,..::w
w_
C)

I:Q
Õ
I:Q
Ü _ m

- ru

=-:
"-
iJ - o-

,..::w

CJ
!n _
o
,..::w
>
-D

==--

- ,..::w
w=
>

Z - m
::>

.
.

-

"

'':-

s

N

JR I_'I
. -\
l
\,

'I

\'

\": -

N

'

<
.'

.

f

.i

."._-'1r1

.
.
t III :.
.Jr' ,II " _
U! \.
. t4f.t.l
...:.....
... .41'l1li,)
....r'" 'Ii'

ST. MICHAEL'S COLLEGE
TORONTO, CANADA
I
LIBRARY

PRESENTED BY

Rt. Rev. William A. Egan

-"" //'/ " -
j -;..
.
1/ 'I ,

. ,-.....-.\ \
"
,
' f I 'II" ,
,,--. ,\', ,\"

ìì"}' 1;. "
'\' ';
',
/ /\..",,
',. .
..,v / 1 1 \(' ,'<-
:"
\\
...... '7

,\
:,
,f.
:'
-= I "'

J J

. :,;;.:::=:,::,." - . " " ,,'"
'
\

. ,

t. ,;

_.,,
,
. . .
, l :, ' ,
{.,, / >-
,
:'
, .. _ _ . .:::.':.w...:
. -, /
^;,
l.
"i
'd

,)

.,\> "
l{!:):f\:/i:}i(
)' . ! ' \ !.
. h,
'
h -;;-:
, .""
, ,,
..

I

,......

SIR H. W. HOYLES, Chief Justice.

NEWFOUNDLAND:

AS IT WAS, AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

BY

THE REV. PHILIP TOOQUE, A. M.,

AUTHOR OF "WANDERING THOUGHTS," "A PEEP AT UNCLE
SAM'S, FARM," "THE MIGHTY DEEP," ETC., ETC.

" A wanderer now
-It * it Still I love ta think
Upon my native home, and call to mind
Each haunt of careless youth."
--SOUTHEY.

TORONTO:
JOHN B. MAGURN.
187S.

.} y 2 6 1953

PRINTED AND BOCND BY
HUNTER, ROSE & CO.
TORONTO.

TO HIS EXCELLENCY
thr :!tight
tou-Ourltblt
ix
t'tdtrit
tmptt,
.axl of
ufftriu,

VISCOUNT AND BARON CLANDEBOYE OF CLANDEBOYE, IN THE COUNTY
DOWN, IN THE PEERAGE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, BARON DUF-
FERIN AND CLANDEBOYE OF BALLYLEIDY AND KILLELEAGH,
IN THE COUNTY DOWN, IN THE PEERAGE OF IRELAND,
AND A BARONET, KNIGHT OF OUR }IOST ILLUSTRIOUS
ORDER OF ST. PATRICK; KNIGHT GRAND CROSS
OF OUR MOST DISTINGUISHED ORDER OF ST.
MICHAEL AND ST. GEORGE, AND KNIGHT
COl\IMANDER OF OUR
IOST HONOUR-
ABLE ORDER OF THE BATH,

GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF CANADA, AND VICE-ADMIRAL
OF THE S
\.ME.

W'HOSE NAME IS SO MUCH RESPECTED IN TRANSATLANTIC BRITAIN,

his Work

IS, WITH HIS EXCELLENCY'S PERMISSION, MOST

RESPECTlfULLY DEDICATED,

BY HIS VERY FAITHFUL AND OBEDIENT SERVANT,

PHILIP TOCQUE.

..

PREF ACE.

. . .

"..

q \ EWFOUNDLAND, the oldest colony of the British
\ Empire, situate about 1,650 miles from Ireland,
and about 930 miles from N ew York, appears
to be less known to the British and American people
than Australia, New Zealand, or the remotest parts of
the globe. The design of the author, in the publication
of this work, is to show the British and American
reader that Newfoundland is something more than a
mere fishing station, as well as to make Newfoundlanders
themselves better acquainted with their own country.
The best sources of information have been consulted,
and made use of without limitation. The grand object
of all sound history should be to place the simple truth
before the reader. "I have made this book out of my-
self, out of my life. I have derived it from observation,
from my relations of friendship, and of neighbourhood;
have picked it up from the roads; above all, I have
found it in the recollections of my youth. To know
the history and life of the people of Newfoundland, I
had but to interrogate my memory."

Toronto, December, lð77.

P. TOCQUE.

OONTENTS.

.

CHAPTER PAGE.
I.-FIRST SETTLEMENT AND GENERAL HISTORY, FROM
] 497 TO THE ApPOINTMENT OF THE FIRST CIVIL
GOVERNOR IN 1728 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . . 0 . 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . . 0 1

II. -GENERAL HISTORY, FROM THE ApPOINTMENT OF THE
FIRST CIVIL GOVERNOR IN 1728 TO 1877 0.... 0 10
III.-DISTRICT OF ST. JOHN'S 0 0 . 0 . . 0 0 0 . 0 0 . . . 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 o. 63
IV.-DISTRICT OF CONCEPTIOS BAY... . . . . 0 . . . 0 . 0 0 0 . o. 111
V.-DISTRICT OF TRINITY BAY 0 0 . 0 . . . 0 . . 0 . 0 . 0 . . 0 . 0 . 0 131
Vr.-DISTRICT OF BONAVISTA BAY 0 . . . 0 . 0 . . 0 . . 0 0 0 . . 0 o. 143
VII-DISTRICT OF FOGO AND TWILLINGATE o. o. . . 0 0 0 0 0 0 154
VIII.-DISTRICT OF FERRYLAND... 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 . . . . . . . 0 . 0 163
IX.-DISTRICT OF PLACENTIA AND ST. MARy'S.... 0.... 170
X.-DISTRICT OF BURIN 0" 0 . . 0 . 0 . . . . 0 0 . 0 0 . 0 . 0 . . 0 . .. 177
XI.-HISTORY OF FORTUNE BAY, ST. PETER'S, ETC 0.00 182
Xllo-ST. GEORGE'S BAY, BAY OF ISLANDS, ETC.o. 0 . 0 0 0 0 234
XIII.-LABRADOR ....... 0 0 0 . . . . . 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 0 . 0 0 0 . 0 258
XIV.-THE FISHERIES......................... 0 0 0 . . . 0 287
XV.-GOVERNMENT, REVENUE, TRADE AND SHIPPING... 333
XVI.-POPULATION, RELIGION AND EDUCATION... 0 0.0... 365
XVII.-AoRICULTURAL RESOURCES AND MAN'(;FACTURES 0.. 421
XVIllo-NATURAL HISTORy-CLIMATE - METEOROLOGy-GE-
OLOGY-MINERALOGY-ZOOLOGy-BoTANY 0.. 0 .. 445
XIX.-THE RED INDIAN, OR BæoTHIcKS.. 0 0 0 . . 0 0 . . . 0 . . 0 503

ILL USTRATIONS.

...

PAGE.

SIR H. W. HOYLES, CHIEF JUSTICE OF NEWFOUNDLAND
(Frontispiece. )
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, ST. JOHN'S ........................ 105

ST. JOHN'S FROM SIGNAL HILL........................... 150

CUSTOM HOUSE, ST. JOHN'S .............................. 172

COLONIAL BUILDING OR PARLIAMENT HOUSE, ST. JOHN'S.... 213

NEWFOUNDLA N D:

AS IT W A8, AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

CHAPTER I.

FIRST SETTLE:\IENT AND GENERAL HISTORY. FROM 1497 TO THE APPOINT-
MENT OF THE FIRST CIVIL GOVERNOR IN 1728.

ti5 OME writers have affirmed that Newfoundland ",vas
iff} discovered by the Scandinavians in the year 1001.
while others assert that this alledged discovery by
the N orthmen is not \yorthy of credence: "The error ap-
pears to have been the work of some designing interpo-
lator of the old Icelandic MS. Chronicles." '-tVe, therefore,
pass over the Illists of romance and fable for the facts of
history.
The discovery of the West Indies by Columhus in 1492;
and of Ne\vfounflland by the Cabots, in 14D7, is detailed
in almost every book written on America. Without then
atternpting to go over the sanle grouna, we shall proceed
at once to state, that John Cahot (or Cabota, his Italian
name), :t Venetian, and his son, Sebastian, under a COIQ-
nlission granted hy Henry VI [, of England, sailed froln
Bristol with a fleet of five small vessels, and discovered
Newfoundland on the 24th of June, 1497, near Cape Bona-
vista, and to which they gave the name of Te1'1'a P1'imum
Vista, the land first seen (happy sight or view), because
this wa
the place that first met their eyes in looking
from the sea. Cabot called Newfoundland as well as the

2

E'V}"'OUNULAND, AS IT \V AS,

Aillerican continent Bucca7a08, that being the n
tl)le lJY
,vhich the Indian:-; called the cod-fish. The writer found
several ancient histories of Newfoundland in the library
of Harvard University, United State:-;; by Hackluyt,
'Vhitbourne and others; but as extracts from these old
,vritel's have been given by various modern historians of
Kewfoundland, it is unnecessary to repeat theln here. It
is not the writer's intention to give a minute detail of
every event connected with the earlier settlement of N ew-
found land, but rather to bring before the notice of the
reader the n10st interesting and important circumstances.
The best Inodern histories of Newfoundland have been
given by
lacgregor,
ialtin, and Sir Richard Bonnycastle,
Anspach, Reeves, J\Iurray, Buckingham, Lyel, Jukes,
Cartwright, Chappelle. Carson and Morris ha ve also
written on Newfoundland, and more recently the Rev. O.
Pedley and McRea. A correct account of the country has
been given in the "Edinburgh Cabinet Library." There
has also been a very interesting" Oatechism of the His-
tory of Newfoundland," ,vritten by Mr. St John. But
the best sketch of Newfoundland I have ever seen is by
Bayard Taylor, the great American traveller. N ewfound-
land lies between the latitudes of 4G o 40', and 51 0 37' north
and between the longitudes 52 0 25' and 59 0 15' west, and
approaches to a triangular fOI'ln. It is separated froIlI
Cape Breton by the Gulf of St. La,vrence, and fronl La-
brador by the Straits of Belle Isle. It therefore afford
a
northern and southern entrance to the Gulf of St. La,v-
rence. The surface of the island cOIllpriRes an area of
36,000 square miles, ,vhich is nearly as large as EnO'
and.
7,000 square miles larger than Scotland, and 4,000
quar

llliles larger than Ireland. It is 350 n1Ïles long, and 200
broad, or 2,800,000 acres, and has a line of coast, includ-
ing the indentations of the numerous bays, of about 2,000
miles. N e,vfoundland is nearer to Europe than any of
the islands, or anypart of America. The distance between
S'" John's and the harbour of Valencia, in Ireland beinO'
, b

AND AS rr IS IN lR77.

"
()

only 1656 miles, anù from Liverpool, England, about
2,000 nliles.
In the year 1500, Elnlnanuelof Portugal comlnissioned
Gasper de Cortereal to discover Baccalaos, which Cabot
had three years previously coasted. He accordingly
visited the island, gave to Oonception Bay the name that
it bears, and coasted along the AUlerican continent, all of
which 'vas then called Baccalaos. It is said that Gasper
de Cortereal and his brother J\tlichael perished in a second
attcnlpt to visit Baccalaos. In 1502, the Portuguese
established the first regular fishery on the shores of N ew-
foul1dland, who ,vere subsequently follo,ved by the Bis-
cayans and French. In 1:'517, the Portuguese, French ana
Spaniards employed forty sail of vessels in the cod-fishery.
In 1:534, Jacques Cartier, the celebrated French naviga-
tor, visited Newfoundland with two snlall vessels; he
touched at Cape Bonavista, and then sailed along the
coast and entered the Gulf of St. L.awrence. After ex-
ploring the Gulf, he returned to France. The next year
he discovered Canada, and sailed up the St. Lawrence.
The English began to be aware of the Ï1uportance of
Newfoundland in the twenty-eighth year of Henry VIII.'s
reign. So early as 1.
36, Robert H ore and others sailed
from England to colonize N ewfùundland and Cape Bre-
ton. There ,vere 120 persons. They, however, failed in
their design, and returned to Englanù after great priva-
tion and suffering. In 1540, Francis the First of France
appointed RoLerval, Viceroy of all the newly-discovered
lands. He accordingly sailed with five ships, having
Jacques Cartier as chief cOlnmander. An attempt at this
time ,vas made to colonize Cape Breton, Saguenay, TelTe
N euve, or Newfoundland, and Labrador, but without suc-
cess. Newfoundland was not yet discovered to be an
island. Roberval subsequently sailed with a greater
number of ships, but his fate has never been known. In
1540, the English first began to prosecute the N ewfound-
land fisheries, from the ports of Bristol, Biddeford and

4

XE'VFOUNDLAND, A
IT 'VAS,

Barnstaple. In 1576, Frobisher is said to have heen
forced by the ice upon the N ewfoundlancl coast, when
some of the Indians came on board his ship. He sent thern
ashore in a boat \vith five sailors, but neither the boat nor
men were ever seen again. Fro bisher seized one of the
Indians and took hiln to England, where he soon after-
wards died.
In l.j78, England had 50 RhipR engaged in the fishery;
France and Spain, 150
ail; whilst the Portuguese had
50.
In 1583, in the reign of Queen Eliza1eth, Sir Hum-
phrey Gilbert and Sir 'Valter Raleigh engaged in an ex-
pedition to Newfoundland, having five vessels under
their cOIYlmand; but the" Raleigh," commanded by Sir
\Valter, after being some tilne at sea, was obliged to put
back to England, in consequence of an infectious disease
breaking out among the crew. Sir HUlnphrey,vas created
viceroy, admiral, and sole judge for six years. Sir HUln-
phrey, with the remaining four ships under his cOlnlnand,
arrived at St. John's on the 5th August, 1.'5
3, which he
took possession of, with all the land within the circum-
ference of 600 miles, in the name of his sovereign, Queen
Elizabeth. In August, during the same year, he des-
patched one of his vessels, the "Swallow," to England ,vith
SOllle of his followers who wished to return home, after
which Sir Hlunphrey sailed froln St. John's on a voyage
of discovery to the westward. During a heavy gale of
wind and a thick fog they fell in upon land, probably
Sable Island, when the "Delight" went on shore, and out of
116 persons only 14 ,vere saved. A few days after this
occurrence, the other two vessels bore away for England.
During the passage a heavy storm arose, in which the
"Squirrel" (culnmandcd by Sir HUlnphrey) sunk, together
with her crew. The" Golden Hinù," the only remaining
vessel of the fleet, arrived in England thirteen days after.
These vessels were all sinall, the largest being 120 tons,
two of 50 tons each, and the smallest (the one in which

ANn AS IT IS IN 1877.

5

Sir Humphrey was lost) being only 10 tonB, and insuffi-
cient to weather a heavy gale. Sir Humphrey Gilbert
,vas brother-in-Ia,v of Sir'Valter Raleigh. Just before
the" Squirrel" sank, Sir HUlnphrey \vas seen reading on
deck.
After the fate of his brother-in-Ia,v, Sir 'Valter Raleigh
directed his attention to the American continent, and
eventually established a colony in Virginia.
In 1610, John Guy, a Bristol lnerchant, under the
patronage and assistance of the great Sir Francis Bacon,
Lord Northanlpton, and Sir Francis Sanfield, to whom,
with forty others, letters patent were granted by James
I., giving theln all that part of N e,vfoundland lying be-
t'ween Cape Bonavista and Cape St.
lary's, with the
rights of n1Ïnes and metals, and all the seas and islands
'within ten miles of the coast; the fisherieK, however, were
to be open to all British subjects.
Guy, with his follo\yers,
ailed fronl Bristol in 1610, in
three ships, and after a short passage, arrived in Concep-
tion Bay, ,vhere he established a colony and opened a
proIllising intercourse with the Indians. After reIl1aining
t,vo years, Guy and the remainder of the colony returned
to England. Captain Richard \Vhitbourne, of EXlnouth,
in the County of Devon, published a history of Newfound-
land so early as 1G22, '\Thich ,vas dedicated to James I.
Whitbourne war.; employed in a ship of hiH own against
the Spanish Arlnat!a, in 1588. He visited Newfoundland
as early a:-; 1.578, and in his second voyage to Newfound-
lant!, in 1."58:3, met with Sir Humphrey Gilbert at St.
John's, ant! in his third voyage, in 1585, he sa\v Sir Ber-
nard Drake, ,vho had 1een sent to St. John's from England
with a fleet 1y Queen Elizabeth, to assert her sovereignty.
Drake beized several Portuguese vessels, ,vith their cargoes
on boarcl, ,vhich he carried to England.
In 161.5, the Court of Adn1Ïralty cOlllnlissioned Whit-
llourne to impanel jurie
, and to rectify variou
abuses
and disorders :ullongst the fisherlllCn. Agrecal)ly to his

6

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

conllnis
ion, Whithonrnp arriv{'d in N e\\rfounalan(l, (-tIl(1
opened the first regular court ever held in the island. One
hundred and seventy nlasters of English ves
els are said
to have submitted their complaints to his juri
diction. In
1618, vVhitbourne was appointed Governor of a small
colony ,vhich had been sent out by Doctor Vaughan, a
Welsh gentleman, in 1616, who it appears had purchased
part of Northampton's patent, granted in connection with
Guy by Jalnes I. Whitbourne finally returned to England
in 1622.
In 1623, James I., gave his principal Secretary of St
te,
Sir George Calvert, all the South-east part of the island
lying between the Bays of Placentia and Trinity, which he
erected into a province, under the name of Avalon, this
being the ancient name of Glastonbury, ,vhere Christi-
anity was first preached in the British Isles. Sir George
a
hort time after was created Lord Baltimore. He estab-
lished a colony at Ferryland, where he resided several
years, but subsequently removed to England and obtained
a grant of land in the State of Maryland, where he founded
the City of Baltitnore, '\vhich still bears his nanle. For a
Inore detailed account of Lord Baltimore, the reader is
referred to the District of Ferryland, in another part of
this vol unle.
In 1626, the French established a colony in Placentia,.
which led to constant disputes between them and the
English settlers. The pern1Ïssion of the French colony
was considered a matter of favour on the part of the Eng-
lish Government, to which the French fi
hermen paid a
yearly tribute of five per cent. on the value of the fi
h
taken. This payment was relinquished by Charles II., in
1 G7.5.
In 1628 a colony was sent to Newfoundland by Lord
Falkland, then Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, and in 1G30 7
Sir David Kirk, with a few follo,vers arrived in N ew-
foundland. About this tinlc 3.50 fau1Ïlies were settled in
the various harbours along the coast, an(1 the fisherie

were rapidly progres
ing.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

7

In 1()33, Charles I.. through the Star Chanlber, promul-
gated certain la\v
for the better governlnent of Ne\v-
fountllan(l. SOlne of these lawfs \vere, that all persons
\vho cOllunitted murder, or theft above forty Bhillings,
,ven' to be taken to Englau(l for trial; that no lJuildings
erl'cted for pro
ecuting the fishery shoul(l be th--stroyed at
the r'nd of the voyage; that llO tavern, or houses of enter-
tainHlcnt, shoult 1 be set up, and that according to the old
aud corrupt systelu, the Iuaster of the first fishing vessel
arrivillg at any port shoultl be A(hniral of the salHe during
the season. These Athnirals \vere en1powered to settle all
di
puteB anlong the fish ennen, ana to enforce due atten-
tion to certain Acts of Parlialnent. The povrer of these
luen ,vas very g-reat, \vhich they abused by a partial and
corrupt atlrninistration of the la\vs. The shipo\vners and
Inerchants in England engaged in the N e\vfoundland
fisheries, opposed the appointllwnt of any civil perrnanent

ragistrate or of any Governor of the Island. In the
OOlnlllission granteù froBl 1()3
down to 16()(), a clause
was inserte(l to the effect, that no nutster or o\vnel" of any
Bhips should send any settler
to Newfoundland. In IG54
there were fifteen (lifferent
ett1elJlCnts in th(> island, aud
aùout 400 fautilies.
Ahout 1670
il" Josiah Child, one of the principal
Dlcrchants in England, connected ,vith the N e\vfoundland
tra(le, ine Iuced the Governluent to prevent Hettlclnent by
destroying the entire colony. Sir John Berry was deput-
e(l to Lurll the houses and drive out the settlers; lIe, ho,v-
ever, strongly reulonstraté(l against this cruel e(lict and
very reluctantly obeyed his orders. Although John I)o,v-
nin(r a resi(lent P rocured an or(l<.'r fro1H the !{in(r in IG76
0" <::I
annulling the o1"(ler for destroying the llouses, &c.
yet
at the saIne titHe no vessel ,vas pennitted to take enlÏ-
gran ts to N ewfoun( Hand, and all I )er:-;ons \vere forùid( It'll
to r-:cttle. In consequence of the interference of Sir John
Berry antl others no furthel. severe H1Pasures \vere resort('(l
tv. It is said the BOèu.(l of Tradt, recolnlul'IuleJ that uno

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

thousand persons might be pern1itted to remain in the
island to construct boats, stages for drying the fish, &c.
In 1G96 all the English settlelnents in the island were
destroyed by a French fleet, excepting Carbonear and
Bonavista, \vhich defended themselves. France and Eng-
land no\v struggled for the supremacy of N e-\vfoundland
till the Peace of Ryswick in Holland, in 1698, which re-
stored to each po'\ver all their possessions, as at the conl-
mencenlent of the ,val'. In the meantime, the French
strengthened their positions, and encouraged in every
possible way an extension of their ßettlements. . \Vhile, on
the contrary, England as much 3S ever discouraged per-
manent settlement. The French were therefore better
prepared to defend thenlselves than the English.
During the reign of Queen Ann, in 1702, a British
squadron arrived in K ewfoundland under the comlnand
of Sir John Leake, who took possession of the greater part
of the island, and captured no less than t"venty-nine sail
of the French, and returned to England with his prizes
before the end of October. Aduliral Graydon was sent
with a fresh fleet in 1703, but returned to England with-
out entering into any engagement.
In 170.5 the French attempted to beconle sole masters
of the island, their garrison at Placentia having been
reinforced by an accession of 500 troops from Canada.
They nlade a formidable a.ttack upon the fortified harbour
of St. John's in ,vhich they were unsuccessful, they, ho\v-
ever, spread their devastation as far northward as Bona-
vista.
In 170G they were again expelled by the English frolll
their recent conquests and Inany of their men-of-war and
fishing vessels were either captured or destroyed.
In 1708, a French fleet, under the comlnand of St.
Ovide, visited and Jestroyed St. John's, and also every
British fishing station, excepting Carùollear, which again
defended itself.
England and France were so impressed with the vast

AND AR IT IS IN 1877.

