in Bay-Bulls, resembled a collection of long thick leaves, issuing from the .surface of a small insulated rock not far from the shore, and always under water. These seeming leaves were of a bright straw colour, with streaks and spots of green distributed in some parts in a regular and in others in an irregular manner. On the near approach of a stick or other similar substance they immediately con- tracted towards tjie centre, and closed toge- f^» .* [.,: > • ■;?. t':'- i ■r ' vi |-' NEWFOrXDLAND. 307 uf pim*- elin. 1 of tlic ICnijjIits litf and jlarly in ve been o some- Is Nvhicli irge sea- dift'erenl d as ma- ihose e\- ich corn- flowers, ?. and the cli I had ear 1811, . of long ice of a le shore, seemmg )ur, with I in some irregular stick or tely con- ned toge- ther, iiaving then the appearance of a plant in the form of a truncated cone : but, if left undis- turbed for a few minutes, they gradually ex- panded, thougli at tirst very cautiously, till they appeared in all their former bloom, waving sometimes together and sometimes separately in diflerent directions. The rock itself exhi- bited on its surface a thick, bed of the weed called water-bottles, very much resembling scattered clusters of unripe grape. Every at- tempt to lay hold of any of those seeming leaves was fruitless. I was informed that this rock had been more than once most carefully bored and drilled with a sharp iron instrument, so as to destroy every vestige of vegetation on its surface, and to lay it completely bare; and in the course of a few days the plant was seen again on the very same spot, displaying the same appearances as before, of bloom, sensa- tion, and voluntary motion of its parts. To the mineralogist Newfoundland may probably present an interesting and abundant field, treasures hitherto unexplored, if credit is given to the only source of information which can be had on this subject, namely, the tradi- tionary reports which are rejjeated with confi- dence by tlie oldest inhabitants of the island. From these it would a|)j)ear, 1st. that Concep- fion-Bav has always been understood io cou- . m ik m ■ ^1 ;\ ^u>---- v'^'lt: :i :vk- i^:^r-i ■ ■^ii 'u r^tk^ ;^1 ■^;^A^ ,• U^^'^ ' Hpp''.< K*^ . : • fpt' > Hp^ ' ' i-' iKK^v: Kj^iV' >■* K,'-' .-' • ■ ■l^<^-' lEr \''^ ' ^^•'■'■' P^»'' »' ■ ?' - ■ ![?■.'■■'■ p'-.v, • Kr-f ■ ; ■ fc"' ^ !?• ' ' v'^'.: ■/ • S^i'--'' ^Hvjf rr-.- -■> ^■tl i->. ^". Wt3 h-- ■ Hf S.s'r ':, ■| ■i'/ ^1-* i If- ^ ^^B 4 n^ ■.■^ : W >■■;■■"■' .. r.V;* ■ ' »"•' !;v*': * * ■'!' (''• 1 , ■ •( ■■■ fl; ; . ^ f^<'- * ^ '1 ■\ 1 , .4..' y ■ ■, 1^' .; -M-- ■■■•? v.? >i' "V'- ;?• • ij-' 308 HISTORY OI' tain mines of several sorts; that, at Chapel- Cove, at the head of that bay, there is a coal- mine. A lime- kiln was some years ago erected in that neighbourhood, and for some time worked with tolerable success. Sd. That there is an iron-mine at Back-Cove, on the northern side of Bell-Isle, near Portugal-Cove ; another on a high hill, called the Look-Out, on the back of the town of Harbour-Grace. In this latter place there arc two remarkable springs, which are considered as of a mineral nature ; the one on the easterly boundaries of wiiat is called there Stretton's farm, or plantation, and the other about halfway on the road from tin- church to the river-head of Harbour-Cirace. It has also been positively asserted, by several respectable ancient inhabitants, that Shoal- Bay, lying between Petty-Harbour and Bay- Bulls, to the south of the town of Saint John'.*, contains a mine of copper ore; that, about the year 1775, some Cornish miners were brought over from England, at the invitation of the then Collector of the Customs in Saint John's, for the express purpose of working this supposed mine; that an attempt was actually made, but soon after relinquished, on account of the ex- |>en8e, and the tardiness of returns adequate to the farther prosecution of the new underta- king. f' NEWFOUNDLAND. 369 Doctor Forster afiirms that there are in Newfoundland, as well as in Cape-Breton, such rich coal-niin«'s, that, if they were worked, their produce woulil be suflicient to supply all £uro{)e and America abundantly with this commodity; and that some even are so advan^ tageously situated, that the coals might be thrown directly from the coal-works themselves into the ships as they lie close to the shore. This piece of intelligence, he says, he had from his late friend Captain Cook, who, for several years successively had explored the shores of this island, taken their bearings and respec- tive distances, and laid ihem down on charts. But a less doubtful mineral production, re- markable for the unfortunate mistakes which it has occasioned from the earliest period since the discovery of this island, is to be found near Catalina-Harbour, between Cape-Bonavista and Trinity- Harbour. It is a clift' almost entirely composed of gold marcasite, which goes there bv the name of Catalhm-stotte ; a heavv, shining, yellowish substance, which, like flint, emits fire when struck with steel; and, when exposed in an iron spoon to the action of fire, yields a blue sulphureous flame, and after- wards calcines into a purple powder. Sir Martin Frobisher seems to be the first on i»b ■<^ ^. 1mi ii'- vt ■■'a I- \t :?t^i M ■ 1 ■ I*; :i rfil 370 HISTORY OF 'ii 1 J V it record who was deceived by the external ap- pearance of this substance into a confidence that he had, at last, found the precious metal so ardently sought afttn* in those times. In the voyage which he performed, in the year 1576, to attempt a north-west passage to India, we are informed, that having met with a vast quan- tity of ice, he at last saw land on the 28th of July, and again on the 1st of August: on the 11th, he entered into a strait, where he had some communication with the natives, lost five of his men, and then left that coast, carry- ing with him, among other things, a shining and very heavy stone which was afterwards found to be gold marcasite, or pyrites aureus. This last circumstance seems to fix accuratelv the place, otherwise doubtful in the relation of the voyage, where those transactions took place : for, in three different charts of " Ortelio's Theatro del Orbe de la Tierra," each of which bears the date of the year 1587, Trinity-Bay is represented as a strait leaving Avalon to the south-east as a distinct island. Seven years afterwards. Sir Humphrey Gil- bert was deceived in the same manner, though accompanied by an " expert Saxon miner." It must appear surprising that an experienced miner and assayist, as Hackluyt represents tiiis NEWFOUNDLAND. 371 Daniel to have been, >shuiild have (alien into snch an error; or was it an artifice to induce the Admiral to hasten his return to En<;land? This mineral, known by the names of mar- casite, coppera-stone, and horse-iL:;«»ld, is fre- quently found mixed with copper, iron, arsenic, silver, and gold. It likewise abounds in coal- pits so much that it is found necessary to sepa- rate it carefully from the coal. The pieces so separated and laid in heaps have been known, in several instances, to take fire and to bnrn like red-hot coals, to the j^reat alarm and annoyance of the neighbourhood, on account of the sulphureous and fcctid exhalations which they emitted to a considerable distance. The master of a copperas-work, at Whitstable, in Kent, had laid pyrites, to the quantity of about three hundred tons, in a heap, and built over it a shed to keep off the rain, in the space of a few months, the heap was S4.en to emit a strong sulphureous smoke, soon after took fire, and continued to burn for a whole week, until the inhabitants of the place and neighbourhood, for their own sake, united their endeavours to extinguish it. The same accident has been ob- served at Whitehaven, at Halifax, and at Ealand. It is to this property of taking fire spontaneously, when affected bv a certain degree of moisture, as well as to that of striking fire, like flint, with 15 b 2 ■. Xi ■ '£« ■^r ■ i'i ftill iii t./ m 372 HISTORY OF ?/i. sttMil, that this mineral owes its scientitic name of pyrites, from tlie f ireek word ioxjirc. For the same reason, pyrites liave been considered by the Reverend Mr. Michell, and several other writers in the middle of the eif^liteenth century, as tlu' principal cause of earthquakes, which w(Me represented a.s proceeding from the admission of water to subterraneous (ires, and from the elastic vapour which Mas pro- duced in consequence of such admission. The ground of this theory was, that a little rivulet passing over a bed of pyrites will first produce heat, then smoke, and at last a clear flame. The same effect has also been observed in coal-pits: for though the coals, of themselves, do not, strictly speaking, enter into combustion, yet, when contaminated with pyrites beyond the usual proportion, and moistened by rain or other means, their accumulations Mill easily take fire, as it happened above a hundred years ago at Puddle-Wharf, in London. Even their native strata have been known to burn for a long series of years from the same cause. The clift's near Charmouth, in Dorsetshire, took fire, in August, 1751, in consequence of a heavv fall of rain after a hot and dry season, and conti- nued at intervals to emit flame for several vears. These clifl's are said to consist of a dark-co- loured bituminous loam, in which are imbedded NKWl Ol'NDLANI). 373 large quantities of (liflrreiit kinds of pyrites. In tlie same manner, and from tlu'same <'anses, the cliff above mentioned, near Catalina-IIar- Ijour, in Newfoundland, frrijuently takes lire and continues to emit llame for a louiier or shorter time, according; to circujustanees of wind and weather. Tlie only article of any interest tliat the coast of Labrador j)resents to tlie mineralo<;ist, is known by the name of the Labmdoi-slone^ or " spatum rutilum versicolor." This beauti- ful stone was first discovered about the year 1 778 1 >y the Moravians. Its colour is sometimes of a light, sometimes of a deep, and mostly of a blackish grey; but when held in certain posi- tions to the light, it discovers different varieties of beautiful shining colours, as lazuly-blue, grass-green, apple-green, pea-green, and not seldom a citron-yellow: some have an inter- mediate colour between red-copper and tom- back-grey, some between grey and violet; these colours are seen sometimes in stripes, but generally in spots, on the same piece. The Labrador-stones are found in pretty large piec.es of an angular form: their fracture appears foliated, and the broken parts are rhomboidal; they are semi-transparent, and in other respects agree with the felt-spar. Of the animals to be found in Newfound- rv" •f- 'M\ ■j.i m K| P 1- B*^';.," If ^:^^ ■ if...' mi ;;<:. ■ . p-'/»/ ■ 374 HISTORY OF land, some are of European extraction; others are natives, and, except the proper Newfound- land jloi;-, common to the northern regions of British America. Of the first class are the few horses and black cattle which are kept there. These are generally left, during the summer, to range in the woods and valleys, where they find suffi- cient pasture; and when, towards the fall, this support fails them, they repair, as by in- stinct, to their owners' dwellings, sometimes ■with the addition of a foal or a calf; but, if the cow has a calf at home, she will never absent herself for a longer time than until the dusk of the evening. Goats are numerous, easily kept, and very useful on account of their kids, and also of their milk, which is generally used in the island, and by many preferred to cow's milk. Swine are likewise extremely common, to the fre((uent annoyance of the gardens and potatoe-grouiids: they are liable to acquire a fishy taste, whi(?h they will communicate to their litter, if they are not confined for some time previous to their farrowing; the same precau- tion is likewise necessary y»revious to tlieir being killed for use. Rabbits have of late years been introduced into some small islands in Concep- tion-Bay, where they have considerably increa- sed, notwithstanding the absurd method some- ii NEWFOUNDLAND. 75 times used of shooting them ; the consequence of which must he tlmt the rabbit, if only wounded, will crawl into a hole and there die. Among the common domestic animals, the cat is one of the most useful, on account of the vast number of rats and mice which infest the stores and dwelling-houses. The rats there are of an amazing size and uncommonly bold, having frequently been seen to cross the streets in the day-time in their way to the provision- stores, to maintain their grountl against a dog, and to show little dread at the approach of man. Among the wild inhabitants of the woods, the deer hold the tirst rank, on account of their size, numbers, and utility. These multiply in the interior of the island with the greater ease, as they are less disturbed and more secure. Bears, beavers, otters, the common or red fox, hares, and martens, are likewise found there in vast numbers, and furnish an abundant and very profitable employment to the furriers, du- ring the winter season, both in Newfoundland and in the other parts of those latitudes. The winter is the usual season for hunting. At that time the snow, deep and hardened by the frost, presents every where a surface uniformly level, dry, and convenient for those pursuits. The hunters head is sheltered by a north-wester, or ;.( R> U ' K >,/; L>- ' I. . J.;-V . ^. J fkr:. tc ' i M'> ■ pr It'' K' ' ^sT-'. :- Dv -'^ ■ < ?!^:; - ■ .H: 1" .1 l''^'''' > m i^ i' '■ • -.JK 1; ; ' ■ :■;# 376 HISTOHY OF hood, which covers his head and shonhh'rs, and is fastened by pinovers, or picrcs of Hannei tacked to one side of the north-wester and pinned to the otiier, the one co\erinj:; th<' nose, and the other tiie chin; his liands are con- cealed in warm cufl's, in shape like those used in En<;'land by hedj^ers; and his feet are armed with hj;lit broad rackets. Thus prepared, he fearh'ssly ranj^es about, or, accord inji^ to the technical term, rummaifcs in search of hirs game. Another important consideration, which makes winter the best season for these ]»ur[)Oses, is that, at this time, the fnr is in its greatest per- fection; for every thing animate and inanimate bears then the li\ ery of winter. The variety of colours which before deckeil these animals is changed into one un f- rm wliite; and all, even the dogs and cats which may have been but very lat<^ly carried there from a warmer climate, acquire a much softer and thicker coat than they had originally : this coat is covered witli long white glossy hairs, known there by the name of king-hairs, and in the spring fall oft* in large flocks, which the animals eagerly tear oft' with their teeth, as if anxious to be free from them. This remarkable change is likewise observed in birds, some of which, as the par- tridge, become entirely white, and all assume a thicker coat of down, which they change in |i !M NKWFOUNDLAM). 377 the spring for their iisiiiti siiiiinu'r-coviTini^. The skinH of deer in partieiilar are, al that tiiiie, iiiieommoiilv heaiitifiil. The usual moth; of huiitiiii; for fur is with traps, ifenerally caUed (halh-J'alls, made of lo^s, whicli may l)e proportioned in tlieir construc- tion to the size of any aninud. Th<*se consist of a bridge, or piece* of board placed within, one end of which is hung to a small stake hy a piece of twine, and the otiun- end is supported in an horizontal position by a Umgue. This tongue is a peg tied to the end of the line which supports another piece, called the cat- killer; the butt end of which is placed under a fork or notch in a stake, and the point is inserted in a hole in the end of the biidge. The cat-killer has one end turning upon a nail driven into a long stake, whilst the other is supported high up by a line which passes over a crutch on the top of a stake, and then comes dorvn to another at the bottom, w here one end of the tongue is fixed. Upon the ground, across the front of the death-fall, lies a third piece, called the ground-killer. When an animal treads on the bridge, the peg is drawn out; thus the cat-killer is set at liberty, and falls upon the back of the animal; whilst the main-killer, one end of which rests upon the ground, and the other upon the elevated end of f I i : I :l ■ 'i . 1' - •ii' !«■ ri: ' «i| a <^- 37H III.VrORY OK 1.'/.. I ;* thf rjit-killer, falls with it and SfTves to keep it •lowii, Ovrr the whoh' is a cat-house, or hut of honv:li^<. to defend the trap from the snow. Anotlier sort of trap or snare uselan(M' to nnitt«m: tlir tail, siiap(l that w<' shall mention nn- rthish«'a(l,th ^ iiistancf, t«» disagrto with tlie cats of tlu' liojisr. whom he treated rather witli a kind of dignified comh^scension. lint tlie doi^, unless closely Matched, would run after sheep wherever he could trace them, even drive them from high clifl's into the water, and jiunp in alter them; not, however, without first considerinju^ the ele- vation of the clifl"; for, if he thought it too great, he would riui down and take the nearest more convenient place to continue his pursuit. The owner of that dog had, at one time, some domesticated wild geese, one of which would frequently follow liim in his morning walks, side by side with Jowler: they seemed to live toge- thei- on the best terms. Unfortunately the ser- vant neglected one night to confine tht^m, ac- cording to custom; the next morning the feathers of the favourite goose were found scattered in a small field adjoining to the grounds. The dog was soon after found con- cealed in a corner of the w ood-yard, and on his master looking at him, exhibited evitlent signs of conscious guilt: his master took him to the field, and pointed out to him the feathers: the dog, staring at him, uttered a loud growl, and ran away with all the speed of which he was capable; nor could he bear his master's sight for some days afterwards. At another time, the Author had three young sheep, for whom in he NF.wrorNni.ANi). :mi \hv day-tinu' tin- tlotv s«'»'nu'(l to ;ifl»'( t the utnioHt indiflrreiK-e: the sen ant iieii;leete(l one eveninr»d. It is a remarkable eir- rumstanee, that the Newfonndland doir, when pnrsninu' a flock of sheep, will sinnleout erne of them, and, if not pri'vented, which is a matter of considerable ditticulty, will never leave oft" the pnrsuit until he has mastered his intendeil victim, always aimins;' at the throat; and, after havin*; sucked the blood, has never been known to touch tht; carcase. The natural colour of this do*^- was a perfect black, with tlie exception of very few white spots. As soon as winter approache ' £■•'1 :l'i Pi I;. 1*1;. 'V ■ *. ■ ' and iahourcrs in the neighbourhood were inde- fatigable in their endeavours to find out his iiaunt, but without success. Whether he was ultimately destroyed, or properly secured by his owner, we are not informed; but there is sufficient ground to suppose that this ferocious beast, as he is called in the account of tliis fact, was a Newfoundland dog. The Greenland dog is said exactly to re- semble the dogs of the Esquimaux of the Labrador, frequently to snarl and howl, but never to have been heard to bark. He is also described as naturally timorous, at the same time that, if not tamed when young, he be- comes remarkably wild. The Author's New- fimndland dog never manifested any sign of a timorous disposition. After many hard- fought battles until he had attained to his full growth, he soon established his character and superiority. He was not quarrelsome; he treated the smaller species with a great degree of patience and forbearance: but when at- tacked by a dog of his size, or engaged in re- storing peace among other dogs, he would set- to most vigorously, and continue the struggle until submission was obtained or peace com- pletely re-established : he would then leave the field of battle with a haughty look and a warn- ing growl, and be afterwards as quiet as a NEWFOUNULANU. 387 lamb. His master was perfectly secure in hi8 rumpany ; for the least appearance uf an attack on his pereon roused at once the dog's atten- tion, and produced a tremendous growl, ac- companied with evident signs of being prepared to act in his master's defence, if the case re- quired it. Both species, however, in a wild state, agree in the dispositions and habits of the wolf: they hunt in packs tiie animals of the country for the sake of prey ; and this circumstance has led to the supposition, which by others is deemed groundless, of there being wolves in the island of Newfoumlland. The well-known partiality of the Newfound- land dog for the water, in which, whether salt or fresh, he appears as if he were in his proper element, diving and keeping his head under the surface for a considerable time, as well as his being web-footed, seem to give him some connexion with ihe class of amphibious animals : the several instances of his superior sagacity on record, and the essential services which he has frequently been known to render to huma- nity, give him a distinguished rank in the scale of the brute creation. The beautiful species generally known in England by that name is only half bred. We are assured that Newfoundland contains c c 2 1 ■ M \- i ! ''I ■A ■ 'i i I L W »i rip m- m J. y • rt' '.■}■ 3H« HISTORY or ''i jjii. •■ij' ■ til* ■ * iioiH* of tliosc venomous animals or inserts u'liich inftjst, more or less, other countries, except the fj^at, which is conunonly known there hy its Spanish and Portujujucst^ name of mosquito. Tliese inse(;ts, (hirinji; the summer months, are extremely troublesome in the woods, on the banks of the rivers, lakes, and ponds, and near marshy groimds. They fly about in large bands, and fix themselves on the face, hands, and legs of people, in spite of every effort to avoid them, or to drive them away. It has been observed, that some persons are more liable than others to be attacked and disfigured by them, and that new comers have generally the prefer- ence. They are of a colour drawing towards red, as of corrupted blood : their noise is remark- ably loud, and their sting long and strong for so small a body. This sting produces a large red pimple, or small lump, which is attended with an almost intolerable itching, whilst the scratching of it increases the irritation to an acute pain ; the face grows swelled and disfigured, and fre- quently the whole surface of the head, neck, hands, and legs, is uniformly affected in the same manner. Some find no other mode of protecting themselves against this annoyance, than by smearing their face with tar or pitch; this is probably one of the reasons of the prac- tice prevalent among the natives of the island, NKWroHNDLXM). imv in coiiimo'- uitli all the otiMT North Ameritan Indians, to pai .. diemsiflvt's with a composition, which there consists of urease and r<;d ochre. Comnmn leatliern j;hjve8 will hardly protect the hands, and nothing but leathern boots, carefully closed up round tin.' knees, will sufficiently defend the legs. Some think, that crushing the insect while in the act of inflict- ing the wound is an antidote to the poison which the sting insinuates : bathing the part affected with vinegar, or lime-juice and water, is successfully used for that purpose: other- wise these wounds, when numerous, produce at first a considerable degree of fevtr and a sleepless night; and their effects will continue to be felt for two or three days. Ducks, geese, and common poultry are easily reared; turkeys succeed likewise, but with much greater trouble and expense: where the supply of fresh meat is so irregular and scanty as it is in most of the inhabited parts of New- foundland, these afford a valuable addition to the comforts of a family. When allowed a warm station near the tire-place, the common hen will lay eggs during the most severe winters. Land and water fowl are found there in great variety and abundance, particularly bus- tards, wild geese, and wild, or eider ducks; .* ;) iiHlrii « 1 1 tit . ' 3f)0 HifsioRv or 1^3 " l.^''' ;r- ■. but as the.se birds subsist entirely upon hsli, tlir flesh acquires a very unpalatable taste. Thrir eggs, however, thoup;h rather gross, do not partake of this fishy taste, which is said to be inherent in the skin of the bird, and to (Us- appear with it, when carefully taken oft';* and which all other animals are liable to acquire, if allowed to eat raw fish, whether fresh or salted. The wild-goose is an elegant bird, much better proportioned in its conformation than the common goose; its neck and legs are longer; it is easily domesticated, mixes without difficulty with flocks of the common geese, gradually ac- quires the same habits, and the taste of its flesh loses its original disagreeable nature ; but it never lays in this s'ate. Its cackle is much sharper and louder, and it appears to be superior to the com- mon goose in sagacity, as it is in elegance of form and in quickness of motion. An instance has been mentioned of one that would follow its master in his walks: it was very lively, and would, when pleased, expand its wings, erect its head, cackle, and move around him for some time with a quick motion; it would answer to his call with a sharp quack-quack, and receive food from his hand like the most tame animal. • Vide supra, p. 6.3. NKM FOUND LAM). ai) I I' Partridges, siii|M»s, svf»oil<,'ocks, heathcocks, plovers, curlews, and blackbirds, are also in j;reat abundance, as well as ea«;le8, kites, hawks, and ravens. The partri ' ■ r .]*»•-> iiis-ioi<\ tn thr prinripal placrs wlirrr Inrdn rrwort in iiii- nunsc iniilliliulcs, thrno" ralhd ^jriu Tally Uhv- rnlao birds. It lias licni ohsrrvid l»v Mr. Sloaiu', in his Natural History of Jamaica, that in sailing: towards the VVfst Indian Islands, birds arc oftcnset'natthedistanccoftwohundn d l»'ajj;iu\s from tlic nearest coast; and Captain James (Jook, in liis Voyage to tlir South l*olc, says that, no on<' vet knows to what -o to sea: and that he did not believe that there was one in the whole tribe that could be relied on in pointing out the vicinity of land. This observation, conlirmed by the frequent disap|»ointments into which Columbus fell, in his first voyaj^e, in consecpience ot fol- lowing in this respect the example of the Por- tuguese, from the then c:ommon belief that birds did not venture to any considerable dis- tance from land, is not so strictly applicable to the Baccalao and other birds in the vicinity of Newfoundland. These have a specific object in flying from the coast to the Cireat Bank; for wherever there is good fishing-ground, there they find in greater abundance the fish on which they feed ; and whilst there are on the bank fishing vessels which are obliged, on account of their distance from the land, to split their fish on the spot, there will be found multitudes of birds flying about to seize on the oflals as they p''i . NF.WUMNDI, \M). •Mf.) urr thrown ovfrhoard. Tin y art", tluTrfun-, rxtn-melv iiHt'Ciil to mariurrs, h\ wariiiii;; them of their approacli to a coast, \>hi<)i is frf(HM'iitly coiictahMl tVoiii their \ic\v h\ tliick and Hark t'o^s. It is l>esi(h s well known that the Baccalao hirds \ery seldom extend their flij;;ht heyond th«>n that coast, but they are now utterly extinct. They were known by the name of pviignins, accord- inj5 to some writers from the \\'elsh, in which language that word si|;nilies wliUe-head, the penpjuin havinj? a rcmarkabb' white spot on one side of its otherwise black head ;* wliilst Doctor I^^rst^ r is of opinion that this bird re- ceived Us name from the Spaniards and i*ortu- jjnese, on account of its heavy and fat body. In this case, the ■ ' ^* . " . fr/i ' ' ' - untouched, drawing the rope with such swift- ness that it will set the edge of the boat on fire by the friction; and, in order to prevent this, one of the men stands close to the rope with a bucket of water. The whale soon reaches the length of the rope, and carries along the boat with amazing velocity; the harpooner, with the 9\e in his hands, stands ready: when he observes that the bows of the boat are greatly pulled down by the diving whale, and that it begins to sink deep and to take much water, he brings the axe almost in contact with the cord, which, at the prospect of unavoidable danger, is cut, and the boat rises again. If the whale re-appears before she has nm out the whole length, she is looked upon as a sure prey: the blood which she has lost in her flight weakens her so much that, if she sinks again, it is but for a short time; tiie boat follows her course with an almost equal speed ; the whale soon re-appears ; at last she dies, and floats on the surface. From this statement it is manifest that the first and most common precaution required in this fishery is to stand clear of the coil to which the harpoon is fastened. In the present instance, the neglect of this precau- tion was the cause of the loss of a man named Webber, whose leg coming into contact with the rope, he was instantly precii)itHted over- NEWFOHNDLANU. 399 board, and never seen afterwards. This mis- fortune put an end to all attempts of this kind ; and from that time the cetaceous tribe has ever been more respected than liked in that part of the island. Nor has Newfoundland any rea- son to regret the loss or privation of this fishery ; for the cod, seals, and salmon, which abound on its shores, are fully sufficient to engross all the attention and industry of its inhabit- ants. Newfoundland seems purposely formed to carry on with the greatest success an immense fishery, on an inexhausti'ole stock which will always leave an incalculable overplus, whatever may be the number of persons engaged and employed in it; it is a constant treasure which can never be transfen*ed from its actual pos- sessor to rival nation's by any revolution in commerce, and which is procured with no other expense than that of labour. Tin^ cod- fish is also found in the north seas of Euro|)e, and the fishery is carried on there by several nations to a very great extent; but this fish is found in infinitely greater abundance at New- foundland; it is also said to be there more de- licate, though not so white, and it is universally preferred to any other, particularly in the south of Europe, where it is still distinguished under its ancient Indian and present Portuguese , 4 ' • -J* ^"%V' b ■ ' 400 HISTORY OF 6i^ V. , • name of Baccalao. All the accounts which have heen puhhslied respecting the island and banks of ]Ne\vfoundlan, hy the Britii^li government, for the encourage- ment of this hrancii of tlie Newfoundland fish- eries. This fish is distinguished there into " pooler," wlien it lias lain a long time in a river, and has not yet spawned ; " slink," when it has spawned, and has not yet recovered itself by returning into the sea; and "spring fish," when it is in perfect season. Another well-known fish, the herring, is also found in vast numbers on those coasts, during his periodical visits. This fish is likewise caught with nets, and, being pickled and bai'- relled, is sent principally to the West Indies. According to some French writers, the her- ring, bred in the vast regions of the Arctic ocean, appears in the spring off the coast of Shetland, and there divides into diflferent shoals, some taking the route of Newfound- land and Labrador; others that of Norway, Jutland, the Baltic, and the Gulf of Both- nia; but the jirincipal body arriving at the Orcades, surrounds Scotland and England. The eastern branch arrives in August on the coast of Yorkshire; in another month it reaches the Straits, and in September fills the NEWFOUNDLANU. 40.') Eng;lish Channel ; from which the herrings escape ifn December, their numbers indeed diminished, but scarcely by one from every million. It is remarkable, that traces of this fishery in the year 1 389, have been found in a voyage pre- served in the fifteenth volume of the Memoirs of the French Academy of Inscriptions. Mr. Gilpin, the author of " Observations on the Annual Migration of Herrings," published in the year 1786, at Philadelphia, states, that these fishes are found in the north sea; and, in the favourable month of June, about the islands of Shetland, whence they proceed down the Orkneys, and then dividing, suiTound the British Islands, and unite again off the Ltind's End in September, whence they steer in a south-west direction across the Atlantic: they arrive in Georgia and Carolina about the latter end of January, and in Virginia about February ; coasting thence eastward to New England, they divide, and go into all the bays, rivers, creeks, and even small streams of water, in amazing quantities, and continue spawning in the fresh water until the latter end of April, when the old fish return into the sea, and steer- ing northward, arrive at Newfoundland in May, whence they proceed in a north-west direction, and again cross the Atlantic. The same author has observed, that their coming soone^r or later od 2 ! '■ I- I, it i ■101 HISTORY OF ^^.J 'i , 'V:': JI^^'^'M lea" m":^ i'*i(: *K, up the Ainrri(':tii rivers, (lr|MMulMoii the wurnilh or cooliH'ss of the season ; that if a few warm . wri liHTiii;;H aiiniiiilly migrate troui the Arctic »e, as far as the north of France; and on the coast of Asia, alonjf the shores of Kanit- schatka. I'he p^reat army that annually issues from the north separates into several divisions. The tirst makes its appearance ofl'the Shetland Isles in the months of April and May; but these are only the harbingers of a far more numerous bodv that follows in .lune. The appearance of these shoals is always announced by the gulls, gannets, and other rapacious birds, that continually hover above them, which indication the tishernn'n earnestly look after: but when the great body approaches about the beginning of harvest, its breadth and depth alter the appearance of the ocean, "^riiey are divided into diftV'rent columns of five or six miles in length, by three or four in breadth; and when arrived at the Shetland Islands, they separate into two grand divisions; the one advancing along one side of the British coast, alternately tilling, during a certain num- ber of days, every intermediate bay and cre<'k, from the northern shores of Scotland to the English Channel ; .after which it gradually thins till it disappears. The other great wing makes a similar circuit round the other side, till it IIIHTOKV OK , ( ■ m rt'arhc« llic north of Inlsiiirl, wlirrc it i« apain stibdividrd, part rnt<'riri;r tlir Irish Sea, and part scattering along the west shores of Ireland, till it disappears about the entrance of Saint (ieorge's Channel. In the course of their mi- gration along the British seas, the shoals of lierrings at various places become awhile sta- tionary; and Loch Broom, in Scotland, has been celebrated as their principal rendezvous, where they generally appear in July. They are not, however, always uniform in frequenting the same loch or bay annually; they resort to a certain space for a number of years, and then are sometimes known capriciously to desert it for perhaps as many more. On the coasts of "Wales, Ireland, and among the Hebrides, they have at different times occupied and deserted their several stations without any apparent cause; yet although this wonderful gift of the great Author of Nature is, at times, thus par- tially distributed, it is never totally withdrawn; the same instinct which impels herrings to ap- proach these shores invariably operates; their migrations arc certain ; and if one part is de- prived of its effects, another abounds with in- creased plenty. Mr. Schultes farther states, that the summer Ashing for heiTings begins about Midsummer on the Scotch coast, and ends in September on the Norfolk coast, at \i:w rotMH.AMi. •Id: Nvhicli time thoy •;o into drcp \\:it('r, iiiid con- tiniir there for sonir tiiiu*. In NovmilMr. liny irturn to the slialKtws, >vlitn a nrw (islnr\ roinnu'nrrs, wliirli continues till January. At thai time they heronie full of roe, and an- until for pieklinp;. It iu«s been douhleil whether ihe herrin<;H whieh apjM'ar in ^(>venll>er are nol part of u new nii;;ratioii. In ('onception-Bay the shoalM of herrin;;s arrive j;enerally about the le^inniny; of ^fay, ami continue until the latter -nd of June: their tirait appearance is anxiously i;.\pected, because thev are the first fish used th're as bait in the cod-fisherv. The second is the lance or sani- eel, a long thin fish, Nvhich a|)|Knirs in Jxhe; the next is the capelin; and in tl> be I'- ' fishes is th(> conf(»rmation of his organ of hear- ing and of his nervous system. According to Doctor Monro, the organ of liearing in fishes is situated at the hjwer end and posterior sides of the cranium, separated from the brain by mem- branes only. It consists of three semicircular canals, namely, an anterior and a posterior both perpendicular, and a middle horizontal one; each perpendicular canal having a dilated portion or bulb at one of its ends, where it joins with the horizontal one. In the cod-fish, the anterior canal contains a small scabrous calca- reous stone: we next find a bag of a con- siderable size, in which another similar stone of a larger size is likewise lodged, surrounded, like the smaller one mentioned above, with a viscous humour. A hole or opening, in the fore or under part of the common canal formed by the junction of the <,,\\ upper ends of the ante- rior and posterior canals, leads into this bag in the sturgeon ; but Doctor Monro could discover no such opening in the cod or the haddock. Very large nerves are fixed to the bulbous parts of the semicircular canals, and spreading out upon them, become suddenly pellucid. On the bag above mentioned, in the cod, a considerable nerve is spread in a most elegant manner. As the semicircidar canals are much smaller than the cavity of the bone, or cartilage which con- NEWFOUNDLAND. 