9

importance of the fisheries of Newfoundland, as well as
being an extensive nursery for seanlen, and occupying a
conunanding geographical position ,vith respect to the
Canadas, that for the eight following years, owing to the
wars of Europe, in ,vhich England ,vas engaged, Ne,v-
foundland presented a constant scene of warfare and de-
predation, being sometimes in possession of the English
and sOlnetinles in possession of the French, until the peace
of Utrecht.
The celebrated Treaty of Utrecht ,vas concluded in the
N etherlandlS on the 4th of April, 1713. By this treaty
N e,yfoundland and the adjacent islands ,vere declar
d to
belong in exclusive sovereignty to Great Britain; liberty,
ho,vever, ,vas giyen to the French to catch and dry fish
only on that part of the coa,;t lying to the north of Cape
Bonavista, and stretching along the western shore as far
as Point Riche; they ,vere not to make any fortifications
or erections, except such as ,vere necessary for the fishery
-nor were they to remain in the island longer than the
tilne necessary for curing their nsh.
Owing to the continual 'val'S with the French, England
was not aLle strictly to enforce her laws against her own
subjects ,vith regard to settlelllent. The population of
:r-
e,vfoundland had therefore increased very considerably
during the ,val'S '\\
ith France.
In 1721, France elnployed 400 ships in the Ne\vfound-
land fisheries. The island was at this tinle under the
non1Ïnal adlninistration of the Governur of N uva Scotia.
In 172
it was estaLlished a separate colony of Great
Britain.

10

NE\V}
OUNDLAND, AS IT \V A
,

CHAPTER II.

GI1ìNEHAJ. HISTORY, FROM THE APPOINTl\IEN'r OJ<' THE Fm
1' CIVIL UOVEHNOl{
IN 172H TO 1
77.

HROlTGH the r('presentation
of Lonl Vere Beau-

clerk, who ,vas then the naval cOlnmander on the
Anlerican station, in 1728, Captain Henry Osborne,
of Her l\Iajesty's Ship" Squirrel," was appointed the first
civil governor of Newfoun(Uand. He has been repre-
sented a
a man of distinguished ability. After his re-
tirelnent frolH the Governlllcnt of Ne\vfoundland, he
received the thanks of the Hou
e of C0111ffiOnS, and a pen-
sion of Æ1200 per annUln during his life.
Captain O
horne appointed a sheriff: ancllike,vise au-
thorised the captains of the ships of war, then on the
station, to hohl surrogate courts for the decision of civil
causes. The
e judges ,vere afterwards denon1Ïnated float-
ing surrogates. Captain OHhorne's instructions, ho,vever,
stated that he was not to interfere with, and do nothing
contrary to the statute of 10 ana 11 \VillialH III., which
conferred buch arhitrary power on the fishing a(hnirals.
The deputy-governorship of Placentia ever since it ,vas
taken froln the French, had been a separate cOlnn1and
under the governulent of N ova Scotia, but on the ap-
poinbnent of Governor O::;Lorne, it ,vas placetl ullder his
jurisdiction.
Captain Osborne divi(led the' inhabited parts of the
island into convenient districts, levied a rate of half a
quintal of fi
h on all l)oats aucl boats-roollls, for the build-
ing of prisons, stocks, &c.; he also appuinterl justices of
the peace. The 11l0st iUlportant settlclnents of the islaud
at this tiule ,vere Plaecntia, St. J ohu's, Carl)oHcar, Bay of

AND AS;IT 18 IN 1877.

11

Bulls, St.
larY'R, Trepa:s:-;y, Ferrylau(I, Bay (Ie 'T er<1, Old
Perlican, Trinity Bay, and Bonavista.
The beneficial nleasures sought to be carried out by
Governor Osborne for the better government of N ew-
foundland ,vere frustrated by the obstinate conduct of
the fishing adn1Ïrals) backed by fabe representations of
the nlerchants in England.
In 1731, Captain Clinton, of the Royal Navy, was ap-
pointed Governor of N ewfoundlanù, who nlade a report
of the
tate of the island, in ,vhieh he conùen1ned the
proceedings of the fishing adn1Ïrals.
'\Vho the Governors of N ewfoundlanù were fronl 1731
to 17:37 does not clearly appear.
III 17:')7, Captain Vanbrugh ,yas Governor. O\ving to
the great expense and difficulty of taking persons to Eng-
land for trial, it was now proposcd to establish a Court
of Oycr and Tenniner, for the trial of pür:::;ons guilty of
capital crinle:-; in the island. It is said, however, that the
conunission \vas clogged with such restrictions as ren-
dered it useless, until some years afterwards.
In 1740, the Right Hon. Lord George Grahanl ,vas ap-
pointed Governor, who was succeeded in the following
year (1741) by the Hon. John Byng, whose :squadron
rnaùc numerous captures of Spanish vessels, Spain being
then at war with England. In orùer to avoid the expcn
e
anù risk of scnding prizes to England for adjuJication, a
Vice-Achniralty Court \vas estal)lished at St. John's, the
first judge of which ,vas Willialll Keen, a nlcrchant, ,vLo
\vas appointed naval officer, to collect the return
of the
fishery, &;c.
The next Governor was Sir Charles Harùy, captain of
1 L1\1.8. "Jersey," who asstl111cd the GovernInent In
1744.
In 1749, Captain (after\varJ.s Lord) l{,odney, of H.l\1.B.
"]{,ainl)ow," was Governol'. In 17.;0, Captain Franei

\VilJiaul Drake \vas appointed l1overllor. ])ul'ing hi
:ul-
lllillistl'atioll, felons W('l'e fil'st bl'Ol1 o .ht to trial in the island

12

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT \VAS,

instead of being sent to England. The Court, however,
could only sit during the sumn1er lllonths, when the
Governor ,vas present.
In 1753, Captain Bonfoy appears as Governor. It was
in this year Lord Baltinlore revived his claÏIn to the pro-
vince of Avalon; but, in consequence of his having neg-
lected to hold possession so long a time, his claim was not
allowed.
In 1755, Captain Dorril was appointed Governor, ,vho
,vas succeeded in 1757 by Governor Ed\val'd
.
In 1760, Captain Webb assurned the government. Dur-
ing this year an atternpt "vas made by a 1\11'. Scott and
others to open an intercourse with the aborigines, or Red
Indians; but both he and his cOlnpanions were treacher-
ously murdered.
In 1761, Lord Graves was Governor. So inconsider-
able was the naval force on the station in this year that,
in order to protect the homeward-bound vessels, a brig
was equipped, with guns, at the luerchants' expense, and
the cOlnmand was given to Lieut. John Neal. In conse-
quence of the island being left in this unprotected state,
it was visited in the following year by a French squadron,
which arrived at Bay Bulls on the 24th June, anrl hav-
ing landed their troops proceeded overland to St. John's,
where they took the garrison, of only Rixty-three soldiers,
together with the officers and crew of H.l\f.S. "Grammont,"
then lying in port. They inflicted every kind of injury
on the fishery and trade, and took Carbonear- wbich had
hitherto resisted all aggression-and the village of Trinity.
At the tÏIne this occurrence took place Governor Graves
was in the" Antelope" engaged as a convoy to a large fleet
of nlerchantlnen; a sloop, however, was despatched to Ineet
the Governor, who fell in \vith him on the Grand Bank
and conununicated an account of the devastation
of the
French fleet. The Governor, after adopting measures to
Hecurc his convoy, sent the sloop to Ferrylan(l with a
I)arty of lilarines tu fortify the (Isle aux Boi
) Isle of

AXD AR IT IS IX 1877.

1 .-)
.)

BOYH, and from thence to proceed to Halifax \vith des-
patches to Admiral Lord Colville and Sir Jeffrey Anlhel'st,
the cOllllnanders of the land and sea forces, whilst Gover-
nor Graves, in the" Antelope," repaired to Placentia.
He found the forts of Placentia in ruins. Forts Fred-
erick and Castle Hill, however, "Tere Ì1nlnediately repaired.
Inlmediately Lord Colville ,vas nlarle acquainted ,vith
the state of affairs at N e,vfoundland, he set sail for St.
John's. In the mean tinle Sir Jeffrey Amherst directed his
brother, Colonel Anlherst, to collect troops from Louis-
burgh, which he accordingly did, and joined the Adn1Ïral
off St. John's on the 11th Septenlber, 17G2, with eight
hundred Highlanders and some provincial infantry.
The French squadron, under Monsieur de Ternay, the
Adn1Ìral, was lying ,vithin the harbour of St. John's at
anchor, and a much superior force to the English.
Previous to the arrival of Lord Colville frorn Halifax,.
Robert Carter, Esq., of Ferryland, and
lr. Brooks, of Bay
Bulls, had consulted together, and at their o,vn expense:
collected a nurnber of bank-fishing or western boats, ,vhich
they cut do\vn,and metamorphosed into very tolerable row-
galleys. This proceeding met the highest approbation of
Lord Colville, ,vho Í1nmediately availed himself of the
ad vantages afforded by these boats for coasting along the
surf-beaten shores. He lllanned them with natives, and
elnLarked in each as Inany of the Inilitary as they coul(l
convey, with provisions,
unmunition, &c., and appointed
Mr. Carter cOlnmodore, and
lr. Brooks captain of the
little foiquaùron, and unùer cover of the evening shade

dcspatched them to Torbay, \vhere they arriveù the en-
suing 1IloJ"ning. In the Blean tilHe a feint ,va8 lllaùe of
landing the Lody ûf the troops from Lorù Colville's squad-
ron at Quidi Viùi, \vhen a sharp contcst enSllC(l. The
English fought up the prccipice with deHperation; hut
the nlunl)ers of the French, anù their superior advantage
in situation, prevented the English dislodging theul frolll
their po:-;ition, on Signal Hill. N everthele
s, the schelllo

14

NR \Vli'OUNDJJAN D, AS IT WAS,

,\\Ta
con1plete ; the we
tern-boat military, under comman( 1
of Colonel AUlherst, effected a march through the forest
and swamps froln Torbay, without having been observed,
until they reached the rising and more clear ground, about
one mile irOlll the French position. A rapid strean1 flowed
between the arll1ie
, and several skirlnishes \vere fought
during the frequent attempts nlade by the English to
cross this strean1, which was Inore than usually over-tlo\vn.
In one òf these conflicts 1vlajor
IcKenzie was Hevcrely
wounded. The English no, v advanced upon Signal Hill,
the strong position of the French, and in a short tinle
drove the French from their guns. The French, however,
still occupied some strong forts in the centre of the town,
froln whieh they were driven on the 17th of Septernber,
1762, and surrendered thenlRelves prisoners of war. The
French fleet under the cornmand of Admiral de Ternay,
took no part in the engagement; having escaped under
concealn1ent of a canopy of a thickly spreading fog put to
sea, and the English fleet being driven off to sea in a heavy
gale of wind, were unable to pursue them. About t,venty
men belonging to the English, besides Captain l\tlcDonald
and Lieutenant Schuyler, of the Royal Dragoons, "Tere
kiUed, and Captain Baillie sevETely \vounded. The French
troops are said to have been sonle of the finest nlcn be-
longing to their army. In those days Robert Cartel', E
q.,

upporteù a garrison on a slnall island called the (Isle aux
Bois) Isle of Boys, situated near the entrance of the
harbour of Ferryland, and Charles Garland, Esq., a
detachment of military on an island, at the entrance of
Carbonear. The services of these individuals were highly
appreciated by the Government. Their descendants are
numerous, and are alnong the most respectable inhabitants
of Newfoundland.
In 17G3, on the 10th of February, the treaty of Pari

wa
signed, by which France yielded to Great Britain all
pretentions to Nova Scotia, Canada, Cape Breton, and all
the North American Colonies, in return for which Great.

ANI> A
IT IF; IN 1877.

1.1

Britain, cuntirnle(l the 13th article of the Treaty of Utrecht,
"Thich allo"Ted the French to take and cure fish on the
Northern and 'VeHtern coasts of N e\vfoundland. The
French ,vere also pern1Ïtted to fi
h in the Gulf of St.
La\yrence, \vithin three leagues of the shore, and fifteen
froln those of the Island of Cape Breton, whilst the
nnall
islands of St. Pi
rre and llIiquelon at N e,yfouncUand were
ceded in perpetuity to theIn, on condition of not erecting
any fOIts or fortifications thereon.
About this titne the coasts of Labrador, fronì the River
St. John (opposite the Island of Anticosti) to the entrance
of Hudson's Straits, was annexed to the Governlnent of
N e,vfoundland. The population at this period was up-
wards of 13,000, only about one-half of wholn were
co-n
tc
nt residents. The nunlber of vessels employed by
the English at this period was about 400 sail, ,vhich car-
ried great quantities of fish to Ireland. The quantity of
cod fish taken was 386,274 quintals; 694 tierces ofsahnon;
and 1,598 tons of cod-liver oil, besides furs to the aUlount
of 1:2,000. In 17G4, Captain, after\vards Sir Hugh,
Palliser, ,vas appointed to acbninister the Governlnent of
N ewfounclland.
Captain Palliser is
aid to have heen one of the 1110st en-
lightenetl and actiye of tIle Naval Governors of New-
foundland. The rules alHl recrulations ,vhich he nuttle,

relative to the fishery, "Tere after,vards pas
ccl into la,v.
f)uring 17G4, the COllllUissioJ1ers of Custonl
appointe(l a
eollector and cOlnptroller at N ewfouncllanc1, in the place of
a naval officer ,vha used to receive the duties frolll the
fi-;h ing
t(bniral
.
N C'\vfoundland \\ras no,v regarded as sOlnething lllore
than a lllerc fishing station. In 176.3, the navigatiun la'
:-;
,,,"ere extended to her and
he ,vas declared one of HIs
,
Thlajcsty's "Plantation
" or Colonies. Thcse ilnportant
changes ,vere strongly resisted by the n1crchants at hOlllC,
an(l the adventurer::; in the fisheries. During Captain

lû

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

PalliRer's adn1iniRtration Labrador was again annexed to
Canada. Sir Richard Bonnycastle says :-
"His government was conducted with moderation and hu-
manity, and although he had to deal with a very intractable
race, yet, by patiently investigating the abuses which were as
rife as ever, he succeeded in effecting much relief for the poor
fishermen, and in carrying through afterwards, by his advice,
the Act of George III, statute 15, cap. 31, 1775, commonly
called 'Sir Hugh Palliser'
Act,' which, while it assisted the
British merchant in his ship-fishery, enforced the paYlnent of
wages to the fisherman, and provided a heavy penalty, hitherto
wanting, to oblige the masters of vessels to secure the return
of the seamen to England. This was as ill received as it was
kindly meant; and, in Chief Justice Reeve's day, the mer-
chants complained that such was its rigour towards them that
it was with the greatest difficulty they could carryon the
fishery: It, however, secured the right of British European
subjects to the exclusive privileges of drying fish in Newfound-
land, and gave several bounties encouraging the fishery; it
controlled the frequently atrocious conduct of the nlasters of
vessels towards their seamen in the payment of wages in
articles of supply instead of money; and gave the fishing
sailors a lien or prior claim on the fish and oil for their due
payment, empowering the Court of Session and Vice-Admiralty
with competent jurisdiction."
Sir Hugh Palliser was a ,varm friend of the celebrated
navigator Captain Cook, under whom he made a survey
of the coasts of Newfoundland. The following inter-
esting account of Captain Cook is given by Sir Richard
Bonnycastle :-

" Cook, the immortal navigator, first entered tIlt' navy as a
volunteer, in the" Eagle " of 60 guns, to which Captain Palliser
was soon afterwards appointed, in October, 1755. By his in-
terest, and that of Cook's friends, as well as his own merits, he
obtained a master's warrant, on the 10th May, 1759, or only
four years after entering the navy as a common sailor. Palliser
was his steady friend, and Cook joining the fleetfùr Quebec in

AND AS 1'1' IS IN 1877.

17

the" 1\Iercury," was employed in reconnoitering by Adll1Ïral
Saunders, at the Captain's recommendation, as well as in making
a chart of the St. Lawrence, which to this day is the best, al-
though it is said that Cook had never before used a peneil, and
knew nothing of drawing. On the 2
nd September, 1759, he
was appointed by Lord Colville, as before mentioned, nlaster
of the" Northumberland," his flag-ship; and being at Halifax
during the winter, he applied himself to read Euclid and to
the study of astronomy, and all the other branches of science
useful to a seaman. He went with the Adrniral, in September,
1762, in the expedition to recapture
ewfoundland from the
French, and having shewn great activit.y and diligence in SUI-
veying Placentia harbour and fortifications, Captain Graves,
then Governor of Newfoundland, was Rtruck with his sagacity,
formed a friendship for him, and employed him wherever the
expedition went, in not.icing the ccast and navigation of the
seas there. In 1762, Cook went
o England, but returned with
his patron, Captain Graves, who, as Governor, obtained with
difficulty, an order for the establishment of a naval survey of
Newfoundland, and got Cook appointed to carry it on. He
surveyed St. Pierre and l\Iiquelon, previous to the surrender of
those islands to the French. Cook again returned home, and
in 1764 Sir Hugh Palliser, his steady friend, having been made
Governor, he went out with him to continue the survey, having
received a commission as marine surveyor of K ewfoundland
and Labrador, on the 18th of April, 1764, with the " Grenville"
schooner tu attend him. In this arduous service he continued
until the winter of 1767. His surveys are the only existing
ones, and he, moreover, explured the interiur ill nUlny direc-
tions, and laid down :::everallarge lakes. He also observed an
eclipse of the sun at one of the Burgeo islands, near Cape Ray,
in latitude 47 0 3ß' 19" north, on the 5th August, 17 (j ü. His
observation was sent to the l-toyal Society, awl published ill a.
short þaþer in the 57th volunle of the Philosophical Transac-
tion
; and the same eclipse having been observed at Oxford,
the longitude of that part was well settled, and Cook first ob-
tained the character of being an able nlathematician.
ollle of
his survey marks still exist on that part of the coast. His sub-
sequent career is well known, hut the above account abridged
from I(ippis' Life of Captain Cook, cannot fail to be intprestillg
II

18

NE'V}'OUNDLAND, AS IT 'V AS,

to every Newfoundlander ; and it is to be hoped that some
means will be taken to preserve the survey marks on the south-
west side of the island, or at least the most prominent of them;
for independently of Cook's general fame, he has been the great-
est friend to Newfoundland that it ever had-his accurate chart
of it, and its seas, having made its importance very clear. "
In 1769, Governor Palliser was succeeded by Captain
the Hon. John Byron, so well known by his voyages in
the southern helnisphere under Lord Anson. Governor
Byron was the first to issue a proclan1ation for the pro-
tection of the native savage
-the red Indians-among
,vhom a war of extermination was carried on by the
furriers and others.
In 1772, Commodore !vlolineaux, who was afterwards
created Lord Shuldham, was appointed Governor of N ew-
foundland. On his assumption of the government he
enforced the payment ûf custon1S duties, according to a
scale sent to him from England. The coHection of cus-
toms at St. John's was always subordinate to the collec-
tors of the Port of Boston, and as resistance to taxation
by the mother country first cOlnmenced at Boston, so St.
John's loudly protested against the introduction of duties
on the fishery, which had always been free, hence the
cause of Governor
Iolineaux enforcing the paYInent of
duties.
In 1774, on the 5th Septen1ber, the first congress of
Anlerica passed a decree suspending all importations from
Great Britain, and discontinuing exports to her possessions,
unless their complaints were redressed. In 1775, the
second congress carried this decree into effect. Newfound-
land was at this time wholly dependent on the American
colonies, now the United States, for provisions which
alnounted annually to upwards of .f300,OOO sterling, or

1,500,OOO.
" To meet the first decree of Congress, the British Parlia-
ment passed an Act, 15 George Ill, chap. 10, by which thö
revolted colonies were excluded from the Newfounùland fisher-
ies, and a supplenlentary one declaratury of non-intercourse."

AND AS IT IR IN 1877.

19

An alanning apprehension of '\vant no\v prevailet.l, ves-
sels were iUllIlediatcly despatched to Ireland for provi-
sions. Yet great privation and want '\vas experiencc(l
throughou t the island, and to add to the distres
, American
privateers appeared on the coast, and so well acquainted
'\vere they with the various harbours and coves that not
unfrequently they would run in and take vessels while
lying at the nlerchants' '\vharves.
In the year 1775 one of the heaviest storlns ever kno\vn
in Ne\vfoundlan(l took place. The sea suddenly rose
twenty feet abûve its usual height, causing the destruction
of hundreùs of fishing boats and nUInLers of large vessels,
in which three hundred persons pcrished. The destruction
of property on the land ,vas ilnn1ense. COlllmodore Robert
Duff was Governor during this year, who was succeeded
in 1776 by Rear-Admiral .Montague, who was the first
Adll1Ïral \vho had been appointed Governor. During this
year, by urder of the King, a pl'ücl&'lllation was issued for
the Letter protection of the red Indians.
In 1777, by order of the Govenunent of France, all the
French llwn-of war as well as nlerchantlnen left the island.
In 177'6, a treaty, for the mutual prot.cction of each
other wa::; entered into between France and the United
States.
During the year Governor
Iontague captured St. Pierre
and l\Iiq uelon, and sent nearly 2,000 French, which he
found residing there, to France.
In 1779, Rear-Admiral Edvrard8 assumed the Govern-
lnent of N ewfoundlanù, and captured a number of French
and AHlerican privateer:;. He \vas succeeded in the go v-
ernll1Cnt in 17
2, by Vice-Adn1Ïral John CampLell, who
had a
his secretary,
lr. Aaron Grahanl, \vhose abilities,
it is said, \vere of es&ential service to the country. 1\[r.
Orahanl \vas afterwalds a police magistrate of London.
During this year the English had the entire control of the
fÎshericH and of the island.
In 17'63, the treaty of peace pCrluitted the citizens of

20

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT "-tV AS.

the U niterl States to fish on the fonner footing, and per-
lnitted thenl also to cure and dry fish in the unsettled
harbours of Nova Scotia, the
Iagdalen Islands and La-
brador. It ,vas agreed that France should renounce her
right of fishing on that line of coast lying between Cape
Bonavista and Cape St. John; as had been allowed by the
treaty of Utrecht; but from Cape St. John, situated on
the eastern side of the island, she was, after proceeding
north, to extend her privilege do,vn the '\vestern shores as
far as Cape Ray, instead of Point Riche.
In 17b4, the first Roman Catholic Bishop, Dr. O'Donnell,
arrived in Newfoundland. The Right Reverend J. T.
l\iullock, D.D., Roman Catholic Bishop of St. John's, says:

"On the 24th of October of that year, a proclamation was
published pursuant to the instructions of His 1Ylajesty, George
III. to the Governor, Justices of the Peace, and lVlagistrates
of the Island, whereby liberty of conscience was allowed to
all persons in Newfoundland, and the free exercise of such
modes of religious worship as are not prohibited by law, pro-
vided people be contented with a quiet and peaceable enjoy-
ment of the same, without giving offence or scandal to Govern-
ment-thus Catholicity was permitted and the days of open
persecution were happily at an end. It may be interesting

especially to Uatholics, to know the state of the Church here
before that time-Protestantism being the established religion,
ministers were stationed in the principal settlements, but the
few priests in t.he island had no fixed abodes-they usually
came out disguised in the fishing vessels, seldom staid long, and
had no regular missions, as the surveillance of the local gov-
ernment was too strict. In the same year of toleration, 1784,
Dr. O)Donnell, the founder and father of the Church of N ew-
foundland, landed in the island. Born in 1737, in Tipperary,
he spent a large portion of his life in the Irish Franciscan Con-
vent of Prague, in Bohen1Ïa; afterwards, as superior of the
Franciscans, in \Yaterford, and subsequently Provincial of that
order in Ireland. He was the first regularly authorized mis-
sioner in Newfoundland after it became a purely British settle-
ment, and no man ever had British interests more at heart-he

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

21

mainly saved the Island to the British crown when a mutiny
broke out among the troops under the command of Colonel
Skerrett. By his influence among the Irish population, he pre-
vented the disaffection from spreading, and saved the colony.
If such a service had been perfornled in t.hese days, by one of
the Dominant Church, his reward would be a peerage and a
pension; to Dr. O'DonneB, the British government granted
not a peerage, but the munificent pension of æ75 or Æ50 (I an1
not sure which) per annum, for his life; however, they acted
consistently. Catholic loyalty is an affair of conscience, and
consequently he only gave to Cæsar what was due to Uæsar.
As long, however, as rewards are given by the nation to those
who do their duty, especially when that duty becomes, through
extraordinary circumstances, a great public benefit, so long will
the :;tinginess of the Government of that day to Dr. O'Donnell
be condemned by all right thinking men. Dr. O'Donnell was
at first only Prefect Apostolic, that is, a priest exercising Epis-
copal jurisdiction, and generally having, like the Prefect Apos-
tolic of St. Peter's, the right of giving confirmation, which as
we see by the practice of the Greek Catholic Church is not
essentially an Episcopal Sacrament, if I may call it so. Tlw
importance of the population now relluired direct Episcopal
superintendence. The sovereign pontiff, to whonl is committed
the care of all the churches, saw that N ewfoundlalld 'vas des-
tined to become the home of a fixed populatiun and the re:;i-
dence of a floating one. Accordingly, in 17!:>6, on the 5th aa.y
of January, the great pontiff, Pius VI., the Confessor as well
as Doctor of the Faith, appointed Dr O'Donnell, Vicar Apos-
tolic of Newfoundland, and Bishop of Thyatira, in l)(t'J'tibus, and
he was consecrated in Quebec, on the 21st September of the
same year."