411 ' hear- ing; to ^hes is ides of mem- ircular sterior izontal dilated it joins sh, the ; calca- a con- ir stone ►unded, with a the fore ned by le ante- ig in the over no Very parts of ut upon the bag derable er. As ler than ch con- tains them, there is between their outer part and the bone or cartilage, a considerable quan- tity of viscid humour. In the cod, haddock, and the whole genus. of gadus, a number of small spheroidal bodies, which form part of the nervous system, are observable within this cavity, floating in the viscid humour, and sup- ported by small fibres of vessels and nerves. M. Depons, who travelled through several parts of South America in the years 1801 — 1804, mentions a fish common in the Oroonoko, called by the Spaniards curbinata, which is extremely valued on account of two stones fouiid in its head, exactly in the place which is usually occupied by the brain. These stones are of the shape of an almond, and resemble in colour mother of pearl ; they are considered as a specific in cases of retention of urine, and sell for their weight in gold. The dose is three grains of this stone well pulverized, mixed in a cup-full of water or wine, and is said to produce an instantaneous effect. It has been observed by Pliny, that fish which have stones in their head fear winter, and on its approach retire eitlier to the deeper regions of the sea, or to warmer climates. Accordingly the cod-fish refuses to take the bait, and is, consequently, supposed to leave the coast of Newfoundland generally about * ,1 I - 1! p. 412 HISTORY OF !':.., 5iv ■;.■■:■•■■ I . ;i-:^ 1..' » ■ the beginning of October; but yet, dift'erent in this respect from the mackarej, and most other species which frequent this coast at stated periods, cod is found in the southern and many other parts of the island during the vhole year. Even in the most severe part of the winter, by making a hole in the ice and dropping a line with a piece of salt pork, or any other kind of bait, cod is easily and quiclcly obtained; though, at that time, but of an indifferent quality, it, nevertheless, some- times makes a very acceptable addition to the winter stock. It may be kept long in a frozen state, or else it is immediately split and put in pickle, where it remains until the weather will allow it to be spread on the flakes or beaches for drying. Thus, in Fortune-Bay and neigh- bouring parts, having herrings all the winter, the people are never without bait, and catch fish through the ice at a considerable depth. They split it and put it in pickle, begin to spread it in April, and as soon as it is com- pletely dried, they send it to Saint John's or to a foreign market. ^' Wi NF.WIOUNDLAND. 413 i m CHAPTER XV. < , OF THE NEWFOUNDLAND FISHERIES. The subject of the Newfoundland fisheries has been often treated of by well-informed writei-s; it is, however, hoped that the follow- ins^ account, drawn up from notes taken during a residence of several years in the district of that island, where both the seal and the cod fisheries are carried on to the greatest extent, will not be altogether unacceptable to the British reader. The important advantages to be derived from what is, perhaps improperly, called the seal-fishery, appear to have fixed the attention of navigators in those parts from a very early period. It has already been observed that, according to Hackluyt, in the year 1593, two ships sailed from Falmouth, commanded by Richard Strang and George Drake, for the island of Ramea, within the straits of Saint Peter, on the back of Newfoundland, on the shores of which were multitudes of amphibious animals, partjruiarly seals and porpoises, of uhich thev killed several, aad whose oil was mi i " f i'> •^Ki^<. m 414 HISTORY OF •iV, > \ .^'^ f? V '> r,f' *'>,'' considered as a valuable article of commerce : and that the proper season for catching those animals was in April, Ma}, and June. But as the cod-fishery became more exteIid^e and more important, the sevil-fishery ^vas in " ropor- tion negiletted on account of the intcDiption which it occasioned in tSe preparations for the former, with which it was found to interfere at the most important period, that of Ihe 1 erring and <^ apelin-HCuiis. We accordingly learn from I'Abbe Raynal, that the En. I;sh iishermen, before the year 1763, uaed to repair to certain parts of the island during the winter, for the purpose of the seal-fishery, which always ter- minated at the close of that season. The same method is still in use in some parts of the coast of Newfoundland, and on that of Labrador. The fishermen who repair to those places at the fall of the year, place their nets between the shore and the islands or rocks which lie at a small distance: the seals, which generally come in shoals from the east, are caught in at- tempting to pass those narrow places; they are then taken up and conveyed to the shore, where they remain in a frozen state till the proper season for extracting their oi!, which is generally in the latter end of April, or the be- ginning of May ; or else they are sculped, that is, the skin and fat are separated from the car- NF.WFOUNDLANl). 415 nmerce : 1^ those But as ive and propor- •i). option s for the ;erfere at 3 1 erring am from fihermen, 3 certain for the /ays ter- ^'he same he coast abrador. (laces at between ich lie at generally ht in at- they are e shore, I till the which is ir the be- )ed, that the car- case, and carried to some more (H)nvenient place lor that puipose. This plan of a winter fishery appears to ha\ f been generally pursued there until the latter end of the last century, when the enterprising; and industrious spirit of tiie inhabitants of Conception-Hay contrived a method to conciliate the interests of both the seal and cod-tisheries, without any prejudice to the latter. Thus a brancii of industry and commerce of considerable importance and value was introduced, which soon increast;d to an amaziuji amount the returns of that island, and the wealth of its merchants. The seals, though entirely marine animals, none of that species having hitherto been men- tioned as inhabiting fresh waters, are the only animals among the viviparous quadru[)eds that can with propriety be considered as amphibious. They invariably bring forth their young on land, sand-banks, rocks, or small islands, and their respiration operates immediately after the birth: they can suspend it occasionally for a long while together, but still they are obliged at intervals to put up their noses above the surface of the water, in order to reject the contami- nated air from their lungs, and to take in a fresh supply. They require occasional intervals of repose, and sometimes even a long continuance on dry land. At particular periods, therefore. «?,. ■ &\ ' :■'*■ -m L-'i ^ 1 41(5 HISTORY OF iiiff^ ■ i n ■>. IT*!*. *J#" and enpecially during the seasons of producinj^ and rearing their young, they congregate fre- quently in vast multitudes on floating ice or insulated rocks. Although their hind feet are so constructed as to be of very little use to them in walking, yet by means of their fore feet they are able to lay hold on objects with so much firmness as to drag themselves with considerable facility up the shores, rocks, and even over fields of ice, however slippery they may be; for though badly wounded, and the distance very considerable, it frequently hap- pens that they will outrun the hunters, and having gained the edge of the water, precipitate themselves out of their reach. They sleep principally during the day; and for that purpose fix themseives upon fields of ice, hence called sea! -meadows, where they are frequently found collecied in immense multitudes, either basking or sleeping in the sun. It is during their sleep that the seai-hunters chiefly contrive to attack them with bludgeons, a very slight blow on the, nose immediately destroying them. When they come upon them unawares, the destruction iv<« rapid: sometimes also they shoot them, each vessel having one or more gunners for that purpose; but this mode is not the most usual, on account of the risk of injuring the skin of the tmimal. NKWFOVNDLAM). 417 To tlio (iroiulandtr llie seal is the source of all earthly comforts: its llesh is to him the most palatable and substantial food; its fat furnishes him with oil for lamp-light, for cham- ber and kitchen fire: he softens his dry food in the train, which he also barters for all other kinds of necessaries : he can sew better with the fibres of the sinews of the seal than with thread or silk: of the skins of the entrails he makes windows for his hut, curtains for his tent, and siiirts for himself; anci of the maw, train bottles; while the blood boileu witli iaj^iodients is eat as soup: with the skin of the seal he make;'^ himself waistcoats, covers his boat and tent, and cuts out thongs and straps. In short, to catch seals is the ultimate end to which the Greenlander aspires irom his childhood, ind the only art to which he is trained. To the Euro[)ean. the skin of the seal has sometimes made "Duffs; it covers his trunks, and supplies him with shies and boots. When it is well tanned, the grain is not unlike that of Morocco leather: it is not quite so fine, but it preserves its colour longer: even vvaistcoats in the Greenland style are not unfrerjuently seen in the metropolis of Great Britain. As to the flesh of the seal, many half-starved stomachs, after a long navigation and several days of short allowance, ha\e pronounced it #■ J, IIB MIS'KIKV or % m/. ''lit' to be not only tolerable, but good, clelicions, te.itier, anti swec^t; whilst others, under dif- ferent rireuinstances, have said that, except the haslets whieh are tolerable, the flesh is too rank to be eaten. The Author was once prevailed upon to try it, and on ♦he very first taste he Mas dly of the latter opinion, notwithstanding; all tlu; care that had been taken in curinj^, dressinij;, &c. in order to make it appear to the best advantage. Soinc affirm that the flesh of flu* young cubs is \<'ry palatable; it is eaten by the seal-hunters during that fishery, and tastes something like hares flesh; but the greatest object of disgust to an European palate, whilst to the Green- lander's it is the finest hauiguiit possible, is a strong train-oil taste, of which it is extreme ly difficult to divest it. This is attempted } y re- peatedly changing the water in which it is first parboiled, in order to be afterwards dressed or disguised with port wine and other ingredients used in the dressing of hare. During the months of February, March, April, and part of May, the coast of Newfoundland is generally surrounded with ice to the distance of severiil lea<;ues. The most formidable ramparts erected by military art, the dreadful cannonade of a l^esieged town, the terrors of the most skilful and obstinate sea-fight, require less intrepidity n i m -.■■ M.U I orsDLANn. 4I«) ami «'X|M'ri«'n«(' t<» niroiintcr, than tlios*- rnor- inoiis (ioaliii^- hiiiwarks aii t'lciiK'iits wliirli tlios«' seas, af that tiiiu', <»|>|)os<' to tlic mariiUT. It is hardly possible to C'onv<«y to thr iinauihatioii a ronvrt uU'ii of the tenifir frraiideiir which (-haractrriseH this scenery. Iininense fiehls of ice of such extent that the eye <'Hnnot reach their hounds, and sometimes im|)elled hy a rotatory movement by which their circumferenct- attains a velocity of several miles per hour: lofty islands ami mountains movinja; ah)nj[|f with irrej^ular and sometimes inconceivable rapidity, or when the comparative shallowness of tlie jii^-ound arrests their proju^ress, then bedded immovable on the solid rock or earth, whilst frag^ments of various sizes are scatteivd about throughout the inter- vening spaces, and coming in drifts so thick and so quick as to whirl the ships about as in a whirlpool: here and there a moun- tain bursting with a tremendous explosion; the fields suddenly changing their directions, coming into close contact with a dreadful shock, and overlaying each other v, ith a noise resembling that of complicated machinery, or of distant thunder. The imuitisse pressure thus produced and the tremendous power ex- erted, are such as to crush to atoms or to set on fire the wood which may happen to F. e 2 I i k' ill i f'u: .■i^ i ll III m i'. ' 1 ■ if U^ i> - 420 III.STOUV vn upon the hard congealrd surface by a sudden shock; others are crushed, or, at h'ast, their hulls completely torn open; others again are buried beneath the heaped fragments of a bursting mountain. A strong easterly or nortli-eaaterly wind arises, and drives with inconceivable rapidity all this ice against the coast, where filling up the bays, harbours, and coves, it soon becomes one immense, widely extended, solid mass; until, the wind setting with equal violence to the west or north-west, this mass is broken and as rapidly driven into the main ocean: the wind changes again, the ice as quickly returns, and winter resumes its sway with increased rigour. The situation of the vessels which happen to be entangled in that ice may be easily conceived. Add to this picture a rock- bursting frost; gales M.wrorsin.ANi). 421 wliistliiio and lioulin;; in liii^f uproar, >vlii(|i, wliiU' on the land (Ih'V shake tlir liousrs, rurk- iiifX them to aFid iVo, tear up the trees from their roots, and s('att«*r them thrcMij^li the eon- vulsed forests; at sea, tliey drift about with vioh'nce masses of snow and sleet, or else thick fo};s, freezin;; as they fall, '.! ,.. . h 1" ''i: *1 426 HI. STORY OF ml Im' ii. ?!|U'>" The oil thus extracted is poured into hogs- h(;ad8 which have been duly trimmed, that is, which have been kept a long- time filled up with water; and then it is fit to be shipped off. It makes a most valuable cargo, with the addi- tional advantage that, whilst the smallest leak exposes a vessel laden with salt to considera- ble danger, a vessel laden with oil cannot sink, whatever water she may make: the oil will ever .keep her afloat. Another remarkable property of such a cargo is, that, as the constant motion of tbe vessel necessarily occasions some small leakage from the casks, which runs down into and mixes with the bulge-water, whenever the vessel is pumped, the waves, however agitated, will instantane- ously become calm, and the ship will float as upon a polished mirror. It is a well attested fact, that the cod-fisheiy is scarcely begun on the banks, when tiie sea becomes oily and perfectly calm: the same eflect is produced by the oil which, runs from a whale when cut to pieces. The fishermen of Lisbon and of the Bermudas restore tranquillity to the sea with a little oil, which immediately jiuts a stop to the irregu- larities of the rays of light, and enables them to have an easy view of the fish. The divers who go in search of pearls at the bottom of the sea, use the ^ery ancient practice of having ^;-) ', . * liogs- that is, lied up led off. e addi- est leak isidera- ot sink, oil will arkable as the essarily e casks, 'ith the jumped, tantane- float as ted fact, on the )erfectly the oil pieces. ?rmudas ittle oil, 3 irregu- les them le divers m of the ■ having XF.WFOINDLAND. 42: their mouth fdied with oil, which thev throw off, drop by drop, in proportion to the diflicuity which they experience in viewing the objects of their pursuit. Thu.s, very gravely observe* TAbbe Raynal, in alluding to this piienomenon, " Thus the terrible element which has sepa- rated continents from each other, which deluge!* whole countries, and frequently sets at nought the strongest barriers erected by man, may be appeased if a feather dipped in oil be passed over its surface; and if a fmlher dipped in oil can smooth the waves, what will not be the effect of Imig ivinos constantly moistened with this fluid, and mechanically adapted to our ships? This idea," he very properly adds, " will, no doubt, excite the ridicule of our superficial minded men; but ' it is not for such that I write!"' It has bee?i said that the seals are generally sculped at sea; but sometimes, from want of leisure, stress of weather, or some damage re- ceived by the vessel, this operation of sculping, or separating the pelt from the carcase, is per- formed on land. This is also the case when the seals have been killed at a small distance from the shore : for it sometimes happens that they come so near the land as to be easily taken with nets: thus, in the spring of the year 1811, a principal house in Harbour-Grace, and I' ,ir;.„i ■ '-iJ* y < 4-2B HISTORY OF 19'' '• . »■ . If.. :' the inhabitants of the North Shore, in Concep- tion-Bay, reaped a most plentiful liarvest at Lower Island-Cove, Bay de Verds, and the Grates. In the same spring, an nnusual num- ber of schooners and boats belonging to that bay were totally lost at the ice, several of the mariners perished, some were carried away on fields of ice in sight of their more fortunate companions, without any possibility of re- ceiving from therii the least assistance; whilst the vessels that arrived safe made very good voyages. Whilst the operation of separating the fat from the skins is performed, the latter stretched out with care, one by one, on layers of salt, are laid up in piles, and thus packed off in bulk for market; part of them are disposed in bun- dles of five skins each, for the greater conve- nience of stowage. It sometimes happens that the ice continues so long on those coasts as to aflbrd the pro- spect of prosecuting tiiat fishery Avith advan- tage beyond the usual period ; but as this would interfere with and eventually ruin the cod-fishery of those who might suffer them- selves to be seduced by this prospect, a com- plete change of pursuits takes place in the beginning of June ; and about the 10th of that month the cod-Jishery begins. i'': Kt' OllCCp- rvest at md tlio al niim- to tliat 1 of the iway on artunatc of re- ; wiiilst ry good the fat tretched salt, arc in bulk I in bun- r conve- ontiniies the pro- i advan- : as this ruin the 3r them- , a com- e in the \i of that NEVVFOrNDLAND. 4-li) Tlie boats used for tliis purpose vary in their sizes and in the nund>er of tlieir crt;ws ; somt; having only two hands, and these fre<|uently boys and girls merely old and strong enough to handle the line: this is often seen in Con- eeption and other bays when the eod-fish is plentiful. Most boats have four men, t^aeli with one lino on each side of him, and these lines have two hooks; so that in these boats tiiere are no less than sixteen !iooks in constant einphtyment. I'lach hook is furnished with such l)ait as the season aftbrds ; namely, first, the entrails of the fish caught with jiggers; next, herring, mackarel, lance, capelin, S(|uids, or young rod; and in default of these, the flesh of se, -fowl. Tlie boat having taken her station on a ledge, or other shoally ground, each line being fastened on the inside of the boat, Jind the hooks baited, the man sits at an equal dis- tance from the two lines which are committed to his care, moving them from time to lime: as soon as the least tightness or motion is observed in the line, it is drawn up with ;ill possible speed, and the fish thrown into the boat, where the hook is then disengaged from its mouth ; if it is oi' a large size, it is seized, as soon as raised to the surface of the water, m ith a gaff or large hook fixed to the end of a pole, f: '■: 1 ^i '"'. ' H| i ■ J ' 1 ^ I m m U' Li" ^.m ■'if ^ it 4'.H) HISTORY OK . '4- ^*> ■ i' at- '■ ' ■ ■ ' f::'' r: m ■ in orc^Jer to prevent the riisappointment often ex- perienced in consequence of the tinh, even when within the reach of the hand, either disentan- ^\m^ itself from the hook hy the excessive viva- city of its motions and wideness of its mouth, or breaking the line and disappearing at once with the hook and bait in its gills. When a sufficient quantity of tish has been taken to load the boat, it is then carried to the shore in order to be cured: this must be done within a certain time, not exceeding tight and forty hours; otherwise the fish will loso cf its value in proportion to the lengtli of the time it is kept without splitting. The place where the operation of curing the cod-fish is performed, is a staoe or covered platfoi*m erected on the shore, with one end projecting over the water, which is called the staore-head, and which is fortified with stonters, or very strong shores, to prevent the stage from receiving any damage from ships or boats ; it has also longers fixed horizontally at inter\ als, like so many steps, to facilitate the ascent to the stage. On the fore part of this platform is a table, on one si^*^ of which is the cut-t/iront, who takes the fi^h, cuts with a knife the ihroat down to the nape, and then pushes it to the header on his right hand: the latter takes it in his left band, and with the right, draws b.^i I NKWFOUNDLANI). 4:M out th: liver wliic!; he tlirows through a hole in^u ."' cask under the table; next, the jSfuts, which he throws through the Iniiik-hole m the floor of the stn«j;e into the sea: then iixinsi: the neck of the tish to the edge of the table, which before hi'n is semicin:ular and sharp, he presses upon the neck with his left hand to which a thick piece of leather, called the palm, is fastened for that jinrpose, and, with the rii^lit, <;ives llie body of the tisii which is upp< rmost a \ iolent jerk w hich pushes it to the splitter opposite to him, wliile the head thus separated falls throu«h an opening into the water. This o{>eration requires such violent exertion that, besi'^es the precaution of the palm with which his left hand is arme^ ^ -■. ^Vs'? lit' "■ ■^••i ^[i)%: i l\ s ' ^ - ) >: 'i- ■ .;', .' K'- -^ Ifri in tlie slafrr-Hoor. Wla-n tlie burrow is full, it is iinmerforme( I : for if ruHled hy frequi t or interrupted cuttings, the fish would be di> fif^ured. The tonj^ues and sounds are some- times reserved either for domestic uses or for sale; in this (tase so many of the heads and sound-bones as nuiy Ix.' necessary for that pur- pose, are thrown aside and immediately taker up by some other person, so as not to f^ive the least interruption or hindrance to tlie work |)erforminj^ at the table. At the opposite end of the stage stands the suiter, who, as soon as the drudge-barrow is brought to him, takes out the fish, one by one, and placing it in layers on one side of the stage, spreads on each with his hand some salt, takin?: particular care to apportion its quantity to tlie size of the fish and the degree of thickness of its several parts ; this operation, which is continued until the bulk is of a proper size, requires particular attention, as if the bulk is too high the pressure of the upper layers will necessarily injure the fish in the lower layers. The [)rovince of the salter demands a perfect NKU I (UNDF.WI). \X\ kiKiwIrdu*' of Ills lMi>iiirs.<4 and roiisidnalilc txporinicr iiiid jiiduincnt; lor rvny tliiiij; now <'iids ii|Miii him till* tiic v:diu- of tiic Nviiolc voyam*. If tin IT is inii a siitlicit i\t (|iiaiitity of salt |)iit to the Hsli it '\'\\\ not keep: if thero is to<» luiicli, til) ' will look dark a wlu ii the sun, it will h< • wlirn* tin* rxct'ss is I t r\|)osr( o • ii|i, and wIh'ii put hack, it will Im> nioit>i ugaiii and hreak in the liaudli(i between thirteen and fourteen hogsheads of Lisbon salt, which is always preferred where the strongest pickle is required. In some parts of Newfoundland the opera- tion of salting is performed in vats or deep oblong square troughs, with a spigot and fauset near the bottom to draw off the foul pickle. The fish is- carefully spread in layers to the top until the vat is filled, increasing the quantity of salt in proportion as the layers first placed have the benefit of the pickle descending from the upper layers. This mode of salting, which is said to have been introduced into the New- foundland fishery at the time of the first Ame- rican war, when salt was uncommonly scarce, prevents, as the Author was informed by those who had adopted this practice, the pressure which weighs upon and tends to flatten the fish in the other mode of salting in bulk ; the fish retains its full size, actually gains seven or eight quintals in weight, upon every hundred, more than what is salted in bulk, and a saving is made of near three upon every ten hogsheads of salt; but it was acknowledged that it will not so well stand the market, as when salted in the usual way. The fish must remain four days in vats, and five or six days in bulk, before it has sufficiently taken the salt; and after that period, the NEWFOUNDLAND. 4.%') fill • I sooner it is washed the better. For this pur- pose, it is put into washing-vats, or wooden vessels, generally seven or eight feet , long, three feet and a half wide, and three deep. They first throw in two or three quintals, over •\irhich they pour a quantity of sea- water; gra- dually increasing the quantity of both until the vat is full. They then take up each fish sepa- ntely, cleaning carefully back and belly with a woollen cloth, and next lay it in a long even buK: on the stage floor to drain. They resume the same process until they have washed such a quantity of fish as they can manage the next day. It may remain in drain-bulk no more than two days; if kept beyond that time, it will decay in weight, nor will it stand the weather so well, on account of the salt getting out of it. The next day, or as soon after as the wea- ther permits, the fish is spread out on boughs in the open air to dry, head to tail, the open side being exposed to the sun. This is done either upon a beach, or upon the ground which is called laying-room; but more generally upon standing flakes. These last are of two sorts, namely, hand and broad flakes. The former consist of a slight wattle, supported by posts, at such an elevation from the ground that a person stand- ing can conveniently manage and turn the fish, Ff 2 I Wl m ,:, til •t ?'■ m tr 436 HISTOBY OF iM •.M> . ^^'-j!^'! The broad flakes consist of a set of beams, supported by posts and shores, or stout pieces of timber standing perpendicularly under the beams, to which similar pieces are likewise fixed in a reclined position. In some places these broad flakes are as high as twenty or thirty feet from the ground. It is said that a free circulation of air is of considerable service to the fish while drying; hence, high flakes are preferable to low ones, or to beaches where, besides the want of circulation of air, the back of the fish is liable to be burnt, if spread after the sun has heated the stones. But when the fish is dry, and spread only to make it perfectly fit to be put on-board ship, beach or flake will serve equally well. Towards the evening of the first day, two or three fishen are placed one over the other with their back upwards, to pr '^nt the open side from being injured by th« i or iamp. The next morning the fish is again spread as before, and towards evening made into faggots of five or six, proceedirAg in the same manner so as to increase the faggots to eight or ten on the third evening, and on the fourth to eighteen or twenty, always with the back upwards, and some larger ones on the top in a slanting posi- tion, so as to shoot off the rain or wet that may happen to fall during the night. The fifth ^.> XF.WFOUNDLANl). 437 evening the faggots are iniicli larger; the finh is then considered as safe, and left in that state for a week, or even a fortnight if there is a want of flake-room for the whole voyage, or the weather happens to be bad. It is next spread out again until about three or four o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, when it is put uj) into large circular piles, in the form of a round hay-stack, with the heads outermost, the backs upwards, and the whole covered with circular deal frames, or with mats, tarpaulins, or rinds * confined by large stones, in order to preserve it from the heavy dews which fall during the heat of the summer. It is left some time in that state, then again spread out, and the same day, towards the evening, lodged in stores or put on board the vess&is. After the fish has been first spread on the flake, four good days out of seven, (which is considered as better than four successive good f^^ys, because it then works or, as the fishermen express it, sweats the better,) will be sufficient to save it from any material damage. As a single drop of rain or fresh water may so aflect a fish as not rv ■ I vl \\\ ;*i t ■ * These rinils are procured from the woods for that pur- pose: they are generally six feet long, and as wide as the circumference of the trees from which they are taken. U 43B HISTORY OF ]Ki only to injure it materially, but also tc com- municate the infection to the whole fa^ot, pile, and even cargo, the state of the weather is watched with particular attention while the fish is drying ; and on the least appearance of a shower, the fish is immediately turned back uppermost. As Newfoundland is subject during the summer to sudden showers, the hurry and confusion which these frequently create throughout the whole place can hardly be de- scribed, and are no small annoyance when this happens on a Sunday, while the people are at church : the flakes are then in an instant co- vered with men, women, and children, busily employed in turning up the fish or in making it up into faggots ; the profits of the whole voy- age, the means of paying the debts contracted, and of procuring supplies for the support of the family during the ensuing winter, may all de- pend upon the exertions of that moment. Such is the precarious and uncertain nature of the cod-fishery, at the same time that the fatigues which attend it are very great ; so that the preservation of the health of the people who are actively engaged in it can be attributed only to the extreme salubrity of the climate. During the heat of the fishery, under the most incessant hard labour, they have scarcely time to eat their meals, and hardly four ho^rs rest in NEWFOUNDLAND. 4311 the four and twenty. In some parts of the coast, the leflges are at so great a distance that much time is consumed in the passage from and back again to their respective harbours; and even in those which are more favourably situated, the fish does not always equally abound in every part. It is sometimes found in the north and sometimes in the south of the island, at other times in the middle of the coast, according as it is driven by the winds or attracted by the smaller fish; so that some fishermen are nearly ruined, whilst others more fortunate make excellent voyages. But even after the most successful catch, if any even the smallest quantity of rain or fresh water is suf- fered to lodge in any part of the fish whilst drying, unless some salt be immediately sprinkled upon the part affected; — or, if the splitter has left too many joints of the bone, so that any particle of blood has remained in the fish ; — or when there has been too great a quan- tity of fish in the salt bulk, so that the whole could not be disposed of in proper time ; — or when it has been exposed to bad weather on the flake; — or when the weather, while the fish was exposed to the sun, has happened to be hot and calm, and the Hies have gathered about it and left fly-blows, and titese have not been carefully removed in time with the fingers )*"'i::ll' Hi: 440 1II8TORY OF If. m in ' M l**-^ or small sticks of wood;— in any of these cases maggots M'ill be formed in the fish, which is then called maggolty; it is not only unfit for sale, but, if suffered to remain in a faggot or pile, it will unavoidably communicate the disease to all the rest, and will be sufficient to contami- nate a whole cargo. We have already men- tioned the bad eftects produced by more salt lieing put on any part of the fish than the requisite quantity, by which it becomes salt- burnt. It is also liable to become sun-hwnty when spread out on a hot calm day, whether on flakes or on beaches. Again, when the fish after washing has been left too long before being spread out for drying, it is apt to contract a kind of slime, as well as if, after it has been carried out, there is a continuance of bad wea- ther. This slime makes it look yellow, and prevents it being completely dried. In order to remedy this defect, aflter it has been a week or ten days on the flake, it is again dry-salted, washed, and put out a second time; but even then it will, at best, be received only as of the second quality. To mention one defect more, it may become dun, if left too long in the pile, which happens sometimes from want of suffi- cient store-room and of an opportunity to ship it off in proper time: the weather beating into those piles softens the fish and gives it a black. NEWFOUNDLAND. 441 Hniifty, or dim colour. Some people prefejr this fliin fish for pre.sent UHe; but it will not stand the voyage. As the least damp woidd heat the rtsh when thrown together and spoil it, it is customary, previous to its being put on-board ship for ex- portation, to spread it out again for a longer or shorter number of hours, according to its actual state, in order that it may be perfectly dried. It frequently happens that some of the fish, taken towards the close of the fishing season, is not fit to be put on-board for exportation. In this case, it is either put into stores, the fish- ermen taking advantage of every favourable opportunity to complete its drying, and to keep it in a proper state of readiness for the first vessels that will be able to take it in, late in the fall or early in the spring; or else it is reserved for use in the island : it eats better than other kinds, but cannot be kept so long. It is called mud-Jisk; though this appellation be- longs more properly to another kind, expressly prepared for the English market, wht, c it is generally preferred. This last is split not quite open, but only down to the navel ; it is then salted and washed in the usual manner, and barrelled up in a strong pickle of salt boiled in water. Cod-fish is also taken with nets called cod- 1-: * -'a m m 1 ■j'l ■ ( • • i -■ ! 1 .i' 44*2 HISTORY OF u ueineH. ThcHe are cast at Hoine distance fruiu the shallop, the ro|M; bein^ NUHpendetl by buoys made for that purpose, and placed at <;ertaiii intervals, about an hour Ijeforc sun-set; and two or three hours before sun-rise, all hands turn out to heave or haul them in. Sometimes the glut of fish in the nets is so great that the weight sinks the buoys under water. It may naturally be conceived that the vill not allow them to cure and dry their tisli there, in that cane they confine themselves to the |iro(>ess of splitting and salting the fish, disposing it in layers as in vat-salting; and when i\\v bout is full they bring her home, with what is com- monly called green Jish. As soon as she arrives, she is fixed close to an oblong s(juare low vessel of boards, so loosely joined at the bottom as to let the sea water run through it. This vessel, called Rams horn, probably a cor- ruption of the French Rin^oir, is fastened to the wharf's or stage's head. The fish is thrown, one by one, into the Ham's horn, where there are three men standing up to their knees in the water, two of whom rub, shake, and clean the fish with mops ; this is afterwards thrown up by the third man on a kind of scaffold, half way to the top of the wharf or stage, where it is re- ceived by other men, and by them thrown on the wharf's or stage's head. Here it is put into wheel or hand barrows, and carried to a co- vered part of the wharf, or a side of the stage, laid in a long even bulk, and thus left to drain. NKWI ODNDLANU. 44:> Tin* following <1ny, if tin' weather is favoiimlile, the tish in npread on flakeM, and the UHiial pro- ceHM iH iiMed until it is completely dried. In the Labrador fishery , tin? proeess and result are exactly the same at the Camp IsliyidH and adjoining;; places, as in the northern fishery. But in the higher parts of the coast (»f Labra- dor, the fish is salted in very lii^h bulks, the top of which is entirely covered with salt; their flakes are low, and the fish is dried chiefly by the cold air. When fit to be shipped off", it has a very pleasing appearance, but it is ex- tremely soft and flexible, from the want of a proper degree of heat in the atmosphere. The inhabitants of Jersey, Marseilles, and a few other ports in the Mediterranean, are said to be very partial to this kind ; but it will not keep long in the cargo. Cod is found in inconceivable multitudes on the Great Bank, in soundings of thirty and forty fathoms, and taken with lines of a proportionable length carried to the bottom by means of a lead fixed to their extremity. But the time required to load a vessel of the usual size of bankers^ and the space which must elapse before the fish is taken out of the bulk, or rather out of the pickle, washed and dried, are considerable drawbacks upon the advan- tages to be obtained from this otherwise f ;) k li^'i 446 HISTORY OP mm It. very abundant fishery. The dangers of the spring navigation from the ice and storms, and the continual fogs with which the bank is co- vered, occasioning frequently a drizzling rain any showers of snow or sleet, increase its diffi- culties. On the western coast of Newfoundland the fiphery begins much earlier than in the other parts of the island; but here they get only green fish, on account of the distance of the proper fishing grounds from the shore. This is called the tvestern fishery ; and in order to complete this description of the cod-fishery, we shall add, that the bulk of fish left to drain after being washed and previous to its being spread for drying, is called the water-horse, a name which sets at defiance all the penetration and learning of the deepest etymologist. Besides the most valuable and inexhaustible commodity of cod which this fishery sends to difierent markets of Europe and of America, it supplies the curriers with train-oily so called, in Newfoundland, to distinguish it from that which is extracted from whales and seals, and which is there designated by the appellation oi fat-oil. This train-oil is made from the liver of the cod which, during the process of curing the fish, the header throws through an opening in the splitting-table into a tub placed under it. This NEWFOUNDLAND. 