In 178ü,Rear-Athuiral Elliot was appointe<<lgovernor. In
this officer's achninistration, very iUlportant and beneficial
changes were lliade in the Court of Vicc-Aall1Ïralty. The
Act of 2ü Geo. III., cap.
ü, was also passed, continuing
the bounties on the fisheries for ten years. AdnlÍl'al.Thlark
l\li1hank succee(led to the governl11ent ill 1789, ,vho e:staLo:-
li
hed a court of COUllllOU pleas, ,vhich was follu,ved l)y a

22

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

court of criminal and civil jurisdiction, and of which John
Reeves, Esq., was appointed chief justice, \vho ,vas a man
of extensive legal knowledge and great acquirenlents-
he rectified numerous abuses of the surrogate courts. In
1793, IHr. Reeves published the" Hi8tory of the Govern-
lllent of Newfoundland," ,vhich revealed a mass of infamy
and corruption.
During this period Governor King administered the
government, who was I'-iucceeded in 1794 by Sir James
Wallace.
In 1797, Vice-Admiral Waldegrave was appointed
governor, afterwards Lord RadstQck, who exerted himself
in the cause of religion and the just administration of the
laws. In 1796, the French, comlnanded by Admiral
Richery, with nine sail of the line, and sorne other small
vessels of ,val", burnt the town and shipping of Bay Bulls.
The follo,ving local occurrences are given by a gentlelnan
in St. John's, who took part in the proceedings of the
periods referred to, and as the particulars narrated are
not published in any history of Newfoundland, we lay
them before the reader.

1793. "The commencement of the revolutionary war with
France gave rise to important changes in the Government
departments in all the colonies. The first movement in North
Amer
ca was the taking of the Islands of St. Pièrre and Mique-
Ion from the French, by a brigade from Halifax. The left wing
of the Nova Scotia Fencibles, a corps then forming chiefly from
refugee soldiers, who had settled in Nova Scotia after the first
American W år, were ordered here to relieve the detachment of
the 4th or I(ing's Own Regiment, who were ordered to join
their head quarters at St. PEter's. In the course of the SUIlllner.
arrangements were made for forming three or four volunteer
companies, including one of Artillery. Three companies were
officered by the principal gentlemen of St. J ohn'8, and soon filled
up by respectable tradesmen and fishermen of the town.
" ])uring the first American War, it had been thought expe-
dient to erect redoubts on the roads from the adjacent out-ports,
viza : - Torbay Road, at Cox's Marsh, two redoubts mounting

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

23

two 18 pounders carronades each, ,vith a guard-house for a sta-
tionary gunner; and on the same road at Pippstock-hill, about
a mile from Torbay, three guns were mounted; and at the viI.
lage of Torbay, a battery of four long 6 pounders with a guard-
house and a sergeant's weekly command. Two or three guns
were mounted on the rising ground north-east end of Twenty-
mile Pond, on the Portugal Cove road. There were also a
guard-house and battery at Hayes's Farm, on the Petty-har-
bour Road.
1794. "Estimates had been prepared and approved of for
repairing and improving the existing defences, and plans had
also been submitted to the Board of Ordnance for fortifying
Signal Hill, ,vhich having met the approbation of the Honour.
able Buard, preparations were entered int.o for that object pro-
po'!'tionate to the magnitude of the undertaking.
"Early this summer, Colonel Skinner, Commanding Royal
Engineer, received a letter of service directing him to raise a
Regiment of Fencible Infantry, to be called the Royal New-
foundland Fencibles, of which he was appointed Colonel; and
having the appointment of his officers, selections were made
here and at the out-ports, of such gentlemen as \vere likely, from
their loyalty, responsibilit.y and influence, soon to raise the
quotas of Inen required for their respective commissions.
"The recruiting service commenced with great spirit about
the latter pnd of
eptemher, at the close of the fishery, and in
two months more than half the number were enlisted. An
Arljutant, late a non-commissioned officer of the Royal Art.il

lery, a Quartermaster, and Sergeant-major, arrived from Eng-
law 1.
1795. "It has been stated that the
ova Scotia Regiment
was chiefly formed of old refugee soldiers from the American
Army, many of whom were well disciplined non-commissioned
officers, and ,vere of great servicp in drilling and forming the
young recruits of tlH
Royal Newfoundland B,egiment; and it
was astonishing how soon the latter became fit for duty; when
this bervice was performed the N ova Scotia Reginlent \vere
ordered to return to Halifax.
"In the mean time some buildings were erected at Hignal
Ifill, and the first block-house commenced.
"There being no carriage road to Signal Hill, all the guns

24

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

required for the Hill were taken by men of the garrison, and
parbuckled up the face of the rock, at Crow's Nest, and thence
to t
e respective batteries; a most laborious and dangerous
serVIce.
" Preparations for the more effectual defence of the Narrows
were also going on, in the formation of three furnaces for
heating shot, viz. : at Fort Frederick, Chain Rock, and Fort
William.
"A large naval force from different stations met here that
summer, consisting of the" Monarch," 74, the Governor's ship;
the" Ramilies," 74 ; the "Adamant," and another 50 ; four fri-
gates, and three sloops of war, all in the harbour at the same
time.
] 796. "The levy of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment had
been completed the preceding fall; and it was found that the
barracks at Forts Townsend and William were insufficient to
contain so many men; it ,vas therefore ordered that the garri-
son should go under canvas for a few months while the old
barracks were being repaired and cleansed, and some of the new
barracks at Signal Hill finished, and also for the greater facility
of practising the officers and Inen of that young regiment in the
indispt>nsable tactics and operations of the field. A camp was
accordingly formed on the general parade ground, with a small
park of artillery, of which the troops took possession about the
middle of June. The improved defences of the Narrows being
finished, some experiments were tried with heated shot before
His Excellency A dmiral Sir ,James 'Vallace, the Governor,
which gave general satisfaction. A large platform of wood
was built on South Point called the Duke of York's Battery,
on which were mounted eight 24-pounder guns, three or four
I8-pounder carronades, and two lO-inch nlortars. The Block-
house was so forward as to admit six guns to be mounted on
the second floor. The regiment by thit5 time-the latter part of
August-was approaching fast to systen1atic regularity and dis-
cipline, and of approved internal economy.
"Such being the state of the garrison and fortifications,
together with the efficiency of the volunteer companies, a fine set
of men, particu]arl
' the conII>any of volunteer artillery, selected
from anlong the flower of the inhabitants of St. John's-as
well as the undoubted loyalty of the inhabitants-a wish seemed

AND AS IT IS IN 1
77.

')-
A.Jt)

to be inspired, that something might happen to test the fidelity
of the whole.. If such was the case, it ,vas not long before that
wish was realized, for early in the morning of the first day of
September, the signal was n1ade for an enemy's fleet to the
southward, which proved to be that of the French Admiral
Richery, consisting of seven sail of the line, two frigates, and
some other small vessels of war. The signal of alarm and de-
fiance was instantly made at Signal Hill and all the forts.
There was only the Governor's ship and one frigate in port.
" His Excellency Admiral Sir James '\Vallace, a governor of
warlike celebrity, imnlediately proclaimed martial law, and
ordered all the men in the town fit for service-merchants ,vith
their domestic and wharf establishments, captains of vessels
with their crews, planters, with their fishermen and shoremen
-to muster in front of the camp, where they were enrolled and
told off to the forts and hatteries, and were not to be dismissed
until the governor's pleasure was known. The enemy stood off
and on, near Cape Spear, all that day; and during the night
the road was opened from 11aggotty Cove Bridge through the
inclosures leadiug to Signal Hill, by direction of the governor,
in order to expedite the transport of ammunition, stores and
provisions to Signal Hill, as well as the camp equipage, which
had been struck in the evening; and by daylight on the morn-
ing of the second, the tents were all pitched on the sun1mit of
the hill, from Dnke of York's Battery to Cuckold's Head, and
also on the south side hill, over Fort Amherst. This warlike
demonstration, with the display of three or four thousand men
on the hiH, must have had a very intimidating effect on 11on-
sieur, when viewed fronl sea. This day passed ofl', under some-
thing like a passive hesitation on the part uf the enemy; a
great deal of telegraphing and boat comnlunication took place
with the flag-ship, and towards evening the fleet stood a little
further oft' to sea. Reconnoitering parties were out along
shore, north an<1 suuth. Jar and night, in anticipation of a
landing being f'ffectt'fl.
" A great Inany seamen were employed that day in raising the
chain across the na.rrow::;; the great capstan at the south side
being assisted by three schooners p]ac(>(l at equal distances
fronl Chain I
ock, and Ly grappling the chain with their an-
chors, and heaving altogether, they raised it to the surface of

26

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

the water; these vessels were also charged with combustibles,
and were intended to be used as fire-ships on the enemy coming
in contact with the chain. The flag-ship and the frigate were
also placed at enfilading distance in the harbour to give them a
warm reception on entering the Narrows.
"On the first appearance of the enemy, the shot furna-:;es were
kindled; it was found difficult, however, to preserve the pro-
per degree of heat, and to prevent fusion, which happened to
some of the shot. On the third the pnemy formed a line and
stood in for the Narrows, when it was expected their intention
was to attempt a landing. They stood on till the van ship was
near the extreme range of the guns at Fort Amherst, when she
and all of them put about and stood off to sea. They ren1ained
in sight for several days, and at last bore away to the south-
ward, and arrived at Bay Bulls, where they landed; and to
consummate their dastardly conduct, they drove the poor de-
fenceless inhabitants to the woods-

" , Burnt their stores and houses,
Took their fish and oil,
The hard-earned produce
Of their yearly toil.' .
"Thus terminated the great excitement occasioned by the
appearance of so formidable a French armament.
" The detachments at the respective posts were continued
till it was ascertained that the French fle
t had entirely left the
coast.
" During the alarm, there was on]y one old man or a small
boy allowed on each merchant's wharf, vessel or fishin
room;
all the rest were stationed at the forts and batteries.
"A Jarge proportion of civilians were stationed at Signal
Hill, where they performed a vast deal of labour-the volun-
teer companies with their officers setting the emulative example
-in dragging guns, mortars and carriages, provisions and
stores of all kinds, through the recently opened and very rugged
road to the hill.
" The orJer f')r embodying the inhabitants being now re-
versed, they returneJ to their respective avocatioJJs, under the
puhlicly-marked approhation of the governor, for their regu-
larity, devoted loyalty, and attention to Inilitary disciplinè,
under the privations to which they were subjected during the

1Pergency.' ,

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

27

In 17D5, the quantity of cod fish taken was, GOO,OOO
quintals, 4,900 seals, besides a great quantity of salmon,

c.-the whole alnounting to about one minion and a
half pounds sterling, or six million dollars.
During the adIninistration of Adn1Ïral Walrlgerave,
Richard Routh, Esq., presided as Judge of the Supreme
Court.
Governor Pole held the reins of government in 1800,
and ,vas succeeded, in 1802, by Adn1iral Lord Ganlbier,
,vho encouraged the education of the people, and pro-
n10ted the general interests of the country. In this year
the treaty of Alniens was signed, by which the French
were reinstated in their possession of St. Pierre and

liquelon, and in their concurrent rights of the fishery.
During the rule of Admiral Galnbier, a red Indian
female ,vas taken and brought to St. John's.
In 1804, Achniral Sir Erasmus Gower was appointed
governor, in whose administration Sunday-schools were
established, and the Benevolent Irish Society forn1ed for
the relief of the poor. Admiral Holloway assumed the
government in 1807. In his time a Volunteer Militia was
fonued, and the first post office established, but no packet
or regular mail communication. The Court of Judica-
ture, which had hitherto been Inerely the subject of
experiment, was made perpetual by an Act of Parliament
in 1H09. The coast of Labrador, which for some time
previously had been separated fron1 the goverrunent of
Ne,vfoundland, was re-annexed to it; and an ineffectual
atteJnpt -was also lnade, under the direction of Lieutenant
Spratt, R.N., to open an intercourse with the Indians.
In 1H07, the first newspaper v.Tas printed in New-
foundland.
In 1810, Vice-Adnliral Sir John Tholna
Duck,vorth
as
un1ed the governU1ent, ,vho visited various part'S of the
island, and issued a proclanlation for the protection of the
red II1<liaIlH. lIe also sent a 8111:1,11 arnICa sehuolll'r,
under the cOlnnland of Lieutenant Buchan, R.N., to thf'

2S

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
Bay of Exploits, to open a friendly intercourse with the
Indians, which, however, terminated very disastrously.
Two lllarines had been left at an Indian encalnplnent as a
guard, while Lieutenant Buchan proceeded in search for
another encampment. On his return, however,he found his
two lnarines decapitated, and that the whole of the savages
had decalnped. In 1811, an Act authorizing the holding
of Surrogate Courts on the Labrador was passed by the
British Parliament; several important changes were made
in the letting of ship's rOOlns, and the streets of St John's
were greatly improved. A reward was also offered of one
hundred pounds to any person \vho should bring about a
friendly understanding with the red Indians.
In It)12, war was declared by the United States of
Alnerica against Great Britain, on the 17th of June, which
produced much excitement and alarm in Newfoundland.
During the Slunmer the sInall-pox prevailed in St. J 011n's.
The North American fleet shortly after arrived at St.
.T ohn's, consisting of three sail of the line, t-\venty-one
frigates, and 37 sloops, brigs, and schooners of war.
In 1813, Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Good,vin Keates ,va

appointed governor. Owing to the ,val'S, the fisheries were
left at this period almost exclusively in the hands of the
British, \vho had few cOIIlpetitors in the Inarkets abroad;
this, together with the circulation of money arising from
the naval and Inilitary establishlnents, as well as froln the
prizes brought into St. John's, from time to time, produced
an unexampled degree of prosperity.
In 1t>14, one million two hundred thousand quintals of
codfish were exported, valued at the enormous price of .f2
per quintal; twenty thousand quintals of core-fish in bar-
rels; six thousand tons of cod or train oil, at .f32 per ton;
one hundred and fifty-six thousand seal skins, at five
shillings each; four thousand six hundred and sixty-six
tons of seal oil, at Æ36 per ton ; beside:.; salmon, nlackerel,
furs and ben
ies, to the amount of .fIO,OOO; the whole
ft1Hounting to no less a, SHIn than two rHillion, eight hun-

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

29

dred and twenty-eight thousanrl, nine hundred and
even-
ty-six pounds, or eleven million, one hundred and forty-
four thousand dollars. Provisions at this tin1e were at an
enormous price. Biscuit sold at.f6 or
30 per cwt.; flour
at .f:
or $40 per barrel; pork at Æ12 or SCO per barrel;
butter at 3 shillings or 75 cents per lb.; salt .f2 or
10
per hogshead, and shop goods in proportion.
At this period the wages of fishermen were, for a con1-
mon hand .t:70 or 8350 for the sea
on, commencing the
beginning of June and ending about the last of October;
and for a prime hand or " splitter" .t:140 or
700.
In the same year, on the 17th June, the Treaty of
Paris was concluded, ,vhen a general depression and fall
in the value of the produce of the fisheries imnlediately
took place throughout the Island, attended ,vith a num-
ber of mercantile failures.
In 1817, Vice-Admiral Pickmore assulned the govern-
ment. During his administration, two destructive fires
occurred in St. John's and destroyed property to a great
amount (for further account of which, see district of St.
John.)
The ,vinter of 1818 is said to have been the colrlest
ever experienced in Newfoundland, in the midst of ,vhich
Governor Pickmore died. He was the first governor ,vho
had ever remained on the island iluring the winter season.
His reIllains ,vere placetl for sonle tÍ1ne in a vault of the
church, and subsequently carried to England in HiB
l\rlajesty's ship "Fly." The telnporary lllanagelnent of
affairs was assumed by Captain Bowker, of H.
l. S. (C Sir
Francis j)rake." In It)It), Vice- AdnlÌral Sir CharleB Haln-
ilton was appointed governor, ,vho 'vas the first governor
,vho perlnanently resided in the island. During this
period the fisheries were very successful, an<l a purer
achllinistration of justice prevailed; at this tilne Francis
Forl )e8, Esq., afterwards
ir Francis, an Engli
h harris-
tel', was Chief Justice, ,vho was put into uffice on the 4th
of AUgUBt, 181ö, which he filled for six ycal'H. His talents

30

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

as a judge are said to have been of a superior order. Mr.
l\lorris says :-
" No sooner did he take his place upon the bench of the
Supreme Court, than the old despotic system, as if by magic,
vanished before him. When it was attempted to make the
rules, orders and proclamations have the force of laws; when
tomes of them were heaped on the table of the court, to the
utter disconlfiture of the advocates of the monopolists, he said
he viewed them in no other light than as bundles of waste
paper, which could not have the slightest authority with the
court. :For the first time the people of Newfoundland discov-
ered the whole system, under which they had so long been
governed, to be a despotic usurpation of power, equally opposed
to law as to their inherent rights and privileges of British sub-
jects. From this time, it may be said, the English code suc-
ceeded the mercantile code-the reign of the monopolist was
no more."

In 1819, an Indian female was' captured hy an arlned
party in the month of Marcb, and taken to St. John's,
where she was kindly treated by Lady Hamilton and
others. She was afterwards sent back with presents to
her tribe, but she died before she reached theIne At this
tin1e the laws were administered in the out-posts of the
island, by resident and floating surrogate courts, from
which parties could appeal to the suprelne court in St.
J ohn'8, if the suit exceeùed æ40. The magistrates also
held courts of session, which had jurisdiction in cases not
exceeding forty shillings, and in cases of assault.
Sir Richard Bonnycastle, and' Mr. l\lcGregor observes,
there has been no instance of a British colony so inade-
quately provided for, in the administration of its internal
affairs, as Newfoundland. Al ways regarded as a mere
fishing station, the energies of its 'population were also
thus always checked, and the interest, the obvious and
actually necessary interest, of the merchant adventurers
in the fishery was, to keep as llluch as possible in their
own handt;, and, as in the case of India, governeù by a

A
D AS IT IS IN lb77.

31

Inercantile ho(ly, to exclude cornpetition frolll ,vithout or
wi thin.
In 1H22, ltlr. Forbes resigned the Chief Justiceship of
Newfoundland, and was succeeded in the office by Richard
Alexander- Tucker, Esquire, afterwards Registrar of Upper
Canada, where he died in 1873.
In 1824, in consequence of the partial and corrupt ad-
Ininistration of justice in the surrogate courts having
been represented to the Home GovernIllent, an Act was
pas
ed by the InllJerial Parliament "for the better Ad-
n1Ïniðtration of J uðtice in Newfoundland," when Inost ÍIn-
portant and beneficial changes took place.
In 1825, Captain (afterwards Adn1Ïral) Sir Thomas
Cochrane as
umed the civil government of the island.
In 1826, on the 2nd of January, a Royal Charter;
granted by the king, under authority of an Act of Parlia-
ment, was promulgated: The Surrogate Courts "vere now
abolished, and the charter provi\.led that the Supreme
Court should be held by a Chief Judge and two assistant
Judges; that the island should be divided into three cir-
cuits-nurthern, central, and southern; that at each of
these three separate circuit courts, one or otherof the three
judges should preside; that the Suprelue Court should
adn1it a sufficient number of qualified attorneys and soli-
citors to practise in the several courts, and to grant letters
of adn1Ïnistration and proLates of will
. The salary of
the Chief Justice was to be t"velve hundred pounds ster-
ling per annlun, and that of the two að
istant judges,
seven hundred each. It also provided that the Governor
shoulcl annually appoint a high sheriff: who "vas to enter
into recognizances of .f.5,OOO, with two securities of .f2,OOO
each, for the due perfol"Inance of hi
duties; and that in
causes exceeding .f,:-">OO sterling, appeah.; nlÏght be Blade
frOIn the
upn.\lnC Court to the King in Council.
The fir
t t,vo as:-;i
tant judges appointe.! to a.ct in con-
junction with Uhief Justice Tucker were John "Villiaul
l\lolloy, .EHq., and Augustus Wallet des Barre;.;, Eðq.
Ir.