447 tub is afterwards emptied into a puncheon so placed as to expose its contents to the full action of the sun, during at least a week, when the livers melt into oil. It is then the business of the Salter to draw this oil off through an opening made in one side of the puncheon, about half way between the top and the bottom, into another puncheon which has been well cleansed, out of which the oil is again poured with buckets into iiogsheads well trimmed. The blubber remaining in the former puncheon, consisting of water, blood, and other dirt, is next let out through a hole in the bottom; it is boiled in copper cauldrons, and the additional oil which is obtained by this second operation is put into casks, generally pork barrels, and sold like the former for exportation. fe:. u t:^! 4, Hi .' hi 448 HISTOHY OF CHAPTER XVI. OF THE CHARACTKR AND MANNERS OF THE ABORIGINES AND OTHER INHABITANTS OF THE ISLAND OF NEWFOUNDLAND. It has been said that ftrafjiuil improvement is a most conspicuous law of tlie nature of man. This assertion must necessarily be admitted with some limitations, at least of opportunities for improvement; for, without these, tiie dege- neracy of man in a state of barbarisui luis inva- riably been found to in(Tease in jiroportion to the distance from the sources of the blessin<;s of civilization and a cultivated siate of life. An eminent modern historian* has observed, that *' although the elegant and refined arts may decline or i>erish amidst the violent shocks of those revolutions and disasters to which nations are exposed, the necessary arts of life, when once they have been introduced among any people, are never lost. If ever the use of iron had been known to the savages of America or * Doctor Robertson, in his History <»f America. NEWFOUNDLAND. 449 to their pro^enitoi'M ; if (>ver they had employed a plough, a loom, or ti forge, the utility of those inventions would have preserved them ; and it is imposnible that they should have been aban- doned or forgotten." The learned author con- cludes thence, that the Americans sprOng from some people who were themselves in such an early and unimproved state of sociefy, as to be unacquainted with all the necessary arts which remained unknown among their posterity. Except in particular cases, as, for example, of an overgrown population, where colonies were compelled to emigrate, carrying with them the arts and improvements of their parent country, it may generally be said that those who, of their own free will, forsook a state enjoying the blessings of civilization and social order, were not the most valuable or the most industrious members of that commimity, and had as little practical knowledge of the arts, as relish for the improvements of their parent country. Licentiousness and plunder, or, ac- cording to the phraseology of the last century, liberty and equality, were their great objects, and fishing and hunting their first resources for subsistence. The dispositions and manners of men are formed by their situation, and arise from the state of society in which they live. When they are obliged to shift for their subsist- «S v!iy r*i t .' i 450 HISTORY OF i m^' ence in Mroods and wilds, when all their thoughts are employed in defending themselves and in procuring the necessaries of life, it is easy to suppose that they will, in time, foi^et the use of those faculties which they cease to exert. With respect to the use of t>o«, the complicated nature of the process requisite to bring this imperfect metal to a proper state, will easilv account tor its having been lost even in countries abounding with iron-mines : the use of the plough supposes, not only the knowledge of the proper preparation of iron, but also lands tit for cultivation, and such a state of society as will effectually secure private property and public tranquillity: the same may be said of the loom, and of other mauiu- factures even of the most common use. The descriptions given by modem travellers, of the various tribes of savages which are found in North America, particularly in the interior of that country, present no essential differences from the accounts wliioli^ere pub- lished on the same subject soon after the dis- covery of that continent.* The latest work * Some idea may be formed of the strong disioclioation of those savages to civilizatiou, even with the most favour- able opportunities for improvement, and of the principal cause of that disinclination, from the following anecdote related by Doctor Franklin : — ■^3. NEWFOUNDLAND. 451 of this kind, is one which appeared in London, in the year 1809, under every circumstance that can stamp on a literary production au- thenticity and interest, intituled, " The Travels of Captains Lewis and Clarke, from Saint Louis, by way of the Missouri and Columbia Rivers, to the Pacific Ocean; performed in the years 1804, 1805, and 1806, by order of the Government of the United States." Some of the tribes of the native Indians of North Ame- rica are there represented as existing in a de- plorable state of savage wretchedness, and to have ** little besides the features of human beings." The general mode of declaring and carrying on war among the various tribes throughout the whole extent of that country, and their conduct towards their prisoners, are •described as corresponding exactly with the On the couclusioD of a treaty between some neighbouring tribes and the Council of Pennsylvania, an offer was made to the former to educate some of their young men according to the mode of civilized life. The Indians, after having ma- turely considered the proposal, replied ; " What can we get by the exchange of education? You cannot walk so fast nor so well as we can. You cannot fight so well, nor are you such good marksmen. Our wants are fewer, our liberty greater than yours. But as you mean to live friendly vrith us, we are willing to communicate these blesiings to tfour sons, by educating, from time to time, a certain number of the yoang men of your nation." G g 2 ♦■•; 'J f ;*i ' ft 1:'!' I ■i { 45*2 HISTORY OF Kysteiu of warfare wliich was observed there at the earhest period of the acquaintance of Euro- peans with that continent. A similarity so striking, so exact, and so universal between the dispositions and manners of the savage in- habitants of North America, arising from an equally exact similarity of habits, pursuits, and mode of living, may reasonably be supposed to render the following summary of the Indian character and mode of living, in the nineteenth century, by the author of that work, appli- cable to the native savages of Newfoundland, so as to supply, in some degree, the want of more certain information obtained by personal intercourse. The Indians are of a malignant, revengeful, cruel, and inexorable disposition; they will watch whole days luimindful of the calls of nature, and make their way through pathless woods to pursue and revenge themselves of an enemy; they hear unmoved the piercing cries of such as unhappily fall into their hands, and receive a diabolical pleasure from the tortures which they inflict on tlieir prisoners. Artful and design- ing, always ready to take every advantage, cool and deliberate in their counsels, steady and persevering in their plans of destruction, and cautious in the extreme either of discover- ing their sentiments or of revealing a secret, NEWFOUNDLAND. 453 they possess the sa^city of a hound, tlie pe- netrating siffht of a lynx, the running of a fox, the agility of a bounding roe, and the unconquerable fierceness of the tiger. The small tribes dispersed over America are not only unconnected, but als(j engjiged in perpetual hostilities with one another, ever ready to take arras in order to repel or revenge any encroachment on the forests or plains which they consider as their hunt- ing grounds, ever actuated by that eagerness to gratify the passion of vengeance M'hich rages wijh inconceivable violence in the breasts of savages, an r^V'' same colour ivith the withered leaves in order to avoid detection. Where hunting is the chief source of sub- sistence, a vast extent of territory is requisite for supporting a small number of people. Hence the numbers in each tribe have always been small, though scattered over vast coun- tries: a community not exceeding, perhaps, three hundred warriors, would occupy a pro- vince larger than some kingdoms in Europe. The higher the latitudes, the fewer and more stra^ling were the Indians; nor could they remain long in any one place, but were obliged to roam about in quest of food, de- pending during one part of the year on fishing, and during anotlier on hunting ; and it is evident that no .wandering nation can ever be numerous. Famine also contributes to check their increase : Tor, even in a country abounding in fish and game, these resources failed them in some seasons; and being destimte of sagacity sufiicient to lay part of the provisions thus obtained, in reserve for the most inclement portion of the year, they were frequently, with their families, reduced to extreme distress. Such is the natural indolence of man in a savage state, that though the North Ame- rican Indians lived in a country stocked with the best timber for ship building, yet they II NEWFOVNDLANU. 4M II never made any improvement of it beyond tlieir canoeij wrought out of the trunks of trees made hollow by fire, or formed by the bark of the birch-tree strengthened with small ribs of wood somewhat like hoops, and [Mtched with a mixture of turpentine and rosin, using paddles, and setting poles instead of oars and sails. Their houses, or wigwams, were little buildings made of young trees bent down like an arbour, covered on the top with bark, and on the sides with thick mats made of rushes, or >vith the skins of deer and other animals : the doors were very low; at the top of the wigwam was a hole to let out the smoke, and on the ground were skins spread around to sleep. Tlieir usual mode of fishing was with hooks made of bone, and lines made of wild hemp or the sinews of deer. Their weapons were clubs made of some heavy wood hardened in the fire ; lances, the heads of which were armed with flint or bone; and bows and arrows, the latter pointed with the same materials as the lances, whik the cord of the bow was made of the dried gut of some animal: to these were added the scalping-knife and the tomahawk, or war hatchet, which, as well as the javelin and the arrows, were considerably improved alter the arrival of the Europeans, by the sub- stitution of iron for fUnt and bone. 1} ^h ■'Pi 1 ilil ^. '! ; ^■'l si 1.. ''■•: •' iSa '■ i] 456 HISTORY OF ■ ■V-iK-.v , '.V ' Such were, in the sixteenth century, the dis* positions, manners, pursuits, and mode of living;, of the North American Indians; anil such they are still in the nineteenth century, among the numerous tribes scattered over the immeasurable wilds between the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean, from the Missouri to the northern extremity of that continent. With respect to the Newfoundland Indians in particular, separated for ages from all other nations, and hunted like wild beasts by the Esquimaux from the opposite coast, they ap- pear to have ever viewed their civilized neigh- bours settled on the coasts of the island with an inveterate hatred, and an implacable spirit of revenge fed by the sense or tradition of encroachments and injuries transmitted from generation to generation; for all writers agree in asserting that, in savages, no time can obli- terate the remembrance of an offence: the desire of vengeance is the first and almost the only principle which a savage instils into the minds of his children: this grows up with them as they advance in life; it resembles the in- stinctive rage of an animal, rather than the pas- sion of a man, and is the great motive ui^ed by the chiefs in order to excite their people to take arms. It is, therefore, not unreasonable to suppose that the native savages of New- NEWFOUNDLAND. 467 founrUand have retained in the tuUest extent all the features churacteriKtic of the savage state ; a supposition which the information that has hitherto been obtained respecting them, tends most Htrongly to confirm. '• When Cabot tirst landed in the bay of Bona- vista, he saw some people painted with ochre^ and clothed with deer-skins formed into a sort of gowns with sleeves, that reached about half way down the legs and the arms, and beaver-skins about their necks ; their legs and feet were bare, and their heads uncovered : they wore their hair pretty long, with a great lock behind, a feather standing erect on the crown, and a small lock plaited before; their hair was of different colours, and their clothes as well as their bodies were painted red. Broughton adds, that they had some know- ledge of a Supreme Being; that they be- lieved that men and women were originally created from a certain number of arrows stuck fast in the ground, and that the dead went into a far country there to make merry with their friends. This mode of peopling a desart country is as rational as some others that have since been imagined, such as, for example, ac- cording to some later writers, the original ancestor of the ignorant islanders found at the extremity of Baffin's Bay, having been H .'it t. "• ' '■ I'll 1 viij ' ' ' :'' ! *•: !■ 1 • ' ':'• ■ ' H • --^ ■•' n i'''i |f and \m peo- ple to the niitiveH wan so rourteon?". that they entirely ' counts, together with the inference^ which may be drawn from the general habits of man in a savage state, as applicable to the Newfound- land Indians, are confirmed by the result of the latest observations. That a tribe, per|)etually surrounded and harassed by enemies, should have continued to exist for the space of eight centuries, might appear almost incredible, if the successive ac- counts which have been transmitted to us re- specting them from the earliest period, the pro- clamations issued from time to time for their protection by the Governors of the island, and the report of Captain Buchan in the year 1811, did not prove its existence beyond all possibi- lit}'^ of doubt. How far a hope can reasonably be entertained, of any attempt to introduce among them the blessings of civilization being crowned with success, is very doubtful. The immense range of territory which lies open before them, will always enable them to elude every effort to establish an intercourse. Their number is supposed to be inconsiderable in comparison with the size of the island : this, as we have already observed, has always been and must ever conthiue to be the consequence of the savage mode of life ; nor will the nature of the soil and of the climate leave any ground for supposing that the increase of po- NEWFOUNDLAND. 4G1 >■ ft piilation among the European settlers, may, at any future period, so surround and confine those savap;es to a more limited extent of ground, as to force at last an intercourse with them. With respect to the inhabitants of Nevf- foundland of European extraction, they are either natives, or descendants from natives, of Great Britain, Ireland, or of the islands of Guernsey and Jersey. The letter have gene- rally retained the manners of their respective ancestors, with some qualifications arising from the difference of climate and of the mode of living, so as to exhibit rather a compound of all. Livy has long ago asserted that the same holds true of mankind as with respect to vege- tables and to animals; that the particular nature of the seed is not so powerful in pre- serving the perfection of the produce, as the nature of the soil and climate is in changing it. He instances this in the Macedonians, whose descendants possessed Egypt, Syria, and Ba- bylon, and who had all degenerated to an equality >vith the native efl'eminate inhabitants of those countries. In the same manner Doctor Falconer observes, that even the ciiiUlren of Europeans, born in warnui climates, degene- rate, whilst, on the contrary, in colder climates, , W ' •'.;(■ I \ m '1 Mi II M a1 462 HISTORY OF -^k: ir f ^'.:, ?^ ^* they possess a greater degree of bodily strength : the inhabitants of warm climates are cowardly, irritable, and perfidious ; those of cold climates are little subject to violent passions, much less vindictive, more averse to malice or cruelty of disposition, and more fixed and steady in their resolutions: slight impressions scarcely affect them, and the motives that would deter an inhabitant of a hot country from an enter- prise, never reach the sensation of one of a cold climate: their bravery, insensibility of fear, and contempt of danger, are equal to the rational and steady nature of their bene- volence and kindness of disposition. The same writer farther observes, that habits of labour, exercise, and industry, contribute to the strength of the body ; and the strength thus acquired gives them a confidence in the midst of the greatest dangers, which the inhabitants of hot climates do not possess. These principles concerning the effects of a cold climate on the temper and dispositions of mankind, though questionable in several re- spects when applied to man in the uncivilized state, are perfectly applicable to the natives of Newfoundland of European origin. Let me add, that their intellectual capacity, the acute- ness of their understanding, and aptitude to improve in the arts or in learning, are as re- re as re- s NEWFOUNDLAND. 4Aa markable as their courage, perseverance, and industry. It has also been justly observed, that the character of a population is essentially influ- enced by the nature of the country. Where the land is barren, and the necessaries of life are not acquired without toil and labour, little leisure is left for the indulgence of vicious pas- sions, and the course of life is generally moral and regular. This is likewise true of the native inhabitants of Newfoundland, where this source of morality derives considerable assistance from the facility of settling in life, And of bringing up a family, which encourages early marriages. The instances of celibacy among them are extremely rare. A third cause, which has been said to have a great influence on the temper and dispositions of mankind, is diet. It has been observed by Doctor Haller, that flsh hold a kind of middle rank between animals and vegetables; that they are, in general, less nutritive than flesh- meats, and produce also less red blood and strength of body. Montesquieu ascribes to a ftsh diet other properties, with respect to which Diodorus Siculus had before expressed a directly contrary opinion, by asserting, that a ftsh diet produces a remarkable apathy or un- feelingness. I ii m in rr m It . ■' '\'s ■ I -'? ,' ■ 1 -■■: \ ■At ! 404 HISTORY OP ;: 1 Wt" It is very remarkable that no where can a stronger and more hardy race be found than in Newfoundland, not only among the natives, but also among the strangers who have resided some years in that island; and no where is fish, either fresh or salted, in more constant or general use, even during the most laborious season of the fishery : they eat fish at breakfast with their tea, at dinner with potatoes, and again at supper with tea. Salt pork, always accompa- nied with cabbage or greens, is used only on particular days; indeed it is often at such a price as not to be equally attainable by all and at all times : when cheapest, it is still a very expensive article. The comparative increase in the population of Newfoundland is by no means such as to make the observation of Montesquieu applicable to that island; nor does the assertion of Diodorus appear there to stand upon better grounds. The advocates for the use of tea have, no doubt, been struck with the remark just made, that this vegetable forms a considerable article in the diet of the Newfoundlanders. Wine is seldom used but by the superior sort of planters, and that only on some particular occasions. Spirituous liquors are in more general use : it is not, however, uncommon to see a servant, who finds that this drink has a NEWKOUNDLAND. 405 violent eflfect on lib passions, or has in one in- stance brought him into a scrape, swear cigainst liquor, that is, swear before his clergyman that he will not drink any kind of spirits for one year, sometimes for a longer period, or during his stay on shore : this is called there cagging or kegging ; and seldom any but strangers find themselves under the necessity of applying to thi» measure. Bohea tea^ Itot from the kettle in which it is boiled, is the favourite and universal beverage, even at dinner, particularly during the winter season, as well as at breakfast and supper during the whole year. And yet it has been asserted by several highly respectable writers, that tea appears from the best experiments to produce sedative effects upon the nerves, dimi- nishing their energy and the tone of the mus- cular fibres, and inducing a considerable de- gree both of sensibility and irritability upon the whole system: it has even been thought that the diminutive stature anf^. cowardly disposition of the Chinese might be owing in no small degree to the use of this vegetable, at the same time that it is supposed not to be so prejudicial in the hot climates of China and India, as in the colder ones. Others have attributed these effects, not to the tea itself, but to the warm water. 11 h ! It n> u •■il i ' !..^ ! »■ ( . '•I rif- ■^'mn 460 HISTORY OF m 1 'm m Another beverage in common use there, cheap, pleasant, and very wholesome, i» tpruce-heer. A bough of black spruce, fresh from the tree, is chopped into small pieces, and put into an iron pot, containing about six or eight gallons of water; this is hung over a large fire and left to boil for several hours, until the leaves come ofl' without effort; it is then taken off, and some mola^ise.s are put into it, at the rate of about one gallon for eighteen gallons: the whole is stirred up, and when sufficiently cooled, is poured into the cask where a pint of the grounds left by the former brewing, and a certain quantity of cold water, to prevent the grounds from being scalded, have been previously put. The cask being completely filled with cold water, is well shaken, and left to ferment and settle for twenty-four hours. Then the beer is fit for use, and of a very superior quality to what is made with the essence of spruce. Some people of a particular taste use that beer with spirits, instead of water, a mixture which is there called calhboguSf and confined to a few amateurs. The houses are generally built of wood; the best are two stories high, raised on brick or stone foundations, which include excellent eel- i NEWFOUNDLAND. 467 lars: the boards, planks, and shinglfs,* arc imported from other parts of America. These houses are continiuilly wanting repair, and require a coat of paint every twelve months to support a decent appearance. The use of coal has of late years become general in par- lours and even in kitchens; it is imported chiefly from Sydney, furnishing a profitable employment to the shipping until the fish is ready to be put on-board for market; also from Liverpool and Scotland in greater or smaller quantities as ballast, when the cargo is light, or the amount of shipping required to carry off the produce of the fishery exceeds that which is necessary for the importation of supplies and merchandize. The common dwellings consist only of the ground-floor, or at most of one story : the mate- rials, except the shingles, are the produce of the Newfoundland woods ; the best sorts are clap- boarded on the outside ; others are built of logs left rough and uneven on the inside and outside, the interstices being filled up with moss, and the inside generally lined ^vith boards planed and tongued. This filling with moss the va- cancies between the studs to keep out the * Shingles are laths of twelre inches long and four broad, which are nailed on the tops of houses like tiles. H h 2 ;t it ' I i -{i' ii : weather, is there called chinsing. The floors are sometimes made of boards planed and tongued, and sometimes of longers or poles nailed top to but. They call tilts temporary log houses, -which they erect in the woods to pursue there their winter occupations. Tilt- backs, or linneysy are sheds made of studs, and covered either with boards or with boughs, resembling the section of a roof, fixed to the back of their dwellings towards the wind. They have only one fire-place in a very large kitchen, partially enclosed with boards, and having within a bench on each side, so as to admit eight or ten persons. Under these benches they manage convenient places for their poultry, by which means they have fresh e^s during the most severe winters: these chimneys are likewise by their width extremely fit for the purpose of smoking salmon and other kinds of fish or eatables, as the only fuel used in them is wood, which is found at no great distance. The natives of both sexes are equally re- markable for their ingenuity and industry. The women, besides the very valuable assist- ance which they afford during the season for curing and drying the fish, generally under- stand the whole process of preparing the wool from the fleece, and of manufacturing it by knitting into stockings, caps, socks, and mit- '■'i'5>/; ! NKWFOUNDLANO. H^i) tens: their worsted stockings are strong and well calculated for the climate. The women are also characterized by a steady attention to their domestic duties, and correctness of con- duct in every point of view. The natives generally attain to a good old age; some instances have been known of men and women at fourscore attending on the flakes and in the stages, to the operations of the fish- ery, with as much facility and alacrity as they could have done in their youth. They are liable to few diseases, except such as are im- ported from other countries. The scarlet and putrid fevers, putrid sore throat, and the small-pox, in consequence of their rooted aver- sion to any kind of inoculation, produce among them a very great mortality, whenever they happen to make their appearance during the heats of the summer season. The gout is im- known among them, nor are consumptions fre- quent. It has already been observed that the natives of Newfoundland have generally retained the manners and customs of their respective ances- tors, with some qualifications arising from the difference of climate and of the mode of living, so as to exhibit rather a compound of all. Some customs are found there of very ancient if' !lii !.;i;i IJ H i^ 470 HISTORY OF n t ' '^'^^ if: ^: (late, and now grown obsolete in Europe. Such is, for example, the custom of salutinrr the bride. Doctor Taylor, in his Elements of the Civil Law, says, that this custom was much in fashion in his time over all Europe; and he traces it to a similar one in use in ancient Rome, where drinking wine or other strong liquors was, in women, a crime punishable equally to adultery, as leading to it, by a law as ancient as Romulus; and in order that they coidd not expect to trangress the law with im- punity, the relations of the wife and of her husband, *' consobtini" were, as often as they met her, to salute her, ut spiritu judicaretur. This interdict was likewise contained in the " Twelve Tables," and for a considerable time was enforced among ti«e Romans with inexo- rable severity. In all cases of this nature, the relations, '^cognati" generally sat with the husband as assessors in the trial. The regularity established by the nature of the pursuits of the inhabitants of Newfound- land impresses the same character on all the principal occurrences of life. Marriages and christenings usually take place either at the fall, when the fishing concerns are at an end and all accounts are settled, or sometimes in the spring, previous to the resuming of those NEWFOUNDLAND. 471 ornipatiotiM. They are seasons of festivity, relebrated with good cheer and the firing of guns. Their funeral ceremonies are generally con- ducted with Home parade, and attended by a large concourse of people, in proportion to the regard entertained by the public for the de- ceased. The clergymen of the place or district, both Protestant and Roman Catholic, meet at the house where the corpst; is deposited, with the relations and friends, and there partake with them of a small collation, consisting of bread and cheese, seed-cake, wine, spirits, and tea. The procession, preceded by the clei^y who march before the corpse, proceeds to the place of burial attended by the relatives two and two, and followed by the friends without any order. After the service has been performed and the ceremony is concluded, the procession returns in the same order to the house of the deceased, and there separates. The funerals of the military are conducted with the most impres- sive solemnity. The soldiers of the company, preceded by their officers, march two and two with their arms reversed, the drums muffled beating single strokes at intervals, and the fifes playing a solenm tune, until the procession has reached the grave. When the ceremony is 472 iiisTouY or ?J5 conrliided, three vollryM are fired over llie Krsive; the men then form themwelveK, the word of command, " (|iiiek march," is pven, and th(? fifes and dnim.s strike up a lively tune. It is said that at llatherleiffh, anmall town in the county of Devon, after a funeral, the church-bells ring a lively i)eal, as in other places after a wedtling, and that the inhabitants are perfectly rer'onciled to this custom by the consideration that the deceased is removed from a scene of trouble to a state of peace. Also at Iligh-Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire, the parties, after the cere- mony, meet at a public-house, sing a recpiiem, and afterwards partake of buns and ale. As to the practice above alluded to, the Author has since learned, that it is customary in all military funerals in England : it is evidently founded in policy, though on very different grounds from those on which the inhabitants of Hatherleigh are said to be reconciled to the lively peal. The practice of " waking the dead" is pretty general in Newfoundland, particularly among the natives of Irish extraction, who, in this re- spect, most faithfully adhere to the usage of their fathers in every point, as to crying most bitterly, and very often with dry eyes, howling, making a variety of strange gestures and contortions M'.WFOl'SDLANU. 473 cvprrsHive of tlie violence of their grief, anil also as to Ash-Wednesday is likewise observed with la^reat devotion by the same description of peo- ple, with the exception of an old custom which they practise on coming from mass, to parade the streets, dragging after them a long heavy log to which a rope is fastened, and com- pelling every unmarried person, of whatever sex or description, whom they hap))en to meet, to lay hold of that rope and to accom- pany the procession until the termination of their march through the town. This may be intended as an allusion to the renewal of the licence to marry, which, in that church, is sus- pended during the Lent season. Tiie ancient British custom of tlie Yiile, or Christmas log or block, is universally observed by the inhabitants of Newfoundland. On Christmas-eve, at sun-set, an immense block, provided on i)urpose from the adjoining woods, is laid across on the back of the fire-place, to be left there till it is entirely consumed : the ceremony of lighting it is announced by the firing of muskets or seal guns before the door of each dwelling-liouse. This, among them, is the prelude to a season of joy and merriment, nor would the wise law passed in the year 1658, by the Puritans of New England, which inflicted a [)enalty of five shillings for " ob- serving any such day as Christmas," stand 476 HISTOKY OF there much chance of being regarded. This custom is said to be of very great anticjuity and still prevalent in the north of England, and is supposed to have been borrowed from the ancient Saxons. History informs us that, of all the Druidical festivals, this Mas the most joyous, with a view to atone for the inclemency of the weather by great fires and mutual mer- riments. The Saxons began their year, it is said, on the 8th of the Kalends of January, which is our Christmas-day: the festivities of this season, by them called Yule, lasted twelve days ; the night preceding yule-day was termed " the night of mothers," and ob- served as sacred. In order to dispel the drowsy influence of the dreariness of the wea- ther, the summons to the approaching festival was given early in the morning by music going round, which was called " the wakeths," since softened into " waits." Some add to the Christmas-log Christmas-candles, remarkable for their uncommon size. Christmas-dinners are in general practice; so are likewise Christmas-boxes, or presents, not in coin, for this is not in common use there, but in eatables, from a turkey or a quarter of veal or mutton, or a piece of beef just killed for the occasion, down to a nicely smoked salmon. This custom is the less ex- NEWFOUNDLAND. 477 traordinary in Newfoundland, as it is said to have originated with mariners, or rather to have derived its name from a practice anciently common to them. When a ship went on a distant voyage, a box was fixed to the mast, for the purpose of receiving the pious offerings of the mariners; and we may suppose that these offerings must have been frequent and large, in proportion to the number and the greatness of the dangers to which these people might find themselves exposed during the navigation. Another custom, which is said to be still observed in the north of England, prevails in some parts of Newfoundland, though not with general approbation: it is caWed mumming; men and women exchange clothes with each other, and go from house to house singing and dancing, on which occasion Christmas-boxes are ex- pected, and generally granted previous to the performance, in order to get rid of them. The Author must, in justice to the native inhabit- ants of Conception-Bay, observe, that frequent attempts have been made to introduce this practice among them, but they have been gene- rally resisted and publicly reprobated. If the character of the natives of Newfoundland, in general, agrees with that of those of Concep- .1" if- 478 HISTORY OF tion-Bay, which he had ^eater opportunities to appreciate during a residence of upwards of ten years among them, no where can a race be foimd more remarkable for indefatigable in- dustry, for contempt of danger, for steadiness of temper and of conduct, sincerity and con- stancy of attachment, and a strong sense of religious duty. The population of Newfoundland, with re- spect to religious profession, consists of mem- bers of the Church of England, of Roman Catholics, of Presbyterians or Independents, and of Methodists. With respect to the first, this island was one of the original objects of the care of the So- ciety for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. Their present establishment there consists of four missionaries of the Esta- blished Church and seven schoolmasters; namely, one missionary at Saint John's, who is also acting chaplain to the garrison, and one schoolmaster; one missionary and three school- masters in Conception-Bay; one missionary and one schoolmaster in Trinity-Bay; one missionary at Placentia; one schoolmaster at Burin, and another at Bonavista. Each mis- sion has one or more places of worship, and a dwelling-house with some land attached to NEWFOUNDLAND. 