:32

NE'VFOU:KDLAND, AS IT WAS,

l\Iolloy in a short time ,vas removed fronl uffice, and suc-
ceeded by Edward Brabazon Brenton, Esq., at whose
decease in 1
45, George Lilley, Esq., was appointed to fill
the office, and on the death of }\tIr. Lilley in 1847, James
Simms, Esq., the late attorney-general, ,vas appointed,
when Ed,vard 1\1. Archibald, Esq., \vas appointed attorney-
general, now British consul in New York City. Mr. Des
Barres held the office of judge from the granting of the
charter to 1858, ,vhen, under the responsible system of
government, the Parliament of Newfoundland pensioned
off Messrs. Des Barres and SÜnnls, and appointed Bryan
Robinson, Esq., a memLer of the Irish bar, and long a
leading practitioner at the bar of the island, and Philip
F. Lilley, Esq., late attorney-general of Newfoundland, in
their place as assistant judges of the Suprerne Court.
1\11'. Lilley was the first rueillber of the N ewfounùland
bar plevated to the bench.
The population at this titne (1826) is said to have been
about 55,000.
In 1827, a "Boesthic Society" was forilled in St.
John's, having for its object the civilization of the red
Indians. "V. E. Cornlack, Esq., the president of the so-
ciety, travelled through the interior of the country, but
without Illeeting with a single Indian. (See" Red In-
dian
," in another part of this volulne.)
Sir Thornas Cochrane was the first naval officer, hold-
ing the appoinbnent of governor, detached fronl the COlll-
rnand of the squadron on the
tation. He was assisted
by an executive council, composed of the judges, the corn-
mandant of the garri
on, and the collector of the custom
.
Sir Thornas was very fond of sho,v, his aides-de-canlP
,vere called coloneb of nlilitia, although no n1Ílitia existed
in the island.
Governor Cochrane, ho,vever, was an intelligent ana
enterprising man., and pronloted the interests of the
country by encouraging agriculture, opening roa( Is, and
the erection of public builùings.

AND AS IT IS I
1877.

33

In 1827, Sir Thon1as Cochrane visited England, and
during his absence the ten1porary a(hninistration of the
Governlnent devolved on Chief Justice Tucker. During
this year, Jallle
Crowdy, Esq., ,vas appointed Secretary
of the colony. Arthur H. Brooking, E
q., was ColJector
of H.
I. CUStOlllS.
In 1828, the building of Governlnent House con1-
lnenced, and a road opened froln St. John's to Portugal
Cove.
In 1829, the true position of the Virgin Rocks ,vas
ascertained hy one of Hi
l\Iajesty's ships. The
e dan-
gerous shoals are situate on the ,vestern edge ùf the
Grand Bank, It) leagues S.E. Ly E. frolll Cape Race, in
lat. 4û o :!û' 1.5" north; long. 50 0 56' 35" ,vest.
In 18:30, several benevolent societies were forlned,
called "Fisherlnen's and Shorelnen's Associations," and
" l\Iechanics' Societies."
In IH:31, Governor Cochrane again went to England.
During thi
year, nUlnerous petitions ,vere presented to
His l\Iajesty's Governl11ent for constituting a perlnanent
colony by the e
tablishlIl(
nt of a local legislature. These
petitions, however, were strongly opposed by the Bler-
chants in England connectecl with the N e,vfoundland
trade.
In It)32, a Representative As:-,cnlhly ,vas granted by
His l\Iajesty 'Villialn IV., and, at the San1e tÏ1ue, Governor
Uochrane obtained a ne'v cOllunission, by \vhich he ,va

invested ,vith enlarged authority. It en1powered !litn to
convoke a Colonial Pal'lialnent, to create a Legislative
and Executive Council, COl11posed of seven pcrsons, any of
\VhOIIl he coul( 1 suspend froIl1 acting if he found just cause
for so aoing. He "ras authorized to divide tho island
into nine districb" to\vnships, or counties; tu ncgative any
l)ill ,vhieh the AssernlJly should pass contrary to his ,yill,
and to adjourll, prorugue, or Jissolvc the sa Inc.
'rhe llou
e of A
selllLly consisted of fifteen IHPlnbcrs,
the <lualification for which \vas: All pel':-5011S of the full

c

34

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

age of t,venty-one years, being of sound understanding,
natural-born subjects, or lawfully naturalized-never
having been convicted of any infamous crime, and having,
for two years next imlnediatel y preceding the day of elec-
tion, occupied, as owner or tenant, a dwelling-house with-
in the island. The electors were the ,vhole male popula-
tion of twenty-one years of age, occupying a cl\velling-
house, either as owner or tenant for one year only.
In 1
:33, on N ew Year's Day, the first session of the
Colonial Parlialnent was opened by Sir Thomas Cochrane,
when some beneficial la\vs were enacted, shortly after
which Chief-Justice Tucker resigned, in consequence of a
misunderstanding between the House of Assembly and
the Legislative Council, of ,vhich 1\11'. Tucker waf
presi-
dent. On the subject of taxation,
Ir. Tucker contended
that the trade and state of the country in general was
not able to sustain a revenue. The Revenue Bill, ho,v-
ever, passed in the House of Asselnbly, but, in accord-
ance with the President's views, was rejected in the
Council. The General Asselubly ,vas adjourned, and the
matter was referred to the Secretary of State, ,vho over-
ruled the objection of the Council. Mr. Tucker was suc-
ceeded in the office of Chief Justice by Henry John
Boulton, Esq., late Attorney-General of Upper Canada.
During this year, Newman W. Huyles, Esq., was ap-
pointed Treasurer of the colony, at whose decease, in
IH:37, Patrick Morris, Esq., Hueceeded to the office, and on
the death of
lr.
Iorris, in 1849, Robert Carter, Esq.,
R.
., -was appointed, ,vho continued to hold office until
the introduction of Responsible Govemlnent, when he ,vas
superseded by the then Receiver-General, the Hon. Thus.
Glen.
In 1834, Captain, afterwards Adlniral, Henry Prescott,
arrived on the 1st of N ovelnLer, and assulned the Govern-
ment. Sir Thomas Cochrane and family departed for
England on the 6th of the same Illonth. The Treasury at
this period ,vas conlpletely empty, and one of the first

AKD AS IT IS IN 1877.

=3.")

lueasures of the new governor was to issue Treasury notef;
to the allloullt of .t5,600, in accordance with the provi-
sions of an ....tct passed in the previous Session of theLegiR-
lature.
The Í1nports of Newfoundland this year anlounted to
Æ618,7:57 = S3,OU3,785, and the exports toÆ826,6.39 = S4,-
133,2D.3, leaving a balance in favour of the colony of .f207,-
902, or Sl,03
,.510. During this year, 828 British and 20
AUlerican anù Spanish ships arrived, besides which about
700 schooners were eInployecl in the fisheries, of ,vhich 358
\vere engaged in the seal fishery. The nUfaber of veðsels
elnployed at the Bank fishery this year, was estimated at
about 20, where fOrlllerly no less than 700 vessels were
engaged. The population no\v had amounted to about
70,000. There were at this tilne seven newspapers pub-
lished in the island-five in St. John's, and two in Con-
ception Bay.
In 1
34, the CrÏlninal Calendar exhibited a great aUlount
of crÏIne, four persons ,vere convicted of murder, and exe-
,cuted.
In 1833, in the sixth Session of the Local Legislature,
an Act was passed ilnposing an import duty of t\VO and a-
half per cent. on certain goods, wareð, and nlerchandize,
which the following year left a surplus fund in the Trea-
sury.
During this year the freedoln of the press \vas attempted
to 1)0 put down by personal violence. Mr. \Vinton, editor
of the J}ublic Ledger, (the leading newspaper published in
St. John's) denounced the Roman Catholic Clergy.(wholn
he conccived to have unjustly and unnecessarily inter-
ferre(l in the election of nlclnbers to the House of Asscm-
bly), was waylaid by several persons luasked, and in the
open day, on the road het,veen Carbonear and Harbour
Grace, was torn frOIll his horse, beaten in a Inost brutal
Inanner, and left blec( ling on the road side \vith both ears
cut off The perpetrators of this crÍ1ne have never been
discovered, although a reward of !1,500 or SG,OOO ,vas
offered for their detection and conviction.

36

NE\VFOU
DLAND, AS IT \V AS,

In 1836 an Act was passed limiting the future duration
of the I-Iouse of Assembly to four years. About this periOll
appears to bave been the greatest political trouble in
Newfoundland. The poor people had not a vestige of
liberty, and were the nlerest tools and slaves of party.
The 111erchants on the one hand threatened them with the
refusal of supplies necessary for the support of their
falllilies, if they refused to vote for their (the lllerchant,;')
candidate for the House of Assel11bly. On the other hand
the Ron1an Catholic clergy held over their heads the thun-
der of excon1lllunication, if they refused to vote for the
candidate of the clergy; hence political strife prevailed to
an alarlning extent bet\veen Protestants and Catholics-
the population of the island being about half and half of
the two denol11Ïnations. The Protestants were called the
Conservatives, and the Catholics the Liberals. Each party
had their choice n1en, and the people voted blindly. Not
one n1an in a hundred had any thing to do directly or
indirectly in selecting the candidate whon1 he had assisted
in electing.
About this time Chief Justice Boulton n1ade a speech,
at a public dinner, ,vhich gave great offence to the Ron1an
Catholics. He afterwards altered the scale of jury fees,
and the lllode of striking juries, also the old acknowledged
clain1 of the fishern1an's lien for the payment of his ,vages
upon the proceeds of the voyage; for these and similar
acts he was strongly denounced by the ROlllan Catholic
press. 1\11'. Boulton, very injudiciously, descended froni
the bench and pleaded his own caU'5e before two judges
of the Court of ,vhich he was Chief Judge, against libels
upon his own public conduct.
Petitions from the ROlllan Catholics were forwarded to
the Hon1e Government, praying for his removal; and he
was charged by the House of Assen1bly before Her lVlajes-
ty's Privy Council with being a political partizan and a
perverter of the administration of justice. Dr. Lushington
was employed as counsel by the House of Assembly, and

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

37

Ir Burge by Chief Justice Bonlton. The Privy Council
exonerated
lr. Boulton from all charges of corruption in
the exercise of his judicial functions, but reco111mended
his relnoval from office, which was confirnled by the Queen
on the :5th July, 1838.
The Rev. Dr. Dixon, late President of the
lethodist
Conference in England, during his visit to Canada in 1848
says:
"On board the steamer we met Chief Justice Robinson and
l\Ir. Boulton, late Chief Justice of Newfoundland, now a resi-
dent in Toronto, and one of the lllembers of the House of
Assembly. These gentlemen belonged to different grades in
politics, .:\11'. ltobinson being at the head of the Conservati\res
and the leading member of the late Government; whilst l\Ir.
Doulton belongs to the Liberals, and supports the present party
in power. They were going on circuit, the one as a judge and
the other as counsel. V\T e found them very agreeable men.
1\J f. Boulton, whom I met again on board the Co America" on
IllY return to this country, cOInplained much of the treatment
he had met with in connection with his office of Chief Justice
of Newfoundland."
About two years previous to his death,
Ir. Boulton
also cOluplained to the '\vriter of the baa treatrllent he
received froln the ROIne Governluent, anù particularly by
AÙllliral Prescott, the then Governor.
In 1K38, John Gervase Hutchinson Bourne, E:-'ll., Fel-
lo\v of l\Iag(lalen College, Oxford, arriveù in N ewfounù-
lan(l as the successor to
Ir. Boulton in the Chief Justice-
ship of the island.
In about t,vo years the Legislature vote(l L;
:),()OO or
8175,000 for making roads and bridges, and agriculture
Lt:'gan to 1)(' pursuc( 1 Il1uch 11101"e extensively. Schools
were also cstablishe(l in various parts of the island.
.A_ writer in the English .J.lletl'upulita/
.JJu!Ja:;inc, fur
It:>3D, thus de
cribes the state of N ewfoun(lland at thi

period :-
" I am nuw cOnie to an Ïlnportallt epoch in the hi
tory uf
Newfoundland, and one fruitful of troubles. The Chief J u
tice

38

NE\YFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
had by this time become the idol of one party, and the abhor-
red of the other. By the wealtbier merchants and gentry he
was adored, and looked upon as their only stay; while by the
Catholic, or liberal party, he was considered a tyrant and op-
pressor. He unfortunately promoted these opposite opinions
by attending public meetings, and making. party speeches;
and, instead of contenting himself with firmly and temperately
resisting aggression, he seemed to court occasions of conten-
tion. He made abrupt alterations wherever he had the power
to do so, and while his law was probably correct, his conduct
in other respects was by no means worthy of adlniration. Be-
tween the G01 ernor and him there was understood to be no
similarity of sentiment, although there was no open quarrel.
"Writs for a new election were immediately issued, and the
legislature was appointed to meet in January. The Catholic
portion of the population was openly excited, and indeed com-
pelled by the priesthood, to vote for candidates of their nomi-
nation, and the Conservative party were very generally de-
feated. Serious riots took place in Harbour Grace, and similar
excesses were prevented in St. John's, only by the presence of
the military.
"Respecting these riots, some magistrates having made re-
presentations, the Governor laid them before the Council.
These representations occasioned the production to the board
of a returned writ; and the Chief Justice perceiving it to be
unsealed, immediately pronound it to be invalid. The attorney-
general, the only other legal men1ber, coinciding with him in
that opinion, the matter was referred to the Secretary of State,
and the meeting of the legislature was further prorogued. The
Secretary of State admitted the objection, and directed a new
election; a measure greatly to be regretted, as, on the question
being subsequently submitted for the opinion of the law officers
. of the crown, the original elections were declared to be perfectly
legal.
" So novel a circumstance as that of a double election was
allowed to pass neither unnoticed nor uncensured by the
Liberals. They affected to represent it as a trick for their over-
throw, although nothing could be more palpable than the im-
possibility of the executive's influencing the returns, had it
even been ùisposed to make the attempt. The Conservatives

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

39

now abandoned the field altogether. Consequently no dis-
turbance occurred in any district, and the session was opened
on the Brd of July.
"The composition of the House of Assembly was much in-
ferior to that of the former; the new members being in gene-
ral of a low, and some of them of the very lowest, grade of
society. Previously. existing passions had been lately still fur-
ther inflamed by a variety of prosecutions connected ,vith the
original election proceedings, and principally consequent upon
presentments by the grand jury. The sentences upon those
convicted of riot or assault were by the Home Government
deemed severe, and, upon petition, in a great degree remitted.
" The first act of the House was to displace the officers ap-
pointed to it by the Crown, and their proceedings, generally,
throughout the session, were of a corresponding character, being
violeut and personal, having for their object the gratification of
the frienòs and the injury of the opponents of the dominant
party. There was throughout a contest between the Council
and the House of Assembly, maintained on both sides with
nluch heat; and at length the prorogation took place, without
any appropriation of money for the services of the year, the Bill
passed by the Assembly having been rejected by the Council.
A delegation of three members of the House of Assembly pro-
ceeded to England for the purpose of making a statement of
supposed grievances, and of instituting charges against the Chief
Justice. These last were submitted to a committee of the
Privy Council, which exonerated 1\11'. Boulton as regarded his
judicial decisions, but recommended his removal from the
colony.
" On the 20th of June, 1838, commenced the yearly session,
anù the result of the appeal by the Council and Assen1bly re-
spectively to Her
lajesty on the rejection of the Appropriation
Bill of the last. year having been previously transmitted to the
Governor, the offer of her royal mediation was communicated
to both Houses. The Queen recmnInended the êuloption of
that Rill by the Council, but suggested to the Assembly certain
rules of conduct for its future guidance in similar cases. 'Yith
infinite difficulty the Bill was carried in Council by the official
members present, and the casting vote of one other; the re-
maining three mentbcrs opposing it to the utn1ost, and ulti-

40

NE\VFOUNDI../AND, AS IT 'VAS,

mately protesting against it. Thus ceased an embarrassment
which had been sensibly felt by the public; but a new subject
of discord quickly arose. An altercation took place in the
streets of St. John's betweelll\Ir. Kent, a member of the House
of As
emhly, and Dr. I{jelIey, a medical practitioner. Upon
complaint made by 1\11'. Kent, 1\11'. Kielley was taken into
custody by the Seljeant-at-Arms, anù brought to the bar of thE'
House on the following day, the 27th of August. Being called
upon fur explanation, 11e used, in the heat of passion, very
opprobrious language towards 1\11'. I(ent. Upon this he was re

manded till the sL'Xth, when he was required to apologise, awl
upon his refusal to do so, was comn1Ïtteù to jail by the Speakt-'r's
warrant to the Sheriff. The next day he was, by a writ of
haveas co-r-pus, brought before a Judge of the Supreme Court,
by w huse order he was released, and upon this being stated to
the House by the Sheriff, when directed to produce his IJrisoner
at the bar, on the 11 th, both the Judge and the Sheriff were
immediately arrested by thE' Speaker's warrant, the former with
indecent violence. Upon this being officially n1ade known to the
Governor, hf' signified his intention of proroguing the Assen1bly,
and on IHonday, the 13th, it was prorogued accordingly for
seven days. By this measure the prisoners were at once liberated
and the members were allowed time to cool. 'Vhen the legis-
lature was re-assembled, business proceeded, though not, of
course, harmoniously; and on the 25th of October the session
was closed, provision having having been made for the yearly
routine of government. In the previuus month 1\11'. Bourne,
Mr. Boulton's successor in the office of Chief Justice, haù
arrived, but, by a wise provision, he has not, nor wilJ any judge
in future have, a seat in the Council. A session of the Supreme
Court was helJ in the following Decen1ber, when 1\11'. Kielley
brought an action against the Speaker, other members, and
officers of the House, for false imprisonment; but privilege
being. pleaded in demurrer, tl; e Chief Justice and Judge
Desbarres decided in favour of the plea, while the remaining
judge, 1\1 r. LilJy, retained his former opinion. An appeal to
Her J\J ajesty in Council was entered, and a colonial barristèr
proceeded to London to take the necessary steps for its prose-
cution.
"An elaborate opinion of Her .l\Iajesty's Attorneyalld Solicitor

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

41

Generals was forwarded officially to the Governor. This opinion
denies the power of committal assumed by the House, and con-
sequently tends to allay the apprehension which could not but
be entertained by the most dispassionate and impartial mind, of
the evils likely to arise from an arbitrary power of imprison-
ment being posseðsed by such a budy."
In 1840, a regular
ailing packet 1et,veen St. John's
and Halifax, once a fortnight, had cOll1menced under the
orders of the PostIl1aster-General, and a regular post-office
establisheù at St. John's, of which \Villialn Sololnon, E
q.,
\VHS appointed postInaster.
On the 5th ofN ovember, H.
I. steamer "Spitfire" arrived
at St. John's, bringing from Halifax a detachn1ent of men
for th
Royal Newfoundland COlllpanies. After remain-
ing a fe\v (lays, she sailed for England. This ,vas the
first stcalner \vhich ever appeared in a port of Ne\vfound-
land.
In 1841, on the 2nth of April, Governor Prescott dis-
501ved the Local Parliarnent, and in consequence of riotous
proceeùings at the election of a nlember in Conception
Bay (in the roon1 of one who had died) in \vhieh several
persons were shot, and a house burnt, the Constitution
was suspen(led.
Uaptain Prescott ,vas the last of a long line of naval
governors \v ho ruled N e,vfoundland, and for the first tinle
a nÚlitary governor of high rank, in the person of 1\Iajor,
afterwards Lieutenant-General, Sir John Harvey arrived
on the IGth SeptelnlJer, 1
41; previous to the arrival of
'VhOIIl Lieutenant-Colonel SaIl adlninistered the Govern-
ltwut. Sir John held a high lnilitary post in Canada dur-
ing the la
t \yar, anù baa been governor of each of thc
ColonieH of Prince Ed-ward Island and :N e,v BrtH1S,vick.
He ,vas Governor of the Province of Nova Scotia, \vhich
he ruled \vith consunuuate tact an(l a1ility, and dipd
there ,,,hile governor in lK.):
. Sir John was a lnan of
generous an (-1 noLle di
pu
ition, and very finc literary
ta
te. UIHler hi:-; rule n new era, da\vned upon Nc\vfound-

42

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

land, political animosities were hushed to rest, roads were
opened, education encouraged, and the agricultural re-
sources of the country developed.
Janles M. Spearman was at this tinle Collector of H.l\L
Customs.
In 1842, an Act was passed by the IUlperial Parliament
for amending the constitution of the Governnlent of New-
foundland; the principal features in ,vhich this llleasure
differed from the previous system of government, ,vere the
abolition of the Legislative Council as a distinct branch,
and its amalgamation with the A
sembly into one House.
There was also an Executive Council distinct from the
Legislative (composed, however, of nearly the same per-
sons), for advising the Governor. The qualification of per-
sons elected to serve as melubers in the Assembly ,vas a net
annual income of .tl00, or the possession of property, clear
of all inculllbrances, to the amount or value of .f500. The
qualification of voters was the püðsession of a d\velling
house for one year. All the elections were simultaneous,
being cOlllpleted in a given time on the same day through-
out the island. This Act, however, expired at the end of
four years. It was probably designed to heal the party
feuds of the island, so rampant at the time of its enact-
ment. During this year, on the 13th January, the first
Agricultural Society was formed under the auspices of
Governor Harvey, '\vho delivered an interesting speech on
the occasion, a copy of which was
ent to Lord Stanley,
then Secretary of State for the Colonies. In 1843, on
the 17th January, Sir John Harvey opened the first ses-
sion of the General Assem bly under the new forITl of
Constitution, in a Rpeech remarka1le for its length, liter-
ary composition, and general information. Dur;ng the
session, a very useful and popular Education Act passed,
introduced by the late !vIr. Barnes, a luember of the
Assernbly.
In 1844, through the exertions of Sir John Harvey,
a stealner was eUlployed to carry the IIlaiL She wa

A
D AS IT IS I
]877.

3

called the" North America," and commanded by Cap-
tain Richard )Ieagher. Her first voyage from Halifax
to St. John's was accomplished in sixty hours. She ar-
rived on the nlorning of the 22nd of April. During this
year Chief Justice Bourne was dismissed from office, and

ucceeded by Thomas Norton, Esq., late one of the Assis-
tant Judges of Demerara. 1\11'. Norton \vas a member of
the Irish bar, and the first Roman Catholic Judge ,vho
presided in a Court in N ewfounclland. He was a good
lawyer, very hUlllorous, and endo,ved with talents of no
conunon order. He gave n10re universal satisfaction dur-
ing the short time he remained on the island, than any
judge wno had ever preceded hirll.
Ir. Bourne ,vas con-
sidered a profound lawyer, but possessed a very violent
teInper. After his return to England, he published two
volunle:-; of poen1S, entitled " England Won," and the
"Exile of ldria," a short time after which, his decease
took place. About this tiule the Land Act passed, by
which the posseb
or of Crown Land is secured in his
title without having had a previous grant; and about
.f:40,OOO voted for con
tructing roads and bridges.
In 1845, Prince Henry, son of the ICing of Holland,
arrived at St. John's, in the "Rhine" frigate, fronl Tceland.