47M it. The annual salary of each missionary wan raised by the Society, in the year 1813, from one hundred to two hundred pounds sterling. The Roman Catholics had long been en- deavouring to obtain a footing there; but their efforts were as constantly resisted, on account of the disturbances and animosities occasioned by the intolerant and daring con- duct of the Jesuits in Canada and other parts in the neighbourhood, prior to the treaty of 1763. In the year 1784, Doctor James O'Donell, a clergyman of the Franciscan order, who had been stationed in the city of Waterford, where his piety and learning soon procured his ad- vancement to the head order, and where he is said to have distinguished himself as a popular and pathetic preacher, was sent to Newfound- land with full authority from the See of Rome as " Prefect and Vicar Apostolic of New- foundland." He was afterwards raised to the titular dignity of " Bishop of Thyatira," and established missions in Harbour-Grace and other parts of that island. He remained there twenty-three years, during which his conduct is said to have been patriotic and meritorious. On his return to Ireland he received from the British government a pension of fifty pounds sterling, which, says his biographer, he ever after looked upon with pride as a mark of his 480 HISTORY OF ', ^, Majesty's approbation. He was succeeded, in the year 1806, by Doctor Lambert, the first Roman Catholic missionary who appeared there with the title of " Bishop of Newfound- land." The Presbyterians or Independents have a congregation in Saint Johns, whose founder was John Jones, a native of Wales, clerk to a company of Royal Artillery stationed in that town about the vear 1777. He died at Saint John's, in March, 1800, at the age of sixty-five years. Methodism was first introduced into New- foundland by the Rev. LawTence Coughlan, a clergyman of the Church of England, wiio, about the year 1764, was sent to the district of Con- ception-Bay as missionary. He left it about the year 1772, after having appointed classes and leaders of both sexes, whilst the mission was more regularly filled by the Society at home with the clergyman who had some years before been appointed by them to the mission of Tri- nity-Bay. With respect to the Courts of Justice in Newfoundland, they are,* — I. The ** Supreme Court of Judicature," f • By the act of the 33d Geo. 111. cap. 76. Vide supra, p. 219. ( •■ NF.WFOrNDLAM). 481 1. '1 lield hy a Cliief-Jiistice appointed by the Kin<;'s commission under tlie j2:reat seal. This is a court of record, havinji^ both criminal and civil jurisdiction. It may liold plea of " all crimes and misdemeanors'' committed within the island of Newfoundland, and the islands and seas to which ships or vessels repair from the island of Newfoundland for carrying on the fishery, on the banks of Newfoundland, and on the coast of Labrador, in the same manner as plea is holden of such crimes and misdemeanors in En*^land. It may also hold plea, in a sum- mary way, of all suits and complaints of a civil nature, arising within the parts above-men- tioned, and also in Great Britain and Ireland, according to the law of England, as far as the same can be applied to suits and complaints arising in the said islands and places. II. The " Surrogate Courts," held each by a Judge appointed by the Governor of the island, and having cu'iY jurisdiction in the same manner and to the same extent as the Supreme Couki, lo which an appeal lies from these courts upon judgments for sums exceeding forty pounds; as there is likewise an appeal from the Supreme Court to his Majesty in council upon judgments for sums exceeding one hundred pounds. The mode of proceeding in these several I i 1 • 482 HISTORY OF courts of civil jurisdiction, is by summons, where the cause of action does not exceed five pounds; and where it does exceed that sum, or the summons is disobeyed, then by writ of attachment against the goods, or by arrest of the person. When the cause of action exceeds the sum of forty shillings, and a jury is prayed by either of the parties to the suit, twenty-four persons are to be summoned, twelve of whom are to form the jury; but in case of a sufficient number of jurors not ap- pearing to be sworn, then the Governor may appoint two Assessors to the Chief-Justice, and each Surrogate may in like manner ap- point to himself two such Assessors ; and they shall respectively proceed to the trial as if no jury had been prayed.* When a writ of attachment has been issued, and it is made appear to the court out of which such process has issued, that the party is insol- vent, the court may summon the plaintiff, the defendant, and all the creditors to appear at a certain day; and if, upon investigation, it is found that the party is really insolvent, the court is to declare him or her insolvent accord- ingly, and to authorize one or more creditors, chosen by the major part in value of such cre- * Vide supra, p. 216. NEWFOUNDLAND. 483 ditors whose debts amount respectively to tlie sum of ten pounds and upwards, to proceed to discovering, collecting, and selling the effects and debts of such person, and making a rate- able distribution of the produce among all his creditors, under the directions of such court, and according to such orders as it may, from time to time, deem proper to make. The order in the distribution of the effects of insolvent persons is as follows: viz. 1. Wages due to fishermen and seamen for the then current season, are to be paid 20*. in the pound. 2. Debts for supplies furnished in the then current season, also 205. in the pound, so far as the effects will go. And 3. Debts contracted within two years. All other creditors are to be paid out of the remainder, if there is any, rateably to their respective claims. A certificate granted by the court, with the consent of one-half in number and value of the creditors, of such insolvent person having made a tme disclosure of his effects, and conformed to the orders and directions of that court, is a bar to all suits for debts contracted within the extent of the jurisdiction of the Supreme and Surrogate Courts, prior to the declaration of insolvency. i i2 1 I' i ! 484 HI.STOHV Ol' fl-. ,.;■■' Jf; i. J ' ",M 'A ■ km M: III. The " Probate Court," for tlu» prohatc of wills and for granting administration of the effects of intestates, without which the effects of deceased persons cannot, by law, be legally administered. This court is held by the Chief- Justice, and by Surrogates appointed under hi.s hand and seal. IV. The « Court of Vice-Admiralty," held by a Judge-Commissary appointed by the Lords of the Admiralty. This court holds plea only of maritime causes and causes of the revenue; but may not take cognizance of the wages of seamen and fishermen. Uj)on any judgment given in this court, an appeal lies to the Court of Admiralty in England; and, in cases of prize vessels taken in war, to certain Commissioners of Appeal in England. V. The " Court of Session," held by two or more magistrates appointed by the Governor. The jurisdiction of this court, and the oaths of office to be taken by each magistr^ite, are the same as in England. They are specially em- powered to hear and determine all disputes concerning the wages of seamen and fisher- men; all suits for the payment of debts not exceeding forty shillings, and not contracted more than one year before the commencement of such suit; and all oflences committed by the masters and employers against any act relating j«j.,,,' nk\vfoi:ni)LAM>. AnCi i .' . to Newfoundland and its fisheries, as well a^ to ^ive judgment for the recovery of every penalty or forfeiture of the sum of ten pounds or under, imposed by any such act. With these exceptions, it is expressly pro- vided by the Judicature-Act, that none but the Supreme and Surrogate Courts may hold plea of any suit or complaint of a civil nature. All fines, penalties, and forfeitures, whatever, may be recovered only, except as stated in the pre- ceding article, in the Supreme and Surrogate Courts. ' APPENDIX. I Note 1, |). 5. 1 UK int'urmution which we huve concerning the geo- grapliy -«l geographer himself, from information ob- tained from some Northmen whom, after his signal Mitory over the Danish invaders, he had sirifered to remain at his court, there is a description of the country of the Northmen given to Alfred by one of them named Ohthere. From this account, it appears, that that country was then culled Northmanna-land; that it was opposite to the Ost seu, very long, broadest at the south, where it was about sixty miles or more in ; I, ..I. i I )'i: '< 48a APPENDIX. extent, and growing narrower to the northward, untif it extended at last only three miles from the sea; and that it was bounded to the eastward by wild moors, inhabited by the Finnas, who lived there in the winter by hunting, and in the summer by fishing in the Ost sea. Ohthere described himself as a very rich man in such goods as were valuable in those coun- tries, and said that at the time he quitted North- manna-land, he had six hundred tame deer, none of which he had purchased, and six decoy rein-deer, which were very valuable among the Finnas, because they caught wild ones with them. He liad, besides, twenty horned cattle, twenty sheep, and twenty swine. The rents or tributes in his country consisted chiefly of what was paid by the Finnas, in the skins of deer, bears, otters, and martens; in feathers, whalebone, and ship-ropes, made of whales' hides or seals'-skins. Every one paying according to his substance, the wealthiest paid fifteen martens', five rein-deers', and one bear's skin ; ten hanupers full of feathers, a cloak made of bears' or otters' skin, and two ship-ropes, each sixty ells long, one of whales' and the other of seals' skin. The extraordinary abundance of deer, bears, birds, and other animals, which the Northmen found in New- foundland, of the same description as those which were esteemed most valuable in their own country, may be supposed to have given them a very high opinion of the value of that island, and to have made them anxious to form a settlement in a country which was so much superior in this and other respects to Norlhmanna-land and to Greenland. Al'FENUlX. 4»y Note 2, p. 11. The first vessels in use ainoug the northern nations of Europe, of which mention is made by historians, were boats, either hollowed out of large trunks of trees, or made of wicker cased over with the skin of deer or of some other animal : the latter sort were in general use in Britain in Caisar's time; (De Bella Civili, §259:) those of the Saxon pirates were of the same constriic- tion. , They were likewise used by the Greeks, who called them Ka^a|3t«, perhaps in reference to their shape, from Ka^ajSot, a large kind of crab, and took I hem on board their ships like pinnaces; hence most likely korahl, the Russian term for a ship. The coracle now in use on the Dee, the Severn, and the Wye, (.onsists of a slight frame of wicker-work round the edges, and of bent laths intersecting each other in the l)ody, covered with pitched canvass. It is broad at one end and rounded at the other; extremely light, only large enough to contain a single person, and ha>ing a cross bench or seat. The Author has fre- quently seen men paddling down the Wye in these small boats with inconceivable rapidity and dexterity, and afterwards walking up the banks of the river with Iheir coracle on their head, like a large basket with provisions or other goods ; or, if empty, thrown over the shoulder, or placed inverted on the head. It appears also, from Ohthere's account, that the ))cople of Northmanna-land and of Cwenaland were ii> If < i '■ . '' f:, I 490 API'ENDIX. M f*:- K^^V- the habit of making incursions on each other; tor which purpose the latter used to carry their ships over land into the meres or lakes amongst the moors, and that, as Ohthere told King Alfred, these ships were small and light. Necessity, however, soon induced the northern na- tions to build vessels of a larger size ; for, according to the same account, the Northmen, in the ninth century, had circumnavigated the extreme point of Europe, and coming at last to the Cwen or White Sea, had ar- rived at the Dwina, and among the Beormas who re- sided on its banks. But what must have been even the largest ships known in the north of Europe, when we read of Edgar's fleets, which amounted to thr^e thousand six hundred ships, and even to four thousand, according to Brompton ! These larger ships were navigated by rowers, and dexterity and per- severance in rowing were viewed among the nations of the north in so advantageous a light, that King Harold Hardrade, and Earl Rognwald, Lord of the Orkneys, prided themselves greatly on their superior skill in handling an oar. It was also considered by them as peculiarly praise-worthy to understand the structure of a ship, and the best method of constructing it, su as to be firm and strong, and at the same time a quick sailer. Note 3, p. 17. Abraham Ortelio was a native of Antwerp, then under the dominion of Philip the Second, King 1.1 ■ . t APPENDIX. 491 of Spain, to whom he was chief geographer. He was contemporary and intimate with the celebrated C a m den , who appears to have undertaken his " Britannia" at the earnest solicitation of Ortelio, from the following passage in his preface to the edition of that work, published in 1607, about twenty years after the first edition: " Eximius veteris geographic restaurator Abrahamus Ortblius ante annum tricesimnm mecum pluribus egit ut Britanniam nostram antiquam illam illustrarem: hoc est, ut Britannise suam antiqua- tatem, et sue antiquitati Britanniam restitaerem, ut vetustis novitatem, obscuris lucem, dubiis fidem ad- derem; et ut veritatem in rebus nostris, quam vel scriptorum securitas, vel vulgi credulitas proscrip- serant, quoad fieri posset, post liminio revocarem. Opus sane arduum, &c." Ortelio published, in the year 1570, a work in Latin, under the title of " Orbis Terrae Theatrum," which he dedicated to Philip II. ; a Spanish translation, with considerable additions and improvements by the same author, appeared about the year 1588, a second edition in 1603, and a third in 1612, in one large and thick folio volume, containing 128 whole sheet maps. In this work the author speaks in the highest terms of Camden's Britannia, which he ranks far above all other productions of the same kind: " sob re todos, al qual despues de averlo leydo, parascera le averlo vislo con los oyos." His description of Eng- land and Ireland is there said to be " ad D. Guliel. Camdeni Britanniam accommodata." In his " Typus Orbis Terrarum," or Map of the World, dated in the year 1587, the regions round the North Pole are described as separated from th« I 11 I I i ' a 492 APPENDIX. h f* ■.i> old and new continents, between the seventieth and eightieth degrees of north latitude, by m narrow sea, which runs east and west from the Atlantic into the Pacific Ocean. In the eastern entrance into the western arm is an island called Groetland, having to the east and south-east another much larger, called Groenlandt. This last, in another map, is laid down a? containing a monastery of Saint Thomas, a town named Alba, and several rivers and capes round the whole islan y ith distinct names. To the south-west of Greenland is Estotilant: further down is Terra de Baccalao9, divided into three islands ; the first having to the north-east Cape-Bianco, to the south-east, the Isle of Saint Julien, and to the north Belle-Isle, in the mouth of an arm of the sea which separates it from Terra Corterialis: the second and largest division, separated from the first by a strait which seems to correspond with the Bay of Exploits and the Bay of Islands, has to the east the Isle d*-s Oisea^ix, or Birds'- Island, now Fogo, and contains Cape-Bonavista, near which is a small island, called Baccalaos, at the entrance of a strait which corresponds with the Bays of Trinity and Placentia, and which runs from north to south, leaving to the east the third and smallest division, terminated to the south-east by Cape de Razo, now Cape-Race. Note 4, p. 19. r * Newfoimdland was for a long time thought to be the most eastem part of the new continent to which Cabot APPHNDIX. 403 had given generally the name of the New- found-land, a denomination by which that island is now known J^y the Germans, namely, Ncw-funden-land ; by the Italians, Terra Novella; by the Spaniards, Tierra Nueva; and by the French, Terre Neuve. From a similar mistake the isle of Cape Breton derives its name. Thus also the opinion of Columbus, that the countries which he had discovered in his first voyage, were a part of those vast regions in Asia comprehended under the general appellation of India, is the origin of the npme of the " West Indies." Ferdinand and Isabella, in a ratification of their former agreement granted to Columbus upon his return, designated the new countries by the name of " Indies;" and ever since, the Kings of Spain, among their other titles, bave had that of Kings of " both Indies;" the council, whose peculiar depart- ment is the government of Spanish America, has always been called the " Council of the Indies," whilst all the nations of Europe have invariably given the name of " Indians" to the native inhabitants of North and South America. Note 6, p. 20. That a considerable change in the climate of Green- land actually took place towards the beginning of the fifteenth century is admitted by Doctor Morse, in his American Gazetteer, by Doctor Forster, in his History of Voyages and Discoveries in the Novlh, by Doctor Robertson, and by all our best modern geographers. 494 APPENDIX. f>ii;',$l m:':L They alt agree in the following account of the first settlement made in Greenland by Europeans, and the subsequent interruption in the communication between that colony and Europe, viz. that, in the year 982, a com- pany of Icelanders, headed by one ErickeRaude, having been by accident driven on the coast of Greenland, Ericke, on his return, represented the country in such a favourable light, that some families followed him thither, where they soon became a thriving colony, giving their new habitation the name of Graeuland or Greenland, on account of its verdant appearance. The celebrated Olaf, the first Norwegian chief who embraced the Christian faith, soon after sent thither a missionary, and this settlement continued to increase and to nou- rish under his protection, so that, in the course of a hundred years, the country was provided with several towns, churches, and convents, together with a bishop under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Drontheiro. A considerable commerce was carried on between that colony and Norway, and a regular intercourse maintained between the two countries, until the year 1406, the date of the appointment of the last of seventeen bishops of Greenland who have left their names on record in regular succession. At this time the gradual increase of the Arctic ice surrounded at last those coasts with a frozen ocean, and all communication with Europe was completely cut off. In the year 1721, Egede, a Norwegian clergyman, deeply impressed with the thought of the melancholy situation of this colony, if it should still exist, resolved to visit that country. Having reached the western shore, he traced several ruins of the ancient churches, the only remains of APPENDIX. 