"Shortly after the vessel had come to anchor, His Excel-
lency, l\fajor-Genera] Sir John Harvey, attended by his Staff,
embarked at the Queen's 'Vharf, where a Guard of Honour had
bl'en urawn up to receive His Excellency, and proceeded on
board the frigate to pay his respects to His Royal Highness,
and to welcome hilll to Newfoundland. His Excellency was
received on board under a royal salute of twcnty-one gUllS,
which was responded to from the battery at Fort 'Villiam ; and,
after remaining some tiIne with the PrincE', anù inviting him
to Government] louse, His Excellency left the frigatE', and rc-
turned under another salute.
"His Royal IIighncss, dressed in naval uniform, as commander
of the '
Rhine," and attendpd by his officers, lan(!t.d at a little
aftpl' one o:clock, at the (lueen's \Vharf, where His Excellency

44

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

the Governor, with his suite, and the usual escort of the heads
of departments, received him with a Guard of Honour, and
proceeded to Government House, where a Levee wa!:; held.
"On the following Monday, His Royal Highness landed in
state at the Queen's Wharf, where he was received by His Ex-
cellency and suite, and thence proceeded to Government House.
From the wharf to Government House gate, the route which
His Royal Highness took was lined with trees temporarily
planted, and at the centre aLlCl top of Cochrane Street, were
erecte(l two superb Triumphal Arches, devised and decorated.
" In addition to a very large number of the inhabitants, com-
prising those of every class and creed, the l\lechanics' Society,
together with the Benevolent Irish Society, and the captains
and crews of the numerous Spanish vessels then in port, carry-
ing their respective flags, swelled the procession which 1'01-
10\\ ed- the Royal Visitor and His Excellency to Government
House, when some time was occupied in receiving or delivering
addresses.
" In the evening a display of fireworks took place. Almost
simultaneously with the visit of the Prince, H. M. S. ' Hyacinth,'
arri ved from Halifax, alsu, the steamer 'U nicorn,' together
with an armed French schooner from St. Pierre, in addition to
which there were about 50 sail of Spanish merchantmen in the
harbour, besides all the English vessels. Among the passen-
gers brought by the 'Unicorn,' were the Right Rev. and Hon.
Lord Bishop of Nova Scotia and the two Misses Inglis, Major
Tryon, 43rd Regt., Major of Brigade in N ova Scotia, and Lady,
(daughter of Sir John Harvey) and family; Lieut. 'V. F.
Dickson, 62nd Regt., son of and Aid-de-camp to Sir Jeremiah
Dickson: Col. Creighton; H on'bles. S. Cunard, 1\1. Tobin, and
E. I(enny.
" His Royal Highness accompanied Sir John Harvey, in the
steamer "U nicorn," on an excursion to Harbour Grace, Car-
bonear; and other parts of Conc
ption Bay. "oJ(.
On the 9th of June, 1846, a calamitous fire desolated a
greater part of the Town of St. John's, by which upwards
of 2,000 houses were destroyed, and property to the amount

-.. Newspapers of the day.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

4!)

of .f:800,OOO or 84,000,000 con
umed, (see District of St.
John's). ()n the 24th of August, Sir John Harvey enl-
barked for Halifax, to a
sume the Government of Nova
Scotia, and Lieutenant-Colunel La,v was appointed A(hni-
nistrator of the Governrnent. In the winter of 1847, the
sixth and last session of the An1algau1ated Legislature
was dissolved 1y Lieutenant-Colonel Law.
On the 22nd of April, 1847, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John
Gaspard Le
Iarchant, arrived and assulned the govern-
ment. The country at this tilne pas
ed through a terrible
ordeal, for in addition to the fire having destroyed St.
John's, the potato crop failed, and a hurricane Hwept the
coast on the It)th of September of the same year, by ,vhich
hllndreds of lives were lost, and property on land and sea,
destroyed to the alllount of upwards of S2,OOO,OOO, besides
which the fishery failed in Inany places. Sir Gaspard, then,
on the assulnption of power, had great difficulties to con-
tend ",
ith; he found the colony plunged in debt to the
alIlount of .f:
O,OOO or
400,OOO, with an Ï1npoverished
population. The Governor inunediately applied his ener-
gies to meet this complication of disasten;; he Ï1nported
large quantities of provisions ,vhich he caused to be dis-
tributed in various parts of the island, for the relief of the
destitute. He al:so encouraged the cultivation of the soil
by procuring seeds which were gratuitously given to the
poor, and had the groun(ls of GovernlIlent House beauti-
fully lai(l out with grain,
c., which were soon decked
\vith verdure, and clothed \\"ith ii'uit.
During this year an Act pa:-,:-,ed the Iluperial Parlianlent
restoring to N e,vfoundland her Constitution of 1
3:3, re-
taining, however, the qualification of nlen1bers, under the
anlalgaulated systcln.
On the 14th of Decclnhcr, 1848, the first session of the
Lcgislature (after a return to the old form of Constitution),
,vas opened uy Governor Le l\lal'chant, and prorogued on
the. 2:3rd of ApriJ, 1t>49, after pas
ing t,venty-two Acts,
itunng a lengthened f-;c:.;sion of l:jO days.

46

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'V A8,

In I :-)47,
Ir. Norton resigned the Chief Justiceship of
Newfoundland, and was succeeded in the office by Francis
Brady, Esq., \vho was also a ROlnan Catholic, and a l11eln1er
of the Irish Bar.
The writer took passage in the stean1er "Unicorn" \vith

lr. Brady, at Halifax, in 1847, for St. John's. We found
hin1 a highly-intelligent and very unassuming gentlelnan.
Mr. Brady had just arrived fronl England by the stealner
on his '\-vay to aSSU1l1e the Chief Justiceship. He had the
reputation of ùeing a sound lawyer, and is universally
esteelned.
In 1848, a Colonial Building, Custom House, lVlarket
House, and Court House comlnenced building.
In 1849, ÏInportant alterations were lnade in the Cus-
tOIUS Department, by the HOlne Governlnent, by placing
the patronage of the Departrnent under the control of the
Local Governlnent. The Imperial Governn1ent, however,
retained three officers, of which George J. Hay\vard,
Esq., is the head, as Comptroller of Uustoms and Naviga-
tion Laws.
1tlr. Spearnlan, the former Collector, retired to England,
on a pension allo
ed hiIn by the Home Government, and
John Kent, Esq., Speaker of the House of Asselnbly, ,vas
appointed Collector of H. l\tI. Customs for Newfoundland.
During this year the fisheries ,vere prosperous, and con-
siderable quantities of wheat were raised in variouE parts
of the island; altogether the general aspect of the country
was hopeful and cheering.
In 1
50, a srnall stealner ,vas elnployed as a packet in
Conception Bay, and the new Colonial Building wa:-; oc-
cupied for the first time by the Legislature. In July,
18t>1, Sir John Gaspard Le
larchant took his departure
for England, when the Hon. James Cro\vdy, Secretary of
the Colony, was appointed A.dIllinistrator of the Govern-
Inent during his absence. In January, 1852, Governor
Le l\Iarchant returned and resull1ed the governlnent. Dur-
ing the following SUlnmer, Sir J ohri Gaspard Le Marchant

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

47

resignetl the Oovernnlent of Newfoundland, and assulIled
the GoVel'nlnent of :Nova Scotia, ,vhen the Hon. J aInes
Crowdywas again appointed Adlllinistratol' of the Govern-
ment. On the 24th December, 1
52, Ker Bailie HaInil-
ton, Esq., arrived froIn England, and a
sumed the govern-
n1ent.
In 1854, the principle of Responsible Governlnent ,vas
conceded, in a despatch froni the Duke of Newcastle, the
then Secretary of State for the Colonies, to the Governor.
During this year cholera for the first time appeared in
Newfoundland, when 800 persons died at St. John's. In
1853, Governor Halnilton ,vas succeeded in the govern-
Inent by Charles Henry Darling, Esq., unaer ,,,,,hose Ad-
nlÌnistration the principles of Responsible Governlnent
were fully carried out. In 18.56, the ol(
office holders
were pensioned off: In It)J7, the Hon. Jalnes Cro,vdy,
who held the office of Colonial Secretary for a period of
29 year:-" retired on his pension to England, and ,vas 8UC-
ceeded in his office Ly the Hon. John Kent, late Collector
in H. 1\1. CustolLIS. ...\.t the saIne time, Ron. Philip F.
Little ,vas appointed Attorney-General; Ron. George H.
Elnerson, Solicitor-General; Hon. ThoIllas Glen, Receiver-
General; Hon. Ednlund Hanrahan, Surveyor-General;
Hon. Jalucs Tobin, .Financial-Secretary; anù John V.
Nugent, Esq., IIigh Sheriff
In these appointrllents ,ve notice the olnission of the
n:tllle of RoLert J. Parsons, Esq.,a gentleluan ,vho has lJeen
a 111el11ùer of the Legislature frolH the tÏ1ne of the second
House of AsselnLly of N e\vfoundlnnd; \vho haù LorJ).e the
burden and heat of the day; who ahvays adhered to the
party once in pO"Ter; nay, had Lecn suftered to gain the
ascendancy of that party. Hl' is still a lllelnber of the
House of Assclubly, hut "\vithout office or elnolulncllt.
During thi
year the fisheries \vere bountiful, <1n(1 steaul
COllullullication opened Letween the different districts and
the capital; a telegraph line was erected from St. J Ohll'S
. to the western part of the island, and a line of Canadian

48

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,
and United States stcarners made St. John's a port of
call on their way to and froIH Europe In 1857, the
colony was thro\vn into great exciternent by the announce-
Inent that the English and French Governrnents had
entered into a convention by which it appeared that irn-
portant privileges in the Newfoundland fisheries "'ere
to be ceded to the French. The Legislature appointed
1\1essrs. Kent and Carter as delegates to visit Nova Scotia,
N e\v Brun
wick, Prince Edward Island, and Canada, to
interest these colonies against the nleasure. Delegates
were aIF;o appointed t.o visit London, and protest against
the rneasure. These hostile demonstrations of the colony
stopped the negotiations between the t\VO Cabinets in
lllaking any alteration
in the treaties about the N e\v-
found land fisheries.
In 1859 the following notice apl)eared in the N e\vfound-
land Royal Gazette:-

" His Excellency the Governor has been pleased, by and with
the advice and concurI'ence of the Executive Council, to ap-
point, pursuant to the Despatch of the Secretary of State, dated
14th January last, the Hon. John I(ent, Colonial Secretary, to
be Colonial Comrnissioner, subject to Her l\lajesty's approval,
upon the Joint Commission to be appointed by the two nations
of France and England, to enquire into the local operations of
the treaties conferring on French subjects rights of fishery upon
the coasts of this island, &c."
The principle involved in the dispute is eIllbodied in a
note of Lord Pahnerston in 1838, to Count Sebastiani,
the French Ambassador.
The London Times says upon this subject:
" It is just about one hundred years ago that the first 1\1:r.
Pitt, in declaiming upon the national interests of Britain, af-
firmed that one point was of such moment as not to be surren-
dered, though the enemy were masters of the Tower of London.
\Ve shall be thought, perhaps, to be robbing the idea of its
grandeur when we ploceed to explain that the point so charac-

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

49

terised was simply the :Newfoundland Fishery, but the inhabi-
tants of that colony would not themselves be willing to make
much abatement from the estimate which the great lVlinister
has put on record. In their eyes the Newfoundland Fishery is
everything, and everything it certainly is to Newfoundland.
"The subject, however, to which these words refer has recently
heen invested with immediate international importance. The
people of Newfoundland really believe that the French are dip-
ping too largely into their waters, whereas the French declare
that they are not left in the enjoyment of the rights secured to
them by treaty.
latters have reached, indeed, such a point,
that the commander of the French naval force in these quarters
has given formal notice to our authorities that on and after the
5th of lVlay, the French fishermen would be effectually pro-
tected in their privileges, and the rights secured to France be
rigorously enforced by the imperial cruisers. A counter noti-
fication has, of course, been made in the interest of Great
Britain and her colony; but we are happy to state that the
two Governm
nts have promptly come to accord respecting a
certain proceeding which may possibly terminate a long-pend-
ing controversy, and which will certainly obviate the chances
of present embroilment. A commission, consisting of two
French and two British representatives, is to investigate the
question this summer by researches and inqniries on the spot,
and in the meantime, Count \Valewski has suggested to Lord
Cowley, that the commanders on the station should receive in-
structions to impart all proper forbearance into their proceed-
ings. These arrangements, which were accomplished without
any difficulty, and with every expression of amity and concili-
ation on the part of the French Government, will, at any rate,
place the affair in good train, but whether it will be found to
admit of a {;onclusi ve or satisfactory solution is a question of
greater doubt.
" One of the chief points at issue betw
en the two countries
consists in the claim of the French to certain local rights, which
they invest with an exclusive character. Their title to pa.rtici-
patt' in the Newfoundland Fisheries, recognised by the treaty
of Utrecht in 1713, and confirmed by the treaty of Versailles
70 years later, was again established, after the illtprl'uptions of
th(' revolutionary wars, by the s('ttlement of 1814. According to
D

50

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS rr 'VAS,

these treat.ies, they are undoubtedly entitled not only to take
fish, but to resort for the pnrpose of curing and drying these fish
to a certaill part of the Newfoundland
hore during a certain
st'asoll. It is further stipulated, that 'in order that the fisher-
men of the two nations may not give a cause for daily quarrels,
his Britannic Majesty will take the most positive measures for
preventing his subjects fronl interrupting, in any manner, by
their competition, the fishery of the :French Juring the tempo-
rary exercise of it which was granted to them.'
" These terms the French interpret as cOll\reying a right ot
fishery within certain lin1Îts, not only free fronl all <listurbance,
but from all p
uticil'ation, on the part of the British, whereas
ourown Governmellt has always steadily declined to acknowledge
that any such exclusive rights as regarded the actual fishery,
were ùesiglled to be granted. It is admitted on onr side, that in
IJP\ctice the French have always been left sole occupiers during
the fishing season of their own parts of the .shore, and for the
sinlple reason that two sets of fishermen could not carryon
their business of curing and drying at one and the same spot.
The French are entitled to that temporary lodgment on the
coast, without which their fishery could not be conducted, and
this lodgnlent, for plain considerations of convenience, they are
allowed to keep themselves; but, when the argument is ex-
tendt',1 to the waters of the fishery, it fails altogether. There
the Freüch can fish without interruption, although the British
may be tishing too, and the treaty, therefore, is not infringed
when our fi
herrnen ply their ordinary trade at that spot, pro-
vided always that they do not cause interruption to the vessels
of the French. Such is the view of the case taken by our
authoritips, awl maintained by the present Ministry.
" It was not, therefore, without some justification that Count
\Valewski expressed his doubts to Lord C')wley about the pro-
bable snccess of the proceedings suggested. The difference
between the two Governments has arisen on a point of inter-
pretation, and a point of that character can hardly be settled by
local inqniries. It will be readily unùerstood, Inoreover, from
the remarks we have offered above, that the colony of N ew-
fOllndland would be loth to see one jot or tittle of its rights
abated on a subject of such vital importance to it, and it
natu-
}'al prerogatives in this respect have been recognised by the

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

.51

Go, ernment at home. A despatch of Mr. Labouchere, dated
the 26th of l\Iarch, 1857, to the effect that 'the consent of the
coml11unity of Newfoundland was regarded by her :à1ajesty's
Government as the essential preliminary to any lllodification of
their territorial or maritime rights,' is quoted in the Colonial
Legislature as the .Jfagna Charta, of the dependency, and
already, indeed, on one occasion, has a convention been nulli-
fied by the refusal of the colony to accept its provisions. In the
present case an attempt has been made to obviate any ulterior
difficulties by placing a direct representative of Newfoundland
on the commission itself, and it was with the view, indeed, of
leaving a place for this nominee that the proposal of two com-
missioners on each side, instead of one, was originally enter-
tained by Lord Derby's Government. Possibly this expedient,
which has been approved by the Colonial Legislature, may be
attended with success; but the tone of opinion in N ewfound-
land seems so decidedly and so naturally pronounced that we
cannot anticipate with much confidence any of that compromis-
ing spirit by which definite agreements are usually preceded.
IIowever, the resolutions adopted are as good as the occasion
admits, and, while they speak distinctly for the admirable senti-
ments and friendly intentions of the French Government, they
certainly reflect great credit on Sir E. Lytton's administration
of the dt'partn1ent he has lately resigned. The controversy
may be hard to settle, but the settlement seems likely to be
approached with judicious arrangements and feelings of nllltual
good. "
In 1857 Governor Darling having been appointed to
the governorship of Jalnaica, the Hon. La,vrence O'Brien
(the first Rornan Catholic ever appointed to the office),
Pre:-,ident of the Council, ,va:-; appuinted Alhniuif:;trato1. of
the GovernIllent until the arrival of the nc\v Goyernor.
On the 8th llay of June, 18.;7, Sir .J\]exan(ler Bannennan,
\vho had previously heen Governor of Prinee Ed ,yard
Islancl an(l the Bahalna
, a
:"nuned the Government of
Newfounùlan(l. In 1
.;8 the Hon. Jude DesBarres aIHI
the Hon. Judge SiUllIlS \vere pensioned off, and the HOIl.
Philip F. Little, and Bryan Ro1inson, Esq., were appointed

""')
.) ....

KE\V:FOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

in their places as Assistant Judges of the Supreme Court,
when the Hon. George J. Hogsett became the ne,v Attor-
ney-General. In 1
59 the fisheries were prosperous, trade
bri
k, and the revenue increased. In 1860, in consequence
of disagreelnent between 1\11'. Kent, the Pren1Íer, and Sir
Alexander Bannern1au, the Governor, the Executive Coun-
cil ,vas dismissed, when Hugh H. Hoyles, Esq., one of the
principal lawyers of the country, and leader of the Oppo-
sition in the House of Assenlbly, was called upon to form
a ne,v governnlent. Shortly after ,vhich, an appeal ,vas
Inaùe to the country by a general election. The contest
,vas a sharp one, but resulted in the return of a Inajority
in favour of the new governHlent of which l\rIr. Hoyles
was the leader and the new Attorney -General. The elec-
tions in St. John's, at Harbour Grace, Carbonear, and
Harbour
Iain were attended with a great deal of rioting
and religious anilnosities. Injuries were inflicted on per- "
sons and property, and one man shot. On the 13th of

lay, the Governor opened the ne,v House of Assernbly.
A cro,vd of 2,000 persons gathered around the Oolonial
Building, menacing and threatening to
top the proceed-
ings. On the retirement of the Governor from the House
of Assembly he was saluted with groans, and stones
thrown at his carriage. During the day several houses
were attacked and broken. In the evening a cornpany of
soldiers cOlnn1anded by Colonel Grant, ,vas called out to
preserve the peace. Three persons were killed by the
military and several wounded. Several houses were burnt
in the suburbs of the town.* "Amongst the property
thus set fire to ,vas that of one of the Judges, the College
of the Church of England (happily di
covered and put
out at its con1mencen1ent), and the country house of Mr.
Hoyles, the Attorney-General and head of the new Gov-
ernment (a pretty retreat totally destroyed). It is notice-
able that these outrages were brol
ght to a close ofter the

* Rev. C. Pedley.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

1)3

ar1.ivcd of 200 'Jnen frl'orn Halifnx to :-;tren,f)thl J 11 the 'ìnili-
fftJ.y lo/'ce in St. Julin's."
'Vhen these events took place the ,vriter was living in
Nova Scotia, and was there called upon to explain the
astounding events \vhich ,vas then being enacted in Ne,v-
foundlan( 1. He then stated that the Irish Ronlan Catho-
lics in N e'\vfoundland were as kind and ac.; hospitable a
people as ,vere to be found in the \vorld, except during
times of exciteulent-'\vhen elections and rum put the
devil in theln. The Rev. John '\Vesley says, that "if a
lnan love you on account of your politics, he loves you
less than his dinner; and if he hate you on the saIne
acconnt, he hates you worse than the devil." Very few
feel that they have the slightest political re8ponsibility.
" They conle out to the elections, perhaps, because their
party-Ieaclers de
ire theIl1 to come out, or because their
party feelings urge thenl to come out, or because they de-
light in the excitenlent of an election, or possibly because
they arc paid for cOIning out. Probably not one in t,venty
feels that he has any pCl'sonall'esponsibility in the gov-
ernlllcnt of the country. All feel, of course, that they
have a pen;onal interest in it, but this intere:;t is not asso-
ciated '\vith a scnse of high personal duty. In tilnes of
political excitelnent they Inay be excited, but their inter-
est is lllainly in 1ehalf of a party. They lllay work very
enthusiastically, indeed, for 'our side,' '\vithout giving a
single thought to our country. This, to a ccrtain extent,
ho\vcver, is the result of ignorance." For nlyself 1 have
no faith in parties. I have no faith in politics in thc conl-
Illon acceptation of the ,vord, hut I have great faith in
great principles; but in party organizations as the llleans
. to carry theul out, T see ahvays the genns of contention
and strife, ,vhich as they expand and incl'
ase, over-
shado\v the great and true i(lea upon \vhich the party in
its infancy is based.
The Right !{ev. J. T.
Iulluck, ROlnan Catholic Bishop,
says :-

.54

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

"Allow me to say a few words of my experience of the
people. I found them, in all parts of the Island, hospitable,
generous, and obliging. Catholics and Protestants live to-
gether in the greatest harmony, and it is only in p'rint we find
anything, except on extraordinary occasions, like disunion
among thmn. I have always, in the most Protestant districts,
experienced kindness and consideration,- I speak not only of
the agents of n1ercantile houses, who are remarkable for their
hospitality and attention to all visitors, or of magistrates, like
Mr. Gaden, of Harbor Briton, or Mr. Peyton, of Twillingate,
whose guest I was, but the fishermen were always ready to join
Catholics in manning a boat when I required it, and I alIi happy
to say that the Catholics have acted likewise to their clergy-
men. It is a pleasing reflection that though we are not in1ma-
culate, and rum excites to evil, still out of a population of
over 130,000, we have rarely more than eight or ten prisoners
in gaol, and grievous crimes are happily most rare, capital
offences scarcely heard of."
The first Atlantic telegraph cable was landed at Bay of
Bun's Arn1, Trinity Bay, on the 6th of August, 1858. On
the follo'\ving ,veek the lViagara and the G01'gon entered
the harbour of St. John's, an1id the thundering of cannon
and the ringing of bells. In the evening the city was
illuminated; addresses were presented to Capt. Hud
on
and }fr. Cyrus Field; a public ball ,vas given, and a
regatta on Quedi-Vidi Lake in honour of the visitors.
Thi8 great enterprise, however, at that time proved a
fail ure.
In 1
60, on l\Ionday, July the 23rd, His Royal Highness
the Prince of \Vales arrived at St. John's on his way to
Canada and the other Provinces. His Royal Highness
was accompanied by His Grace the Duke of N e,vcastle
and the Earl of St. Gel'lnain. They remained at St. John's
three days. His Royal Highness was treated with every
den1onstration of respect; and nothing was left undone to
honour the distinguished visitors by the citizens of St.
John's. They presented the Prince '\vith a Newfoundland
rlog, to whom he gave the name of Cabot, in honour of

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

.")5

the great Italian navigator who discovered Newfoundland.
The Hon. Francis Brady, Chief Justice, ,yas knighted in
honour of the visit of His Royal Highness.
In 18Gl, the first Baptist minister, a
rr. Turner, ar-
rived froIn England, and sought to establish hiIllself in
St. John's, hut o,ving to the want of ac1elluate support,
failed to organize a congregation, and, after a short tilne,
returned to England.
In 18G4, Sir Alexander Bannennan took hi
departure
froIn the Governlnent of N e,vfoundland, ,vhen the
Hon. La,vrence O'Brien ,vas sworn in as A(hninistrator of
of the Governnlent. In Septeillber, of the saIne year,
Anthony
Iusgrove, Esq., arrived in St. John's, and as-
sunlecl the Government. During this year,
lessrs. Carter
anù Shea ,vere appointed delegates to represent N ew-
foundland, in the Congress at Quebec, to adopt a schelne
for the Confederation of the British North l\.1neri-
can Provinces. The Montrreal 1Vitne.
8 has given the fo]-
L:nving valuable information on the subject :-
" No branch of industry has grown up in the Provinces to
greater dimensions in the course of a comparatively short
period of time than the Maritime interest. \Yhen British
North America is elevated into a Confeùeration, it will be en-
titled to the proud position of the third
laritime State in the
world. Great Uritian and the United States will alone exceed it
in nlaritime infllh::mce. In 1863, no less than 628 vessels were
built in Uri
ish America, of which the aggregate tOllU::lge was
230,312. The industry represented by these figures shows an
export value of nearly nine Inillion dollars. On the 31st
Decenlber:- 1863, the figure" were as follows :-

V e88(' Is.
Canada. ..... .......... ..... .... 2,311
Novia Scotia...................... 3,539
New Brunswick .............. 891
Prince Edward Island...... ... 3GO
Newfoundlanù ...... ...... ...... 1,429

8,530

Toml.
287,187
309,554
211,G80
34,222
89,GÐ3

932,336

56

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

" OJ eat Britain and the United States largely exceed this
number, but France, the next greatest commercial State-with
thirty-five millions of population, an immense foreign trade,
and an extensive sea coast-owns only 60,000 tons of ship-
ping more than British America. In 1860, the aggregate
commercial navy of France was 996,124.
" Another important statement is the return of shipping en-
tering and leaving the ports of British America :-

Inwards.
Canada...... . . ....... ..1,061,307
Nova Scotia... ......u. 712,959
New Brunswick ...... 659,258
P. E. Island... ...... ... 69,080
Newfoundland..... 156,578

Outwards.
1,091,895
719,915
727,727
81,200
148,610

Total Tons.
2,133,204
1,452,854
1,386,985
150,288
302,188

2,659,182 2,769,347 5,415,519
" And for Inland Navigation,
Canada........ .... ...... 3,530,701 3,368,432 6,907,133

6,189,883 6,137, 779 12,322,65

" The United States at the same period only exceeded us by
4,000,000 tons, and our excess over France in one year was
4,000,000 tons.
" It will also be interesting in connection with this subject,
to see what will be the strength of the United Provinces in sea-
faring men.
"By the census of 1860, it appears that the number of those
engaged in maritime pursuits were as follows :-
Canada ..... . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. . . 5,958
Nova Scotia ... . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . ...... . . . . . . . . .19,637
New Brunswick ....... .... ........ ............... 2,765
P. E. Island ...... .................................... 2,H18
Newfoundland ............................ ..... ...38,578

Total.. ............. ...................--._ ...69,256

" Here we see that five years ago the Provinces unitedly had

.AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

57

no less than 70,000 able-bodied n1en engaged at sea, either in
tnanning their cotnmercial shipping or their fishing vessels. In
case of war this fOlce would be the most valuable element of
strength British Arnerica would possess. Facts like these must
have great weight when placed before the world. They give
an idt'a of the importance of British North America that other
statistics could hardly afford. It must be renlenl bereel that the
maritime interest is not stationary but progressive. It must
increase with the progress of the Provinces in population, and
the other elements of wealth. A half century hence-it is not
hoping too much-British America will stand side by sid
with
the lllother country-the foremost maritime State in the
world. "

The follo,ving is froln a letter of 1\11'. Brydges,
Ianag-
ing Director of the Grand Trunk Railway, to the
Cana(lian Board:-; of Trade, on the trade of the Lower
Provinces in lRG6:-

" The total importations of flour into the four Provinces of
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Ed ward Island and N ew-
foundland, according to the last returns which have been pub-
lished by the respective Governments of these Provinces are as
follows, yiz. :-

" In New Brunswick. ......
Nova Scotia. .. ....... ... ....

.. '"t. .. ................

25G,09ö bhls.
355,358 } "
26,943 :c
32,601 "
20
,71S "

" "

Prince Edward Island............
Newfoundland. ....................

"l\faking a total of........ ... 873,71G

"

"This is more than the average importations of flour into the
United States from Canada during the existence of the I
eci-
procity Treaty.
" It follows, therefore, if proper means of communication are
provided, and energy displayed by the merchants of Canada,
that the Lower Provinces alone will offer a market for the
great bulk of the
urplus flour that Canada has to export.

58

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

" The duties now
imposed by the United States upon the
importation of breadstuffs from Canada, and the great cost of
all their manufacturing operations, render it certain that the
comparatively lighter taxed country of Canada will be able to
produce what the Lower Provinces require at much less prices
than can possibly be the case with the United States.
" Of the iInportations of flour into New Brunswick, not far
short of 200,000 bbls. are taken at the port of St. John alone,
and from that place a very large portion of the Province is
supplied, especially that part of it tributary to the River St.
John, which is the most populous and best settled portion of
the country.
" Between 20,000 and 30,000 bbls. of flour find their way to
the Gulf ports as far down as Shediac, and the remainder of
the importations into New Brunswick go to St. Andrews and
St. Stephens, to be carried along the line of railway running
towards 'V oodstock, for the use of the lumbering districts.
"Nearly the whole of the flour, therefore, imported into New
Brunswick will, until the Intercolonial Rail way is completed, of
necessity find its way into the Province by the Bay of Fundy.
As I have already stated, I have completed arrangements with
steamers running between Portland and St. John, by which flour
from all parts of Canada can be sent on through-bills-of-Iading to
St. John; the shipper at any station on the line of the Grand
'frunk Railway having no necessity to look after the transfer
at Portland, that being done, as well as the Customs business,
by the officers of the Company. St. Andrews and St. Stephens
will also be supplied from Portland by sailing vessels, which
call always be obtainerl without difficulty, and through-bills-of-
lading ,vill be given to those places also.
" Of the importations of flour into New Brunswick, the great
bulk has for some years back been from the United States;
although, even before the abrogation of the Reciprocity Treaty,
the quantity sent from Canada has been annually increasing.
Thus I find in the the year 1863 St. John received from Canada
by way of Portland 9,000 barrels; in 1864, 15,000 barrels;
whilst during the last twelve nlonths the quantity was increased
to 47,000 barrels.
" If this has been the case before the abrogation of the Reci-
procity Treaty, it follows, as a matter about which there can

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

.
!)

be little dispute, that the circumstances which now exist will
make it certain that nearly the whole supply will in future be
dra wn from Canada.
" In regard to Nova Scotia, the importations by the last re-
turns ,vhich have been published in that Province, namely, for
the year ending 30th September, 1865, sho,v the following re-
sult :-
From Canada... ............ _...... ... 58,233 bbls.
New Brunswick u.... . . . . .. 10,482 "
P. E. lbland ......... 372 "
Newfoundland....... ........ 658"
United
tates 312,371 "
Great Britain ................ 118"
Other places ..... ............ 67"

" Of the importations from Canada the largest amounts haye
been to Halifax and Pictou, the quantities having been respec-
tively-
To Halifax ........ ... ........ ......... 27,018 bbls.
Pictou................. ..... ...... 25,479 "
" From New Brunswick, the importations into Nova Scotia.
have bt'en principally along the shore of the Bay of Fun(Iy.
Fronl the United States, the importations have béen to a very
large extent, into the Port of fIalifax-they having amounted
to 172: 192 bbls.
"The next largest place of inlPortation is Yarmouth, into
which place t.he importations were 19,714 barrels.
"The next largest are Cornwallis anti \Vin(lsor, they each
having importell 9,000 bbls.
" All other ports have received quantities varying from 100
bbIs. to 3,OüO bbls. each.
" There are now 65 places (including Halifax) in Nova Scotia,
which have received importations of Hour fronl the United
States. Many of these, of course, are small harbours where
fishing operations are carried on, and each derive their supply
of from one hundred to two or three thousand barrels frolH
sailing vessels which carry fish froln these places to New York
or Boston, and bring back, after selling their loads, the tiour
they want for their home consumption

60

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

"In Prince Edward Island the importations according to the
last published returns have been-
From Canada........... h .......... 1,849 bbls.
Nova Scotia............... ...... 2,353 "
New Brunswick ..... ......... 373"
United States .................. 27,227 "

Total. . . ... ..... 31,802
" These figures are taken from the returns for the year 1864.
I was informed in Prince Edward Island that the amount last
year was larger, and that during the present year the quantity
imported will not be less than from 50,000 to 60,000 barrels.
"In Newfoundland, of the total importations of 202,718
barrels, there were fronl Canada 25,835; from Nova Scotia,
3,482 ; and from the United States, 172,] 45, The bulk of the
importations into Newfoundland are taken into St. John's,
although some portions find their way to the different fishing
points along the coast in the same way as is the case in Nova
Scotia.
" These figures will give a very accurate idea of the general
course of the fluur trade, and will show the merchants of Canada
the places with which it will be necessary to make arrangements
for supplying this traffic in future from Canada. To facilitate
these arrangements, I have, as already explained, effected
arrangements in regard to steamer communication between
Portland and St. John. At the latter place I have appointed
an agent, who will attend to all business arising at that place
and in New Brunswick generally, anù to whom all property will
be consigned. The steamers I l:ave mentioned will be placed
also upon the line between Portland and Halifax, as early as
possible in the month of September. An agent has been
appointed at Halifax, who \vill attend to the business in Nova
Scotia generally, and also to the trade which no doubt can be
cultivated from that city with Newfoundland.
" There is, of course, in addition to the question of flour, mnch
trade hitherto carried on by the Lower Provinces to a very large
extent with the United States, which, by proper arrangements,
can be diverted in the direction of Canada, to the advantage of
both buyers and sellers. Thus, as regards New Brunswick, the

AND A8 IT IS IN 1877.

HI

importations of butter and cheese amounted, by the last public
ret.urns, to 500,128 lbs., of the value of $105,725. Of this,
309,846 lbs. were purchased in the United States. Of meats
and ham<3, cured and salted, New Brunswick imported 2,059,131
lbs., of a total value of $157,183, of which 1,999,845 lbs. were
imported from the United States. Of boots and shoes of various
kinds, New Brunswick imported to a total value of
80,475,
of which $66,489 came from the United States. Of leather of
various kinds she imported to the value of $47,183, of which
the United States supplied $42,650. Of lard, New Brunswick
imported 93,165 Ibs., of which 78,603 lbs. were sent from the
United States. Of tobacco she imported 505,5211bs , of which
469,873 were sent from the United States. Of refined sugar
the United States supplied New Brunswick \vith 150,995 lbs. ;
of unrefined sugar, 430,815 lbs. The greatest portion, of course,
of the unrefined sugar was either supplied direct from the 'Yest
Indies, or from the same place through Nova Scotia. Of the
article of tea, New Brunswick imported 1,058,082 lbs., of which
455,978 lbs. were sent from the U niteù States, nearly the whole
of the remainder being imported from Great Britain.
" The severa] articles of which I have given particulars, are
mentioned only as samples of the general trade of New Bruns-
wick. There can be no reason \vhatever why, \vith proper
energy on the part of our merchants, New Brunswick shou!d
not find it to be to her interest to make her purchases in the
markets of Canada rather than those of the United 8tates.
The rate of taxation in the latter country, and the great cost of
everything, have so l.:trgely increased the price of all articles of
commerce, that it is a question that cannot adn1Ït of doubt, that
Canada, that is comparatiyely so lightly taxed, and will, it is to
be hoped, improve in this respect ht::reafter, ought to be able to
supply the Lower Provinces upon much more advantageous
terms than can be done, under existing circumstances, by the
United States.
" It may be interesting to give some similar facts in regard
to the trade of Nova Scotia. It seems fronl its returns that
the total importations of beef, pork, alHI beans (cureù and
salted) amount to about 13,000 barrels per annum, of a total
value of
212,700; of this, 10,695 barrels were imported from
the United States, and only 77 from Canaùa. Of tea, thf'

62

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

total importations into Nova Scotia were 1,546,075 Ibs., of a
value of $515,790, of which the United States supplied 175,-
1051bs. Great Britain, of course, supplied the great bulk of the
relnainder. Of tobacco in the leaf, the total in1portations into
Nova Scotia were 507,989 Ibs., of which the United States
supplied 58,856 lbs. Of manufactured tobacco, the importa-
tions were 317,029 lbs., of which the U llited St.ates supplied
244,532 Ibs. The importations of raw and refined sugar from
the United States into Nova Scotia appear to be but a very
small proportion of the whole.
" The exports of fish from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland
are, of course, very large, and there can be no reason wÌ1y, if
proper arrangements were made for the curing and packing of
the fish there, instpad of allowing it to be nlainly done as at
present in the U llited States, there could not be a very large
trade direct to Canada and through Canada into the \Vestern
States from Halifax.
" The exportations of raw sugar from Nova Scotia are very
considerable, amounting in the aggregate to nearly ten millions
of lbs.. of which upwards of a quarter appears to be sent fronl
Halifax to Canada. This of itself will provide considerable
back freight to the line of steamers which will be put on be-
tween Portland and Halifax.
" In regard to Newfoundland, in addition to flour, they im-
ported in the year 1864, the last return which I have been able
to obtain, 26,157 barrels of pork, of which 23,472 were sent
from the United States, and 1,293 from Canada. They im-
ported of beef 2,417 barrels, of which 1,999 were from the
United States. Of butter, the importations were 16,536 cwt.,
of which Nova Scotia supplied 4,192 cwt., Canada 2,466 cwt.,
and the United States 7,454 cwt. Of leather-ware, the total
importations were to the value of æ61,936. Of tea, 461,830
lbs., and of tobacco, 291,750 Ibs.
"For the reasons already given, the trade of which I have en-
deavoured, as regards the Provinces, to give a few examples,
can by proper arrangements be carried on tu a very large ex-
tent indeed with Canada before Confederation takes place. Of
course, as soon as that desirable event has actually bprll C0111-
pleted, there can be no doubt of the large increase of trade which
will immediately tollow."

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

G3

CHAPTER III.

DISTRICT OF ST. JOHN'S.

T. JOHN'S, the capital of Newfoundland, lies in
-"\l\ 47 0 ð3' 3:3" north latitude, and 52 0 45' 10" '\vest

longitude froIn Green,vich, and 10 0 52' east of
Halifax. 1Iagnetic variation in 1828, 28 0 47' ,vesterly.
The first authentic record of St. John's is given in a
letter to King Henry VIII., by John Rut, in 1527, '\vho
was at that time en1ployed on a fishing voyage. This is
recorded by Hackluyt, one of the earliest writers on
N e\vfoundland.
The capital is situate on the most eastern part of the
coast, .in the Bay of St. John, which, however, is but a
slight indentation of the coast. On approaching St.
John's frolu the sea, the shores present an air of grandeur
nnd sublin1Îty. The coast for miles consists of old red
sandstone and conglon1erate, from four to six hundred
feet in height, pre::;enting an aln10st perpenrlicular '\vall,
which resists the unbro1.en surges of the Atlantic Ocean
that ince:-;::;antly thunller at its base.
In the SUlnnler season this \vall of nature's nlasonry is
adorned with touches of thc bCêtutiful-the inter
tice

and crevices of the sublime cliffs are dotted '\vith gla
s,
,vild tlo\vers, plants, and shrubs of various kinds, the
green foliage of '\vhich trailing along the red
lIrface of
the rocks, gives it a picturesque and rOlnalltic appearance.
I have seen no part of An1erica that can cOlllpare ,vith
the grandeur of the N e\\rfoundland coast. The Palisades
or high land
on the River HlHIson, ill N C'V V ork, lllay
probably Lear SOlne resClilblancc. The
agucnay river,
in Canada, strongly reminùeù 111e of the coa
t aLout

t. John's.

ü4

NE'V:FOUNDLAND, AS IT \V A
,
St. John's is one of the :finest harbours in N ewfound-
land, where a vessellnight in a fe,v lninutes shoot froIll
the storIny Atlantic into a secure haven, and ride at
anchor cOlnpletely land-locked, in from four to ten fa-
thoms of water, on a I11Ud bottom. The entrance tu St.
John's is very narro,v, ,vhich is therefore called the
" N arro,vs." The channel froln point to point, that is,
froln Signal Hill on the north side to Fort Anlherst on
the south side, is 220 fathonl
ac:ro
s; but it '\viden
ju:-;t
within the points, then again gets narrower on approach-
ing Chain Rock, froln which to Pancake Rock the dis-
tance is only 95 fathorns across, after ,vhich it expands
into a beautiful sheet of water, one and a quarter miles
long, and about half a n1Ïle '\vide. In war tirnes a chain
used to be thrown across from Chain to Pancake Rocks.
On each side of the Narrows are lofty cliff", five hundred
and six hundred feet in altitude, studded with forts and
batteries, while a short distance to the right is seen
Cuckold's Head and Sugar Loaf, towering in solitary
grandeur above all the surrounding coast. Bishop l\iul-
lock says:
" St. John's is placed almost in the centre of the peninsula
of Avalon, on the nearest point to Europe, with a port the most
secure perhaps in the world, fortified by nature, and only re-
quiring a very moderate outlay, and a few thousand brave sol-
diers, to make it, I may say, impregnable-the Gibraltar or
Sebastapol of the North Atlantic. A fleet of 'war steamers sta-
tioned in St. J ohn'8, sheltered by the guns of Signal Hill and
Southside batteries, would give the command of the North
Atlantic to West Britain, and with Bermuda, paralyze the com-
merce of the entire seaboard of the neighbouring continent. I
consider St. John's and Bermuda as the two great bastions of
North America."

At Fort Ambrose, on the south side, the harbour light-
house is situated, which is also a signal station. There is
another signal station at the north side on Signal Hill.
As soon, therefore, as a ship hoves in sight at Cape Spear

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

65

(which is cight n1Ïles distant, and is also a signal station,
'\vith a splendid lighthouse), she is telegraphed to the
principal station on Signal Hill, and as soon as she ap-
proached the south entrance of the Narl'o\vs, an artillery-
Ulan on duty, with trulupet in hand, u
ed to walk to the
edge of the rocky precipice, and hail-" From ,vhence
caIne you." Vessels acquainted \vith the trade usually
chalke(l on the quarter the nUInber of days on the pas-
sage, also their name, if they carried no distinguishing
flag. The city uf St. Joh n's (since 183D St. John's hal'
been called a city, owing t;a- Protestant bishop heing a-t
that tinle appointed-it is not incorpurated) stanJs prin-
cipally on the north side of the harbour, on hills of slight
acclivity, on the ,vestern one of \vhich, in 17G2, the French
to uk a detennined stand against the English batteries.
The south side of the harbour is forIlleù by a lofty anJ
unbroken range of hills which plunges into the ,vater at
an angle of about 70 0 , which is lined \vith ,vharves, ,vare-
houses, oillllanufactories, and SOlne d \velling-houses.
St. John's ,vas t\vice destroyed by the .French. SOine
relics of their dominion are still to be seen. I t is said the
stone buildings at Fort \Villialn were erected for their
cOllllllanaer, and SOlne chairs, \vith the tieur-de-lis, \vhich
belonged to the cOllunandant, are alsu yet in existence.
It will be seen Ly the follo\ving letter, addressed to

lr. llutd1Ïns, '\vhose descen(lants are no\v SOlne of the
principal inhabitants uf St. Johns, that down to 1790 no
tavern or house of entertaiulllent \vas allo\vcù to Le set up,
neither ,vas the soil to be cultivated:

" Letter frl}/n tlte Governo'}., Jl. ]{. .Jfilùltnke, to Geor.qe IIutc1tins,
l!J"
q., dutl-d Govtj'}.'}unutl House, St. John':;, Neufoundlund, 15th
OctoberI', 1 790.
" SIR,-I have considered your request respecting the altera-
tion which you wish to lnakp in your storehouse near tIlt"
waterside, and as it appears tbat the alteration will not be in
any ,vays injurious to the fishery, you have hereby pernlÎssion
B

66

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

to nlake it. ..As t.o .Alexander Long's house, winci) has Leell
built contrary to IIis IVlajesty's express commands, made known
to the inhabitants of this place by my proclamation of the 13th of
last October, it must and shall come down. The pretence now
set up of its being intended for a craft-house serves rather to
aggravate than extenuate the offence, for by the confession of
your tenant to the ma
istrate who forbade him to go on ,vith
the work after it was begun, as well as to me when I viewed
the house on Saturday last, no such use was tu be made of it :
as he said it was intended only as a covering to his potato
cellar, though there is a complete chitnney, if not two in it, and
lodging for at least six or eight dieters. I shall embrace this
opportunity of warning YOll against making an improper use of
any other part of (what you are pleased to call) your ground, for
you may rest assured that every house or other huilding erected
upon it hereafter, without the permission-in writing-of the
Governor for the time being-except such building and erection
as shall be actually on purpose fur the curing, salting, drying
and husbanding of fish, \vhich the fishennen from any part of
His Majesty's European dOlninions, qualified agreeable to the
Act of the 10th and 11th of 'Villiam the Third, and the 15th
of George the Third, have a right to erect without asking per-
mission-must unavoidably be taken down and removed, in
obedience to His l\lajesty's said commands. And it may not
be amiss at the same time to inform you, I am also directed not
to allow any possession as jYJ'ivate p'J'operty to be taken of, or any
right of p'J'operty wluttever to be acknmrledged in any land wlwtet'er
which is not actually employed in the fishery, in terms of the
aforementioned Act, whether possessed by pretended grants
from former Governors or from any other-no nlatter what-
unwarrantable pretences-therefore it behoves you, with all
possible despatch, to employ the whole of the ground which
you can lay claim to in the fishery, lest others should profit by
your neglect, and make that use of it which the Legislature of
Great Britain intended should be made of all the land in this
country, and without which no one has a right to claim it as
his own. The sheriff will have directions about the removal of
the house above mentioned, which you will no doubt assist hÜn
in executing.

" I arn, &c.

"To George Hutchins, Esq."

AND AS IT IS IN Ih77.