495 ChriHtianity which he could find there, preached the gospel to the natives, and continued among them until the year 1735: his example was followed by other missionaries, and by the Moravians who began a set- tlement there thirty years after his return to Europe. It is an acknowledged fact that considerable varia- tions have taken place at different periods in the Arctic ice, whether they are to be attributed to earthquakes, storms, uncommon swells, or other violent motions of the surrounding seas, or to the continual accumulations of ice, by which the equilibrium being at lasi destroyed, an effect is, from time to time, produced similar to the phe- nomena so common and so destructive in the Alpine mountains, known by the name of avalanches, which frequently bury whole villages under their stupendous masses. It is remarkable, that all accounts of a great change in the Arctic ice make mention of a great swell o" the se,. These swells which, during the most ^ .ofound calm, impress on the waves a motion frequently equal in violence and power to the agitation produced by the most formidable storms, are particu- larly calculated to assist in producing such changes, from the powerful and long continued force with which they act on the under surface of the ice, and with which they separate and remove its disjoined parts. In the year 1662,* the adventurous Baffin was able to navigate the sea that now bears his name; but it has since been frequently found that this sea was filled with numerous islands of ice, some of which were a hundred leagues in circumference, and between four * See p. 330, et soq. Frobisher, DnvU, and Hudson. I i^ I "■iJ- ' I 4f)0 appendix; 1, 71' ■ vi-'l and five hundred feet high. The Registers of the Royal Society in London, for the year IGOn, make mention of a Hollander who had been but half a degree from the Pole-, where he saw neither land nor ice, bnt all water. Captain Middleton, in tlie year 1746, ob- served a similar variation in the Arctic ice, and slated it as his opinion, that every sixth or seventh year the masses detached and carried down by the ocean are infinitely more considerable than in the intervening years, and the diminution of ice in those parts propor- tionably greater. This periodical return would seem to point to a cause similar to that which produces the avalanches on the Alps. In the year 1751, Captain Mac Callam, of Campbell-Town, in Pennsylvania, reached as high a latitude as eighty-three degrees and a half. M. Laing, in his voyage to Spitsbergen, in the year 1806, states, that on the 28th of May he found himself by observation in eighty-one degrees fifty minutes of north latitude, the sea-shore being almost clear of ice, with a great swell; the weather was serene; and, had their object been the making discoveries, there was not apparently any thing to pre- vent them from going a great way farther to tlie north. But in his second voyage in 1807, he could not pene- trate higher than seventy-eight degrees thirty minutes north; a ridge of ice totally prevented their farther progress. In the year 1817, the eastern coast of Green- land which, though visible at a distance, had hitherto been found bordered by a high and impenetrable bar- rier of ice, was visited by a sh?p of Bremen and several fishing-boats from Iceland. At the same time the Norwegian vessels found beyond the eightieth dc APPENDIX. 497 gree an open sea where, till then, nothing could be seen but enormous frozen masises heaped up in moun- tains upon mountains. A much larger quantity of ice wus dismissed that year from the northern sea than had been noticed in any former year, and some navigators couid penetrate without obstruction as far as the eighty-third degree. Hence it was supposed that a material alteration was about to take place in the climate of the northern regions of America, so as to restore Greenland and Newfoundland to the tempera- ture which they enjoyed previous to the fifteenth cen- tury. The uncommon number and size of the detached masses of ice which had recently found their way into the Atlantic Ocean, even so far south as within ten degrees of the equator, had likewise encouraged a hope that the sea would be found more navigable in the highest northern latitudes than it had been before. Tliere is a striking correspondence between some of the most conspicuous eras in the History of Greenland and of Newfoundland, and the account given in Pffeft'er's History of Climates, respecting the character of the seasons at the same times; which also seems to warrant the conclusion that our winters are more .severe in proportion to the increased accumulation of ice in those regions, and that a material change there produces a proportionable alteration in the state of our climate. From the year 860 to the year 1260, in- cluding a space of four hundred years, there were, according to that writer, only thirteen winters cf unusual severity; and not one from the year 14()8 to the year 1564, a period remarkable for the dis- covery of the New World, and (he voyages of Ihe K k j: I 498 APPENDIX. CahuU and others tu North America. But in th«' in- termediate space, from the year 12G0 to the year 14G8, including ahoiil two hundred years, there are not less than sixteen winters of that description on record, namely, lliose of the years 1261, 1281, 1292, 1305, 131fi, 1323, l:«9. 1344, 1392, 1408, 1423, 1432, 1433, 1434, 1460, and 1468. The winter of the year 1408 in particular, is de- scribed as one of the coldest ever remembered. Not only the Danube was frozen over, but also the sea be- tween Gothland and Oeland, and between Norway and Denmark, so that wolves, driven from the forests, went over the ice into Jutland; in France, the vine- yards and orchards were completely destroyed. In the winter of the year 1423, both the North Sea and the Baltic were frozen; travellers passed on the ice from Lubeck to Dantzic; while, in France, the destruction occasioned by the intensity of the frost was such that men and cattle perished from want of food. Note 6, p. 91. King Charles's commission for the well governing of his subjects inhabiting Newfoundland, or tralTicking in bays, creeks, or fresh rivers there. •' Charles, by the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, and so forth, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting. " Whereas, the region or country, called New- foundland, hath been acquired to the dominion of our APPENDIX. 490 progenitors, whirh we holil, and otir people havr many years resorted to those parts, wlirro. and on tin- coasts adjoining, they employed themselves in fisliiti-;, whereby u great number of our people have been set on work, and the navigation and mariners of our realm have been nmch increased; and our subjects resorting thither, one by the other, and the natives of those parts, were orderly and gently entreated, until of late some of our subjects of the realm of England planting themselves in that country, and there residing and in- habiting, have imagined that for wrongs or injuries done there, either on the shore or in the sea adjoining, they cannot b«; here impeached; and the rather for that we, or our progenitors, have not hitherto given laws to the inhabitants there, and, by that example, our subjects resorting thither injure one another and use all manner of excess, to the great hindrance of the ■ voyage and common damage of this realm: for pre- venting such inconveniences hereafter, we do hereby declare in what manner our people in Newfoundland and upon the seas adjoining, and the bays, creeks, and fresh rivers there, shall be guided and governed ; and do make and ordain the laws following in the things after specified, commanding that the same be obeyed and put in execution. " 1st. If any man on tlu land there shall kill another, or if any shall secretly or forcibly steal the goods of any other in the value of forty shillings, he shall be forthwith apprehended and arrested, detained, and brought prisoner into England, and the crime com- mitted by him shall be made known to the Earl Marshal of England for the time being, to whom the delinquent K k 2 ;/ ' I HH} AfPENPIX. i If' ' * ' /; ■ f»". shall bo delivprod as prisoner; and the said Earl- Mar- shal shall take cognizance uf the canse; and if he shall find by the testimony of two witnesses or more that the party hud there killed a man, (not being at that time first assaulted by the party slain, or that the killing were by misadventure,) or that he had stolen such goods, the delinquent shall sufler death, and all the company shall endeavour to apprehend such male- factor. " 2d. That no ballast, prestones, or any thing else hurtful to the harbours, be thrown out to the prejudice of the said harbours ; but that it be carried on shore, and laid where it may not do annoy auce. " 3d. That no person whatever, either fisherman or inhabitant, do destroy, deface, or any way work any spoil or detriment to any stage, cook-room, flakes, spikes, nails, or any thing else that belongeth to the stages whatsoever, either at the end of the voyage, when he hath done and is to depart the country, or to any such stages as he shall fall withal at his coming into the country; but that he or they content themselves with such stage or stages only as shall be needful for them ; and that, for the repairing of such stages as he or they take, they shall fetch timber out of the woods, and not do it with the ruining or tearing of other stages. " 4th. That, according to the ancient custom, every ship, or fisher that first entereth a harbour in behalf of the ship, be Admiral of the said harbour, wherein, for the time being, he shall receive only so much beech and flakes, or both, as is needful for the namber of boats that he shall use, with an overplus only for one APPENDIX. AOl l>oHt more than ho needetli, ns a privilege fur hist tirnt coming; — and that every ship cumiug after cuutent himself with what he ahull have nccvsiiary u»e fur, without keeping or detaining anymore tu the prejudice of others next coming; — and that any that ure puti- Bcsaed of several places in several harbours shall be bound to resolve upon which of them they choose, and to send advice to such after-comers in those place.-, us expect their resolution, and thatv ithin eight and forty hours, if the weather so serve, in order that the sutd after- comers may likewise choose their places, unri so none receive prejudice by others' delay. " 5th. That no person cut out, deface, or any v: 'V alter or change the marks of any boats or trail, 'ars, whereby to defraud the right owners; anc' 'Mat no per- son convert to his own use the said bout s or i.rain-futs so belonging to others, without their consents; nor remove, nor take them from the places where they be left by the owners, except in case of necessity; and then to give notice thereof to the Admiral and others, whereby the right owners may know what is become of them. " 6th. That no person do diminish, take away, pur- loin, or steal any fish, or train, or salt, which is put in casks, train-fats, or cook-room, or other house, in any of the harbours or fishing pVu'^t-^t of the country, or any other provision belonging to the fishing trade or to the ships. " 7th. That no person set fire in any of the woods of the country, or work any detriment or destruction to the same, by rinding of the trees, either for the sealing of ships' holds or for rooms on shore, or for any .1 : 502 AFl'ENUIX. oilier uses, except for the covering of the roofs for cook-rooms to dress their meat in, and these rooms not to extend above sixteen feet in length at the most. " 8th. Tliut no man cast anchor or aught else hurt- ul, which may breed annoyance, or hinder the haling of seines for bait in places accustomed thereunto. " 9th. That no person rob the nets of others out of any drift, boat, or drover for bait, by night, nor take away any bait out of their fishing-boats by their ships' sides, nor rob or steal any of their nets, or any part thereof. " 10th. That no person do set up any tavern for selling of wine, beer, or strong waters, cyder, or to- bacco, to entertain the fishermen ; because it is found that by such means they are debauched, neglecting their labours, and poor ill-governed men not only spend most part of their shares before they come home, upon which the life and maintenance of their wives and children depend, but are likewise hurtful in divers other ways, as, by neglecting and making them- selves unfit for their labour, by purloining and stealing from their owners, and by making unlawful shifts to supply their disorders, which disorders they frequently follow since these occasions have presented them- selves. •' Lastly. That, upon the Sundays the company assemble in meet places, and have divine service to be said by some of the masters of the ships, or some others ; which prayers shall be such as are in the Book of Common Prayer. '* And because that speedy punishment may be in- llicted upon the offenders against these laws and con- m Al'PF.NOIX. fiOfi stitiitioiis, we do ordain thai every of the mayors ol' Southampton, Weymoutli.and Melconibe- Regis, Luin, Plymouth, Dartmouth, East-Low, Foyc, and Barn- stable, ibr tho lime being, may take cognizance of all complaints made against any offender against any of these ordinances upon the land, and, by oalh of wit- nesses, examine the truth thereof, award amends to the parlies grieved, and punish the delinquents by fine and imprisonment, or either of them, or of their goods found in the parts of Newfoundland, or on the sea, cause satisfaction thereof to be made, by warrants un vessels going; to fish for cod in the Bay of Canada, (Saint La^^rence,) tLe (inl of w^hich that shull arrive boiny appointtd master of ihe harbour, and authorized to occupy the plact. v Iiich iie siiall choose, and to mark out successively to those that come after him their respective allotments upon the shore; and the Governor or Captain of the coast, be- tween Cape des Roziers and Cape of Good Hope, and all other persons, are expressly forbidden, under pain of disobedience, to disturb the master first arriving in the bay in the choice and distribution of the places. By the five following articles, persons throwing ballast into any harbour, or appropriating to their own use the salt and oil which may have been left there ; or breaking, carrying away, or burning the scaffolds, flakes, or stages, either upon the coasts of Newfound- land or in the Bay of Canada, are made liable to a penalty of 500 livres. No person may, without a special power from the owners, take possession of the boats laid up on the sands or beeches, or left in the little river in the Bay of Cod, on pain of paying the value of the boats and a nne of 50 livres : but they may, when not used or otherwise dispos )d of by the owners, make use of them for their fishing, with the permission of the Captain first arrived, on condition of paying the hire to the owners on their , etuns and also of laying APPENDIX. 509 them up again iu safety after the fishing is over, of which they shall procure a certiticate duly attested. By the 12th, the Captain first arrived is enjoined to draw up a correct account of all ofiences committed against this ordinance, which roust be signed by him- self and by the principal officers of his own ship; and at his return, he must deliver the same to the Judges of the Admiralty, who shall take cognizance of it. By the 13th, all masters of vessels fishing for cod upon the banks of Newfoundland or in the Bay of Canada, are forbidden to set sail during the night, on pain of paying the damages which they may occasion, and a fine of 50 livres; and likewise* of corporal pu- nishment, if any life be lost thereby. By the regulations contained in the 8th division or title of the 5th book or section, the Lieutenants of the Admiralty are directed to take a list of all fishermen of the age of eighteen years and upwards, living within their respective jarisdictions, specifying their name, age, and the particular branch of the fishery to which they belong. The two oldest master-fishermen of each parish are, on the first day of Lent iu every year, to send to the Admiralty-OOice a list of all persons in their parish of the same description that go to fish in the i.ca; and the master of every fishing-boat, on taking out his licence, must give into the Admiralty- Oflice a list of his crew, with their names, ages, and places of habitation. In every port or parish, contain- ing more thun seven master-fishermen, the fishermen are, once a year, to elect one of their number to be their /'«re, or master of the company, who must take an ofJia before the officers of the Admiraltv, and make 010 APPENDIX. m . <•■ ■ ' J- u declaration to them of all oflfenceH committed against this ordinance, on pain of an arl)itrury fine. Where there are less than eight masters, the fishermen of the neighbouring parishes are to form themselves iiit<( ii company for the aforesaid purposes. This is followed by a reglemcnt, given v.i S Iras- burgh, tlie 24th day of October, in llie same year, con- cerning the building and buying of ships or otlicr vessels for the sea; whether in France or in foreign countries. By the 8th section, tb«! owners of all such ships or vessels are to give in to the Adinirally-Otlice a list of their ships' companies, specifying the names, age., "5nd places of residence and of birth of the oJlicers an'. i-tixfAiXA-a; and no passport is to be granted unless Ih^i v.c^iv'm, iaaaier, and patron, together with the other cfficms, and two-thirds of the crew, be French- men actually residing within the kingdom. The penalty in either case is confiscation of ship and cargo, and a fine of 1000 livres ; and, for the second olfence, cor- poral punishment. Note 8, p. 359. i. Although Sir Walter Raleigh was, as we have seen, (supra, p. 60,) unexpectedly prevented from accompa- nying Sir Humphrey Gilbert to Newfoundland, he eventually proved one of the greatest benefactors to that island, by the introduction of the potato on his return from America in the following year, viz. 1584. APPENDIX. Oil It is said Uial this root was first planted on Sir WaUfr'si estate in Youghall, ^vhicl) he at'terwar's sold to the Earl of Cork: but that, not liavin^; jfiven sufliiienl directions to the person who had the management of the land, the latter mistook the apples for the fruit and most valuable part of the plant, and, on tasting- them, rejected them as a pernicious exotic. Some time afterwards, turning up the earth, he found the roots spread to a great distance and in considerable tv THE END. MARCKANT, PRINTEK, INCRAM-COVRT, FENCII URCH-STREET. he stages and i of the coast y ihiriug the // /