ú7

Up to 1811, St. J ohn'R consisted of one long, narro\v,
dirty Htreet, \vith irregular ùlocks of lo\v, dCll lÎl<l-
ings, interspersed ,vith fish flakes. In the above year,
ho\\rever, iInportant alterations ,vere Blade by Adll1Ïral
Duckworth, who ,vas then Governor, under authority of
an Act of Parlianlent, the "ships' roolns" ,vere dividcd
into building and ,vater lots, anù loeasures were adopted
for the general Ï1nprOyelnent of the to,vn. Froln this
period the place hegan to rise into illlportance, for until
the year above nalued no building co
ld be erected in any
part of Newfoundland \vithout the pennission of the Gov-
ernor, in order to prevent settlen1ent.
On the 12th of February, 1816, a lllOSt destructive fire
de
olated a great part of the town of St. J ohn'8. The
property dCRtroyed is said to have amounted to more than
ÆIOO,OOO sterling, or 8500,000. When the intelligence of
this calaluitous event reached the" City of the Pilgrin1s,"
Boston, the Capital of the" Old Bay State," a deep and
powerful sympathy was excited alllong her citizens for
the destitution of 1,500 hUluan beings left homeless and
penniless amid the frust and storins of a Newfoundland
\vinter! Burying in oblivion the recollection that the
year previous the t,vo countries ,vere hostile to each
other, and regardless of the disputed right of fishing on
the Banks, ,vhich right Å111erica wished to claiIn but
Britain ,vas unwilling to concede, the noble and rlisin-
terested citizens only renlembered the claims of their
suffering fellow-creatures upon their hospitality. A. vessel
,vas iUllnediately loaded váth provisions, which were sent
to be distributed gratuitously alllong the distressed in-
habitants of St. John's, ,vhere she arrived and delivered
her valuable cargo. To Lrave the stonns of a ,,
inter pas-
sage to N ewfounJland, at that period, \\ras considered a
most daring and hazar{lous entcrprise.
In the follo\ving year, ] 81 7, on the night of the 7th of
N ovcluber, another iUllnense tir e br oke out at St. John's
and in nine hours destroyeù thirteen lncrcantilc cstablish-

68

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
Ulcuts (well stocked with provision:.;) and one hundred
and forty dwelling-houses. The estimated value of the
property thus destroyed ,vas .f:500,000, 01'
2,OOO,000.
This distressing calamity was succeeded by another, on
the 21st of the same lllonth, ,vhen fifty-six more houses,
besides stores and wharves were consulned. During the
winter, great distress prevailed in consequence of these
fires; and, owing to the failure of the crops in various
parts of Europe, the usual quantities of supplies had not
been imported in the fall, and the merchants, seeing the
great improbability of receiving any immediate returns
for their goods, circunlscribed the accustonled credit
systeul. NUlnbers of the inhabitants, rendered desperate
by ,vant, began to break open the stores. Volunteer com-
panies were ilnmediately embodied and armed to prevent
further depredations, and committees of relief were
forIfied to issue snlall quantities of food at stated periods.
St. John's has since been visited by several smaller
fires. In 1839, a block of houses on the north side of
Water Street, comprising fifteen tenements, were con-
sumed; and, in 1840, the Exchange and other buildings
were destroyed.
The next great fire with which St. John's was visited
was on the 9th of June, 184G, but, like the Phænix, it
always rises better, brighter, and more triumphant from
its ashes. The great fire of the 9th of June took place
when all the nlercantile establishn1ents were well stocked
,vith every article of merchandize, and seal vats full of oil.

"On the morning of Tuesday," says the Morning Courier
newspaper (published a few days after the fire), "the sun
rose on St. John's a busy mart; its population arose from the
slumbers of the previous night, and applied themselves to the
occupations of the day, with the hope that it would be done as the
days that had gone before; and ere that sun had set, at least
three-fourths of the town, including the whole of the business
part of it, were in ashes.
" About seven o'clock in the evening the work of destruction

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

69

may be said to have been completed, so that in ten hours and
a half our town was almost entirely destroyed, and the moon
rose in cloudless splendour, throwing her mild light on a home-
less population, who stood viewing, with intense anguish the
smoking ruins of their habitations. Besides the two men that
,vere killed: we have heard of another aged man who had con-
trivea to save his bed and some valuables, and while struggling
along to a place of safety with a load too heavy for his strength,
fell down and expired.
"I t is but justice to His Excellency, the Governor, to state, that
he remained in the vicinity of the fire till a late hour. \Ve
also observed Lieut.-Colonel Law, N[ajor Robe, and all the
other officers of the Garrison actively engaged during the whole
day. The troops were turned out for the protection of pro-
perty on the first alarm, and guards were posted for the night,
wherever thought necessary.
" A cold night succeeded a day eventful to the inhabitants of
St. J ohu's, and far the greater portion of them spent it under
the canopy of heaven. The open ground in front of Govern-
ment House down tow'ards Gower Street, ,vas occupied by
numerous family groups sitting beside the portions of their
furniture saved from the flames. It was a sad sight to see
shivpring mothers endeavouring to shelter their little babes,
and to hush them to sleep; while the cries of the older ones
for food had in many cases to be answered by 'wait 'till day-
light, and we shall try to get some for you.'
"A great nunlber of mercantile establishments were de-
stroyed, besides those we have named: were we to attempt a
complete list, we should have to name every firm except the
solitary one of ::\iessrs. Newman and Co., which is the only one
now in St. John's that has either a store or an office, except
the stores on the south side of the harbour.
" 'Ye nevpr sa.w a fire spread with snch awful rapi(lity ; the
flames seerrlCd actually to leap from roof to roof; an(l the noisp
of the burning mass coulrl be compared to nothing that we
ever heaI'(I, except the roaring of the cataract of Niagara. The
crash of falling nlatprials was hf'arcl above the d('(>p sound of
tlH' :ulvancing flames, as roof after roof fell in at short intervals."
By this a,\vful conHagatiun, ulnva}'(h
(If 2,000 h()usl'

70

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

were consumed, and property to the amount of Æ800,000,
or $4,000,000, destroyed.
The day after the fire, the principal inhabitants of the
town attended a meeting at Governlnent House, at which
a committee was appointed for the relief of the distressed.
A military patrol ,vas appointed to protect the property
in the town, and Sir John Harvey, the Governor, issued a
Proclan1ation placing an enlbargo on all shipping about to
leave the port; and Mr. Hele, R.N., master of Her
Majesty's Ship Vindictive, who was at the time in the
. colony, offered his services to search all ves
els lea ving
the port, to prevent the removal of any unnecessary
quantity of provision
. Lieutenant Chaln'bers's, R.N .C.,
yacht was moored as a guard-ship in the N arro,vs, and all
the available lnilitary tents were pitched at the rear of the
Roman Catholic Ca.thedral, to afford shelter to the house-
less. Two vessels were despatched to New York and
Halifax for provisions.
On the intelligence of the fire at St. John's reaching
Halifax, a public meeting of the citizens was convened,
and a comlnittee appointed to receive donations for the
sufferers. A quantity of provisions were shipped inune-
diately by the mail steamer " Unicorn," Capt.ain l\tleagher,
for St. John's, ,vhich ,vas the first supply received after
the fire.
The British Government gave a lnunificent donation
of Æ30,000, or 81.50,000, to which was added) under the
sanction of the Queen's letter, adùressed to the Arch-
bishops of Canterbury and York, to make collections in
the Churches of England, the further sum of .f:31,516, or
$157,580; making a total of .f:(1)516, or
:307,5HO ; in ad-
dition to which the sum of $106,236 was received from
various parts of Great Britain, Ireland, the British Colo-
nies and United States, equal to .f:26,557 1Gs. 4d. currency,
or
10G,22G.
From QUEBEC, per Industry :-33 barrels flour; 100 barrels
0 8 Þ- E. L qf 0 eal; 93 barrels peas; 67 barrels Indian meal; 25 boxes
_ 0
:E. LIBRARY ::

\\' ç;>/>)
+

AND AS IT IS IN 1877,

71

window glass; 50 piece
deals; 500 boards; 1 keg tobacco;
3 cases; 3 boxes; 1 trunk; 1 bale and 2 barrels clothing and
merchandise. Per Orion :-7 barrels oatmeal; 2 boxes ,vindow
glass; 1 keg nails; 8 1\1 shingles, and 2 pair shoes.
From
IO
TREAL, per St. Croix: 54-9 barrels flour; 318
barrels pork; 32 bags bread: 42 kegs butter; 200 pieces deals;
500 boards; 14 kegs nails; 7 cases and 6 bales clothing and
merchandise. Per Tldstle :-495 barrels flour; 187 barrels
pork; 21 bags bread; 158 bags peas; 250 boxes window glass;
200 pieces deals; 500 boards; 1 case; 3 parcels; and 1 bale
clothing and lIlerchandise,
Fronl NE'V YORK, per St.
[argaret :-731 barrels flour; 100
harrels pork; 100 kegs butter.
From HALIFAX, per Star :-1,055 barrels flour. Per Uni-
cm'n :-360 barrels flour; 100 barrels pork, and 1 box clothing,
Per Dove :-12 barrel::; flour; 2 barrels pork ; 1 case; 3 par-
cels clothing; 1 bale tin ware; 1 nest pails,
From I(ENTVILLE, per Unicorn :-1 box clothing, and 1 keg
cht>ese.
From EXETER, per Sir Robert Peel :-7 bales clothing,
&c., &c.
From STE\VIACKE (Colchester), per Unicorn :-1 bale
clothing.
TOTAL-3,223 barrels flour; 700 barrels pork; 53 bags
bread; 142 kegs butter; 100 barrels oatmeal; 93 barrels and
158 bags peas; 67 barrels Indian meal; 275 Loxes window
glass; 450 pieces deals; 1,500 boards; 14 kegs nails; 1 keg
tobacco ; 11 cases; 5 boxes; 3 parcels; 1 trunk; 1 ü bales,
and 2 barrels clothing and merchandise; 8 1\1 shingles; 2
pair shoes.
Out of the Inoney collected under the sanction of the
Queen'
letter, 1:1.5,000 or
7 5,000, ,vith the consent of
the Secretary of State for the Colonies, were appropriated
towards the erection of a Protestant Cathedra], in the
1'00111 of the Church which had been destroyed by the
fire.
'rhe follo\ving are aJllong the instances in ,vhich it i

saiel the llloney suhscl'ilu.d f()r the fire Ruftèl'er
,vas (li-
\:e'l'tecl froBl t]u. pI'Opl'!' ol
jel"t for \vhich it "raH intcIH](.fl

72

NE"T:FOUNDLAND, AS rr \V AS.

Building of a Custoln House. ................. Æ3,500
Alterations and Repairs of Government RouRe 4,803

larine Prolnenade .................. ............ 9.55
Tanks .... . . ........................... . . . . ...... 142
Cemetery. . . . . . .... . . . . ... . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . .. . ... 450
Indian
Ieal............ ....... ....... .. . . . . . .. . .. .. 11,895
Provisions sent to Outports ....... ............ 1,177
Pronlotion of Agriculture, purchase of seeds,
Bounty to
1 ills,
c .. .. . . . ........ ..... 2,GOO

.;E2.5,322
or $102,088

These appropriations caused great dissatisfaction. Pub-
lic meetings were held, and memorials sent to the Honle
Government on the subject. It n1ust be confessed, how-
ever, that the Governor
vas constantly appealed to in aiel
of cases of distress, IllOSt of which '\yere consequent on
the fire, ,vhich caused, we presunle, the large expenJiturc
in provisions.
80nle of the persons employed by the .:, Relief COlllmit-
tee" were paid handsome sun1S, who were then in 'receipt
of a competent salc/.;ry, c/.;nd 'who had s'Lqfwred nothing by
fire. The Legislature voted $10,000 for the erection of a
convent, and 82,000 for a school-house attached; which
were destroyed by the fire, and u'hieh o'ught to hc/.;ve
veen talcen ftl'o?n the fire-f'Ltnds-instead of from the reve-
nue of the colony, '\vhich waR then insufficient to 11leet the
expenditure by lllany thousand pounds.
St. John's, unlike the tovlns of the neigh bouring colo-
nies, is not divided into squares, or laid out into street

intersecting each other at right angles. It has three
principal streets ('Vater, Duckworth, and Gower), running
parallel with each other, and with the harbour, about two
n1Ïles. There are several crOSH Rtl'eets, the principal oneH
are Cochrane Street, fronting GovernInent House; Queen
street, and Prescott street.
ince the firc, the stroutH have

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

73

been widener! and otherwise inlproved, and statply stone
and brick chvelling- houses, shops, and a long range of large
and conln1odions \\Tal'ehouses have taken the place of the
lo\v '\vooden buildings, w'hich before, for the most part,
occupied 'Vater street. l\Iany of theRe buildings ,viII
COJl1pare \vith the cities of the neighl)ouring colonies.
The Public Buildings of St. John are, the Colonial
Building. FroIll the granting of a Representative Con-
stitution, in 183
, the Legislature met in the Court
House, a \yooden 1)uilding, \\Thich \vas always felt to be
too slnall and inconvenient for such a purpo:se. No effort,
hO"Tever, ,vas made for the erection of a Legislative
Buil(ling, until the destruction of the Court House by the
fire in 184G. Since then a fine buildin
ha
been erected,
,vith a staff of officers, and of \vhich Captain 'V. J. Coen
is Governor.
The erection of the present Parliament Building \vas
C01111nenced in 1
47, and opened for the sitting of the
Legislature in It)50. It is a rectangular form, and. built
of \vhite liulestone, finely ,vrought, iUlported fron1 Cork,
Ireland. The cost of the building was about .f:20,OOO or

1 00,000.
The aspect of the building is almost due south, looking
to\vards the harhour, and it extends 110 feet north, by
88 from east to '\\ est. The front entrance is approached
frolll the J\Iilitary Road, the ground being thence gradu-
ally IJrought to a consi(lel'ahle elevation, through a portico
suppolic(l l)y six Inassive columns of the Ionic Order,
Sllr11l011ntC(} l,y an elegantly-executed pediulent, repre-
senting the Royal Anlls; the pillars are nearly 30 feet
high. The height of the Hoor of the portico fron1 the
ground is about 12 feet, and to the top of the pe(1i-
luent, about .')5 feet.
The entire of the InÚl(ling, c
ternal1y, is of cut
tone,
\"rith 1110nlded architraves to windo\vs and doors, a1u1 pn-
tahlature cO),l'l'spoIHling all rouIHl. The Legislative HaJb,
for tlH'
ltting of the (1enera1 Asse1l1hly anel thp Lpg-isla-

74

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS rr ,v A
,
tive Council, are each 30 hy 50 feet. The building also
affords accommodation for House-keeper's fan1Ïly, Trea-
surer's office, Surveyor-General's office, &c.
The foundation stone of this edifice was laid by His
Excellency Sir John Gaspard Le
Iarchant. Underneath
the stone are placed SOlne wheat, the produce of the
Island, and a tin canister, containing SOlne newspapers,
British coins, and the following inscription engrossed on
parchment :-

"The foundation stone of this building was laid on the 24th
day of May, in the tenth year of the reign of Her lVIost Gra-
cious l\lajesty, Victoria, Queen of the United I{ingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, Anno Domini 1847, by His Excel-
lency Sir John Gaspard Le Marchant, I{night, I{. F. and
I{. U. S., Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over the
Island of N e'\vfoundland and its dependencies.
" This edifice was raised by virtue of an Act of the Colonial
Legislature of Newfoundland, 6th '\Villiam IV., Cap. 14, under
t
e direction of a Board, consisting of nine Commissioners,
VIZ. :
The Hon. James Crowdy, Colonial Secretary, 1
" "Patrick Morris, Colonial Treasurer,
" "'\Villiam Thomas, l\ferchallt,
" :, 'Yilliam B. Row, Queen's Counsel, r
" "La wrence O'Brien, lVlerchan t, I
" "Thomas Bennett, Merchant,
" " Robert Job, l\ferchant, J
Peter McBride, Esq., and
Thomas Glen, Esq.

l\iembers
of Her
Majesty's
Council.

HEADS OF CIVIL AND MILITARY DEPARTMENTS.

The Hon. Thomas Norton, Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court.
The Hon. Augustus 'V. Des Barres, } ' A . t t J d
" " J c.' . SSIS an u ges.
ames Olmms,
" "Edwanl M. Archihald, lIer J\Iajesty's Attorney-
(}elleral.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

75

The ì-Ion. James 1\1. Spearman, Collector of Her Majesty's
Customs.
The Hon. Joseph N oad, Surveyor-General.
Peter 'V. Carter, Esq., Chief l\Iagistrate.
Benjamin G. Garrett, Esq., Sheriff of Newfoundland.
Christopher A yre, Esq., l\IarshalJ of the 'Vice Admiralty
Court.
Lieut.-Co!. Robert Law, I{. H., Commander of the Forces.
Lieut.-Col. Robe, Commanding Royal Engineers.
Lieut. Brettingham, Commanding Royal Artillery.
Thomas 'Veil', Esq., Assistant Comlnissary-General.
George "Tinter, Esq., Ordnance Storekeeper.
ßlr. James Purcell, Architect and Contractor.
1\11'. Patrick l{ough, Superintending Inspector."
The Governnlent House.- This building was conlnlenced
in lK25, and finished in 1
28. It is built of cut stone,
SOlue of \vhich ,va
obtained from the South-side Hills, and
the remainder imported. The west wing of the building
\vas fOrInerly occupied by the Colonial Secretary's and
Clerk's offices. It is l11uch larger than either of the Gov-
ernment Houses of Nova Scotia or New Bruns,vick. It
is destitute of exterior architectural ornanlent, but possesses
superior interior accoIHffiodation. This building is
aid to
have cost J.:.
O,OOO, or
2()O,OOO. The grounds around
Government Hou:se were planted f-\Onle years ago with
trees, but o\ving to the exposed situation they did not
thrive \Ven. On the arrival of the Governor, Sir John
Gaspard Ie l\Iarchant, the grounds were laid out into grass
plot
, shl'u bl)el'ies, flower gardens, potato-fields, and wheat
plots, an(l othpr,vi:-3e clnbellishc(l anfI heautified. In front
of the ùui]<ling is a circular or crcscent walk, callcd the
" 1\la11," \vhich is a puhlic prollLenade, where, during the
rule of Sir John Harvey, the nÜlitary band used to as
eln-
bh'\ t,vice a wl'ek to play for the gratification of the pul)lic;
but, unlike the people of I-IaJifax, fc,v of the citizen
of

t. ,John's at-:sf'utl)lt.d to listen to thp Inartial stl'aiuH of
rnusic.

76

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,
The Custom House.- This huildingwas fini:.;hed in 184
,
the forn1er one having been destroyed by the fire in 1846.
It is built of brick, ,vith stone cornices and architraves of
,vindows and doors and colonade. It is 51 feet long, 36
broad, anù 29 feet high, and cost about
24,OOO. In front
of the building is the Queen's Wharf and warehouses.
In the foundation stone is deposited a tin case, containing
a few of the current British coins and the following in-
scription :-

" The foundation-stone of this building was laid on the 3rd
day of J\;Iay, in the tenth year of the reign of Her Majesty
Queen Victoria, and in the year of Our Lord One Thousand
Eight Hundred and Forty-seven, by His Excellency Sir John
Gaspard Le l\iarchant, Knight, and Knight Commander of the
Order of St. Ferrlilland and Charles III. of Spain, Governor and
Comn1ander-in-Chief in and over the Island of Newfoundland
and its dependencies, in presence of-
The Hon. James Morton Spearman, Collector of Her Majesty:s
Customs.
The Hon. James Crowdy, Colonial Secretary.
The Hon. Patrick Morris, Colonial Treasurer.
The Hon. Joseph N oad, Surveyor-General.
The Hon. Edward Mortimer Archibald, Her Majesty's Attor-
ney-General.
Lieut-Colonel Robert Law, I\..H., commanding Her Majesty's
Troops.
. Lieut.-Colonel Alexander W. Robe, commanding Royal En-
gIneers.
Lieut.-Colonel Henry R. '\V right, commanding I-
oyaIArtillery.
Thomas C. '\Yeir, Esq., Assistant-Commissary-General.
,\YiHiam Jenkins, Lieutenant Royal Newfoundland Com-
panies, and .Acting Fort l\iajor.
'\Villiall1 Parker, } .
P t . k R d Contractors and BuIlders.
a l'lC ee,
John l\lacpherson, Clerk of the Work."

The Ho
p1tnl, \vhich is a Hpac10us ,yoodcn huilding, 1:-1
situated at Riverhead,

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

77

The Factory, a large wooden building, the upper part
of which i:-; u
eù as a public hall, and tho ground floor is
occupied by persons '\vho are eUlployed Inaking wearing
apparel, nets, etc.
The
Iel'chant's Exchange, ,vhich is occupied chiefly as a
reading-rooul, is built of stone, and has one spacious
and elegant room, besides several srnaller onos occupied as
offices by various persons.
The Bank of British North America (now called the
Comlnercial Bank), is built of brick and stone, eluùellished
with a superb front '\vhich is quite an ornalnent to the
city, an.l of ,vhich Robert Bro,vn, Esq., is Inanager.
The Post-office is a fine stone building, near '\vhich is the
telegraph office. The Orphan Asyluln School is a large
wooden edifice, belonging to the Benevolent Irish Society,
in which a large number of children are educated.
The Union Bank is located on \Vater Street, of which
.John W. Smith, Esq., is manager.
The .l\Ial'ket House.- This building is situated on \Vater
Street about the centre of the city and built in 184
). It
is a large and handsolllc building, built chiefly of stone
obtained on the site of the building, ,vith facing of Nova.
Scotia cut freestone, in which is placed the to'\Vll clock.
The lower stOlY of the building is occupied as the l\lal'ket
HOU5C, and the second story which fronts on Duck'\vorth
street, is occupied as the Court House, in which the
Supl'ome and Circuit Coulis sit. Here ah
o is located the
RegistJ:ar's and other offices.
The Church of England School Society for Ne,vfound..
land and tho colonies, is a large brick building capable of
accolnlnodating several hunùred children.
The Colonial School at
{aggotty Cove h
a neat \vooden
structure. There is also the College and School of the
Church of England. The ROlllan Catholic College, and
the
lethoùist anù Presbyterian Schuul HOuf:,es.
The Protestant Cathedral is a large and luagniticent
lJuilding, 120 feet long, 5G fCl,t broaù, '\vith tower and Rpir\.:

78

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

[:10 feet high. It is partly built of stone ol,taincd in the
island, an(l partly of cut stont' ÏIllpol'te(l frOll} England,
Ireland and France. It is estÏ1nated to have cost
200,-
000. It ,vas opened for worship by the Right Rev. Dr.
Field, the Lord Bishop of the diocese, in 1850.

" The naive of this church is all that has yet been erected
and finished, hut it is in strict conformity with the original de-
sign of the entire building, and of the pointed gothic or eccles-
iastical style of architecture. The finish externally and inter-
nally is characteristic, elaborate and beautiful; the carvings upon
the oaken pulpit, the desks and seats are splendidly executed, as
is also the sculpture of the heads upon the various arches. The
communion table is fonned of a deep slab of white marble upon
a fralne of oak; the roof is of hardwood timber stained, and
app
ars like oak; a hot air apparatus, sufficient to temper the
atmosphere within the church in the coldest weather, is arranged
beneath the flagged floor; a small but powerful organ has been
set up, and the appearance generally of the interior is rendered
most solemn and impressive by the mellowed and subdued light
admitted through the lofty pointed windows. It is, so far, a
magnificent building, and when the transcepts, tower and chan-
cel shall have been cOIllpleted, it will rank amongst the finest
buildings in British Alnerica."

Collections are now being taken up by Bishop I{elley
for the finishing of the building.
The ROlnan Catholic Cathedral-a great proportion of
the stone for this building was obtained in Conception
Bay, frolll I(elly's Island. The ,vhole exterior of the build-
ing is faced with cut lime stone and Irish granite. The
cathedral is in the forn1 of the Latin cross, with t,vo
towers 138 feet high. Its extren1e length is 237 feet, the
length of transcepts, 180 feet; breadth of naive, 60 feet,
and of transcepts 60 feet; with an alubulatol'Y twelve feet
in breadth, connected with the main body of the church
by a screen of square massive pillars and sell1Ï-circular
arches. The height of the walls to the naive course is 60

A
U AR IT IR IN lR77.

7n

feet. It wa
opene( I for ,vol'ship in J aIlll:_Ll.Y, l
.)O, 1}) the
Ri
ht Rev. Dr. Fleuting, Br., .Bishop, assisted by Bishop
IVfullock, Archhishop Hughes, of New York, and Bishop
l\1cKinnon frorn Arichat, N oya Scotia.
St. Tholnas, Church of England, is a ,vooden building
with a spire; this is ,vhere the rniIitary used to attend,
an(l usually the Governor
ul,l fan1Ïly. The Rev. TholUHS
1\1. \V ood is curate of this church and rural dean of Avalon.
St. Andrew's, Church of Scotland, is a neat ,vooden
building with a spire 110 feet high, ereeted in IH47.
The \Vesleyan l\Iethodist Church is a spacious brick
edifice, with stone facings, erecte,l in 18.57, and allothpr at
River's Head.
The Congregational Church is a neat stone building,
erected in 1
3:3.
There is a fine stone Church of England (St.
larys), on
the south side of St. John's harlJour ; and a ROlllan Catho-
lic stone church near the River Head.
The Presbyterian (Free) Church, \vas erected in It).'50.
I t is built of wood, and is said to Le a very neat and
elegant structure.

ol' a vie\v, and l110re detailed account
of the churches, the I"ealler is referred to "W anlIcring
Thoughts," pulJlished by the author in IS-tG. The convent
is a
tone edifice near the cathe( Iral. The Presentation
Convent, a large and beautiful ,vooden structure ,vas des-
troyed by fire in 1
4(j. A r-;plen(lid Presentation Convent
has been erected near the cathedral, with ,vhich it is con-
nected by a passage leading to the chancel. A school
house is attached to the convent. The '\vhole erected of cut
,;tone ; cost .f7,OOO or
28,OOO. The foundation stone of
this bllilLling ,vas lai<l in 1850 l)y Dr. ßl ullock, the Bishop.
'\Vith tile foundation stone wa
laid, (lepusiteJ in a block
of granite, a vase contaiuing
everal nledals, currents coin
,
the seal of the late Bishop Dr. Flenlillg, the n
Llnes uf the
clergy of the colony, of the Bishops of Ireland, of His
Holine
s the Pope, periodicaljoul'uals of the day pu11lished
in N e,vfoundland, HOUle ,vheat, the growth of thû Island in

80

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

19.t
, together ,vith a
croll bearing the following inscrip--
tiun :
" 'l'he Foundation Stone of this Convent of the Nuns of the
Presentation Order (first established in the city of St. John's
in 1\lDCCCXXIII. by the Right Rev. M. A. FLEMI
G, O.S.F.,
Bishop of Newfoundland) was laid by the Right Rev. J OH

THOMAS l\iULLOCK, O.S.F., Bishop of Newfoundland, on the
XXIII. day of August, 1vlDCCCL. in the V. year of the Pon-
tificate of His Holiness Pius IX., in the XIV. year of the
reign of Her 1\Iost Gracious 1vlajesty Victoria, Queen of Great
Britain and Ireland; Sir John Gaspard Le Marchant being
Governor of Newfoundland.

} PATRICK KOUGH.
} J AMES PURCELL.
Fort Townsend consists of a square of wooden build-
ings, the centre of the square is used as a parade. Fort
William consists of another square of stone buildings.
Long ranges of stone barracks line Signal Hill. All the
Inilitary has no,v been withdrawn from Newfoundland.
In 1845, the erection of a Native Hall was C0111nlenced,
for the purposes of a classical school, lecture room, library,
and reading-rooDl. The site of the building was given by
the Governnlent. The foundation-::;tone was laid by Sir
John Harvey, ,vho ,vas then Governor. The following is
a copy of the inscription on the foundation stone:
"On the twenty-fourth day of May, Anno Domini 1845,
being the anniversary of the birthday of Her Most Gracious
Majesty, Queen Victoria, this stone was laid by his excellency
IHajor-General Sir John Harvey, l{night Commander of the
most honourable Military Order of the Bath, and of the Royal
Hanoverian Guelphic Order; Governor and Commander-in-
Chief in and over the Island of Newfoundland and its Depen-
dencies, as the foundation stone of the Native Hall.
"For the erection of which the site has been freely granted
by his Excellency the Governor, then kindly consenting to

"Directing Superintendent

" Builder

AND AS IT IS IN 1S77.

81

officiate, unto Richard Barnes, Edward Kielley, Robert Carter,
George Hoyles Dunscomb, Hannibal Murch, Ambrose Shea, and
Philip Duggan, in trust for the use of the Newfoundland
Native Society, instituted in this town on the 12th day of
June, in the year of our Lord 1840, Edward I(jelley, Esq.,
being its first, Robert Garter, Esq., lieut. Royal Navy, and
l\I.G.A., its second, and Richard Barnes, Esq., :\I.G.A., its
third and present president.
" The object and aim of the Association, in the use to which
the contemplated structure shall be appropriated, being the
advancement of science by the crt>atiun of a thirst for know-
] edge.
" The present Building Committee being Richard Barnes,
Clzai}"n
(ln; Hannibal Thlurch, Secretcu-y; George Hoyle:; DUllS-
comb, Thomas Graham l\lorrey, James .Johnston Rogerson,
John Barron, Philip Duggan, \Vm. Freeman, James Gleeson,
Henry Thomas, Alnbrose Shea, James S. Clift, and Archibald
Hamilton l\IcCalman.
" l\lay the building be speedily complett>d anlidst the rejoic-
ings of the Society.
" Go(1 Save the Queen, and prosper our native land."
The huilding ,va
to be of wood, and waH partly erected
\vhen it was destroyed by a violent and terrific gale of
vtÏnd in the fall of lR46, since which, for \vant of suffi-
cient funds, no effort has been lnade to rebuild it. I hope
a
uL
tantial stone edifice ,vill soon be erected, appro-
priated to the purposes of a puhli
hall, lihrary, and
lycclun.
At the river hea(l a huihling wa
occupied tClnporarily
as a lunatic asyhun, \vhich accomo(lated aLout thirty
persons. The institution is presided over by Doctor
StaLL, a highly respectaLle and intelligent physician..
In thc insane asyhuns of the United States, reading,
writin
, al'ithnlctic, drawing an,llnnsic are taught. The
Stato Lunatic Ho
pital of
lassachu
ctts i
locatcd at

* Since writing the above, a large and substa,utial Rtone edifice Im!'4 lwcll
erected for a lunatic a."iylum a.t the river head.

F

82

NE\V}i"OUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

Worcester, which is one of the finest buildings in the
country, and has 400 patients residing in it. I have often
visited this building, and ha ve been surprised a.t the
arrangen1ent and order which prevails. Dr. S. B. Wood-
ward in his report says :-
" In my experience of six years as physician of a prison, and
thirteen as superintendent of this hospital, I haye seen many
inùividuals who were broken off abruptly from all stimulating
drinks, yet I ùo not think a single case of deliriulTI tremens has
occurred.
" Alcohol is not the only narcotic which affects the brain and
nervous system. Tobacco is a powerful narcotic agent, and its
use is very deleterious to the nervous system, producing
tremors, vertigo, faintness, palpitation of the heart, and other
serious diseases. That tobacco certainly produces insanity, I
aIr! unable positively to observe; but that it produces a pre-
disposition to it, I am fully confident. Its influence upon the
brain and nervous system generally, is hardly less obvious than
that of alcohol, and if used excessively, is equally injurious.
"The very general use of tobacco among young men at the
present day, is alarn1Íng, and shows the ignorance and devotion
of the devotees of this dangerous practice to one of the most
virulent poisons of the vegetable -world. The testimony of
medical men of the most respectable character, could be quoted
to any extent, to sustain these view
-of the deleterious influ-
ence of this dangerous narcotic."

The following are SOlne of the charitable and other in-
stitutions in St. John's.
The Benevolent Irish Society, est
b]ished in 180G, is
the wealthiest and oldest socie
y on the island. The
Dorcas Society, l\iechanics' Society, British Society, St.
George's Society, St. Andrew's Society, Provident and
Loan and Investment Society, Coopers' Society, V olun-
teer Fire Company (Phoenix), Agricultural Society, Bible
and Tract Societies, Volunteer Companìes, Law Society,
Chamber of Con1merce, Library and Reading-room, lvla-
sonic Order, St. John's Total Abstinence" Society, and

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

3

various Order
of the Sone;; of Temperance. A Catholic
Total Ab"tinence Society. A l\Iechanics' Institute, estab-
lished in 1849. A Young Men's Christian Association,
Church of England Society for \Vidows and Orphans.
The Native Society was establi
hed in June, 1840, an<l
was organized in consequence of the systematic and ahnost
entire exclusion of natives froln offices under the Govern-
ment. Strangers fron1 the Old Country were appointed
to offices of emolument, and the Natives \vere reduced to
the necessity of continuing in their own country as a se-
condary and subordinate class, or becoming expatriated
and seeking SOllle better field for the exercise of their in-
dustryand talents.
The Natives of Newfoundland have never asked for
anything exclusive in their favour. They only wished to
be placed on a perfect equality with all others, and their
o'\vn energy and talent, would work out the rest. The
Rev. J. Brewster, an Englishman, and 'V eslyan
lethodist
minister, says:-

" The natives of St. John's, Brigus, Harbour Grace, Carbo-
near, and other wealthy and populous places, are a weB-edu-
cated and intelligent people. Among them may be found men
who coull I fill with honour the higher stations of political
power and trust; and women who would adorn and bless the
family circle of the most refined establishment. 'Ve could re-
fer to instances in which the offices of the Colonial Govern-
ment have been better filled than by the gentlemen sent out
from Downing Street. I know not whether onr Colonial Sec-
retaries have a large staff of dependents to provide with sala-
ries, but the fact is, they have sent out young men from EnO'-
land to fill important stations, who were not worthy to cal'
y
the shoes of some of the natives, and were inferior to them
either in point of morals, general intelligence, anù a natural
promptituùe and punctuality in business.
Taking the natives generally, I have p
rceived, from personal
observatiou, that they are superior in manners and f'p('('ch to
the peasantry of lnany of the country villagc
of Englanù.

84

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT ,V AS,

There is not that provincialism in their speech as among the
peasantry of the Peak of Derbyshire and the moors of the East
Riding of Yorkshire. While travelling in those parts I have
frequently felt my want of an interpreter. During a visit to
one of these romantic villages where every prospect of moun-
tain and flood gave enchantment to the scene, I spent some
tin1e in visiting the different families. A farmer accompanied
me as guide. Stopping before a garden gate, on which a boy
,vas idly swinging, my guide asked him in his dialect-" Beeal,
ist mO?TOW 'it loose?' "Yetlt," was the answer. Had rudest
of Newfoundla.nd's ocean sons accompained me, he would have
asked in plain English, "Bill, is your mother in the house 1 "
and the answer would have been, " Yes, sir."

The natives of N e'\vfoundland were not only debarred
from a participation in the offices of the Governlnent, but
they were also excluded from the pulpits of the vari-
ous denominations. Mr. Brewster's remarks are equally
as applicable to some of the 1\Iethoclist preachers sent to
N e'\vfoundland, as to persons sent to fill offices in the
Government. It is well kno,vn that many natives were
immeasureably superior to the preachers who were sent
from Engla,nd, in point of general intelligence. It is a '\vell
known fact, also, that most of the Methodist preachers
sent from England to N e\vfoundland, were ra '\v young
men \vithout experience or education. They weTe sent
" to fill important stations '\vho were not worthy to carry
the shoes of some of the natives." SOIne of the preachers
were accustorned to write to England an account of their
p1'ivations and su.,fferings, and these accounts were pub-
lished in the Report of the Wesleyan Missionary Society
in London; \vhen most of them well knew they were
enjoying rn01"e cOTl
forts and luxuries than they ever
drean1ed of in their paternal homes. See the debate which
took place in the Wesleyan l\Iethodi:st Conference in
ng-
land, 1860, as reported in the lVcdchman, August 9th, of
that year.
I believe it was not until 1862 that the ßilethodists had

AND AS IT IS IN 1871.

85

a Ilative pr..acher al1l0ng theln; and I du hut relneU1her
to have heard of a single native Roman Catholic priest
until 1858, the Rev. Father Brown, of Bonavista. In 1
59,
\vhen the fir
t Bishop of the Church of England, Dr.
Spencer, \vas appointed to N e\vfoundland, he saw the
Ïtllportance of employing a native n1Înistry. He at once
estaLlishcd a Theological Institution, in \vhich several
native::, were trained for the luinistry, and of \vhich the
Rev. CharlcB Blacklnan, A.
I., \va
the first Principal.
Bishop Field, his successor, has pursued the saine course.
There are no\v a nunlber of natives èlnployed as clergy-
Inen of the Church of England, and others going through
a preparatory course of study for ordination. There are
natives of Newfoundland clcrgY1l1en of the Church of
England in England, the various British colonies, and the
United States of Anlerica. The Rev. Dr. }I'Ca,vley, a
native of N e\vfoun<lland, ,vas luany years President of
King's College, Windsor, and Archdeacon of Nova Scotia.
Another, the Rev. Joseph H. Clinch, A.l\l., is a poet, and
one of the BlOst talented clergyn1en úf the Protestant
Episcopal Church in the City of Boston, U.S.
A nUlutJer uf others n1Ïght he nalned,-i.ndeed, nlany
\vho have left the Island have in other places distinguished
theIllselves in la\v, uledicine, and the anny and navy. Sir
Henry Pynn, of l\Iosquitto, Conception Bay, entered the
anny, and died on his estate in Ireland.* The prcsent
Chief Justice úf N e\vfoundland, Sir Hugh 'V ffi. Hoyle::"
the Attorney-General; the lIon. F. C. B. Carter, the
Prernier; also the Solicitor-General, the Hon. Judge Hay-
,varù, are all Inenlbers of the N ewfoundlalld Lar, and
natives of the country. The first cOllunander of N e,v-
foundlan<l, the Hun. Alnbro::,e
héa, fOl"lllerly Speaker of
the Tlouse of Assembly, the Hon. John BCll1Ïster, formerly
Secretary of the Colony, the Hon. E. \Y. Shea, the pre::,ent

* Since the organization of the N
\ti ves' Society, nati \ e
ha \"e been
appointed to varioUl
important offices; amI recently Home of them have
becn raised to thc highebt oHice:-; ill the gift of the GoverUlUCllt to 11l,'stow.

86

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

S('crctary; the Hon. J. J. Rogerson, present Rl'("l'iver-
General; 1tiatthew Ryan, Esq., Di
trict Judge, Winnipeg,
1\'lanitoLa, are an natives of Newfoundland.
The following are the Joint Stock Companies of St.
John's :-St. John's Water COlllpany, Gaslight COlnpany,
Savings Bank, Union and Commercial Banks, Association
of Underwriters, and Fanners' Mill Conlpany; besides
which there are agents for the following insurance Societies:
-Britannia Life Assurance Office, the Colonial Life As-
surance COlnpany, National Loan Fund Life Assurance
Society, London; Protection Insurance Company, New
Jersey; Alliance British and Foreign Life and Fire Assur-
ance Company, Liverpool; Hartford Life and Fire Insur-
ance COlnpany, etc. ; Telegraph Company, Stea1l1 Packet
Company, Benefit Building and Investnlent Society.
The nlerchants occupy the 1l10St important position in
the social character of St. John's, most of '\vhom are per-
manent residents. Many of them have vinas in the
neighbourhood of the city. The merchants of St. John's
are renowned for their hospitality, and liberality towards

ll philanthropic and benevolent objects.
The n1ercantile class is the only one who accumulate
wealth in large amounts, hence, like the "Colonocracy"
of Boston, the "Fishocracy" of St. John's exert a great
influence over all the other classes of the community.
Society in St. John's is composed of four cJasses-
First.-The principal nlerchants, high officials of Gov-
ernment, and SOUle of the la,vyers and medical men.
Second.-The small merchants, large shopkeepers, SOine
of the lawyers and doctors, anù secondary officials.
Third.-Grocers, master mechanics, and schooner hold-
ers; and the
Fourth Class is the fishermen.
The first and second classes rarely, if ever, hold any
social intercourse "rith the other8. There is no colony
belonging to the Britisy Empire where influence anù
nanle tend so much to forBl caste in society, and where

AND AS IT IS IN lR77.

87

it is lnore regarded than in St. J ohu's. This diHtinction
of caste has a very pernicious influence. It prevents the
amalgamation of fellow citizens, and destroys mutual
confidence. Here I shall let ll1Y friend, E. Fry, speak:-
" '\Ve live in a business age. To obtain the character of a
thorough man of business, is to obtain a passport to the adrnin-
istration and confidence of mankind. There is no volume
stuùied with more intense and laborious devotion than the
ledger-no pursuit so fascinating and absorbing as that of
making money. 'Ve are not about to euter any protest against
business men and business habits. The age needs them ; and
their energies, wisely directed, contribute largely to the public
good; but the age also demands that they should really be
business men, and not business machines. He who gives up
all the faculties and powers, all the time and all the energy
with which God has ellùowed him to the pursuit of \vealth, to
his counting-house or his counter, may be an excellent business
machine-as a thing of figures, ,veights and nleasures he may
be first rate-but the higher attributes of his nlanhood are
gone; for the highest privilege is to be the steward of God,
not the slave of self. For the government of the great human
family, Divine 'Visdom has framed laws as beautiful as they
are simple anù practical. He has written them by the finger
of inspiration-He enforces them by the teachings of expe-
ricnce-He implants in every heart the power to understand
and fulfil them. ' Love is the f
lfilling of the Law,' but the
law uf what
of gold, of puwer, of self 1 Nay, but the love of
Go<1, and the broad comprehensive love of universal humanity.
\Vhy do we see so much want an(l n1Ïsery in the world, but
because men of power and of business, whose love should be
universal, narrow down their senses and their synlpathies to
the service of one object, and that object is self. They regard
their ncigh bours, not as men and \Vomen to be served, but to
be used. Their solicitude is not how much happiness they can
confer, but how much they can extract-not how nluch good
thcy can do to otlH'rs, but how luuch they can compel others
to do for them. This is the working of a heartlpss system of
trade machinery, but shonlù never be the policy of a Christian
lHan of hnsiness."

HH

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VA
,

, The Illercantile clerks of St. John's are a highly l'C-
Bpectable and intelligent class of young InCH, ana a
HOllle
of thenl ,vill be the future Inerchants of the country, they
are of course a very lInportant class of persons. Few of
them exhibit the" swell lnanners and flash appearance
of the roùe," which are too frequently found amongst
this class of persons. The merchants very generally close
their shops at an early hour during three months in the
sunllner and three in the winter, so as to afford their
clerks an opportunity for rnental and nloral culture. The
clerks are always employed by the year, and generally
tJoard in the house of the Inerchant. The fan1Ïly of the
11lerchant, however, rarely take nleals ,vith the clerks,
and if the merchant or his agent Le present, it is eaten in
silence.
" There is a strange want of confidence exhibited in the in-
tercourse between merchants and their clerkf:. Too frequently
their conversation resembles what may be termed cross-examin-
atiou. Confidence begets confidence. No man has su much
talent and power as to be above learniug many important points
of intelligence, respecting both men and business, from his
young men. Each of the parties moves in a different circle; and
the clerk, from the nature of his young companions, has equal
means of obtaining valuable information his master enjoys.
"\Vhat would be said of a military commander, and what
would be his success and fate, did he not avail hÎlnse]f of all
the talent and diversity of character in his subordinate officers

A mechanic is careful to attend to the suggestions of his work-
men; a shipmaster should have the most perfect confidence in
his mates and crew; and should a merchant lose all the advan-
tages to be obtained from an active exercise of all the ta!ents
and means of information his clerks possess 7
" Another evil attendant upon this intercourse, is the want
of interest n1anifested by employers respecting their young men
during the time they are away from tlHár places of busine
s.
In a very large majority of cases, employers do not trouhle
themselves about this matter; and yet who does not see that
upon this point depends, in a great degree, the value of the

AKD AS IT IS IN 1877.

!)

..;PI'VÌces rCJlùcrc(} while the clerk is on (luty. Task clerks,-
IIow many uf} on reveive any indicatiolls that your services an'
appreciated
IIow nlany of you have ever been invited to
nleet your employers at a house of worship, even in cases \vhere
you are professedly Christian
I ask again. How many of you
are requested, even once a year, to visit your employers at their
dwellings for one evening of social intercourse
"

Thè follo,ving is the population of the City of St. John's
at diffcrent porioùs :-
In 18
O..................... . ........... 10,000
" 1836................................ 13,000
,( 184.;.......... ......... ............
O,941
" 1
G9.................................. 28,840
" 1874...... ........... ......... .. 30,575
According to the returns of 1845, the population of the
Electoral District of St. John's \vas-
Episcopalians ....................... ..
ROlllan Chatholics ....".. .......... .
'V osleyan l\lethodists. . ......... . . . .
Presbyterians ................. ......
Cont,f}'egationalists ................
Protestants of other Denon1Ïnations

4,22ü
18,9bG
1,07.5
529
365
1.5

Therc were-
Protestant Episcopal Churches...,........
)
\V csleyan 'Iethodist Chapeb............. 4
rres Lyteriall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .' . . . . . . . . . . . ]
Congregationalist. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1
Ronlan Catholic Chapels. . . . . . . . . . ..... 5
There ,vere also 4,110 d\velling-houses, and .3

chools,
antI 3,(j:!0 scholars. There \vere
,099 acrcs of lanù under
cnltivation, yielùing an annual average uf 4K,J-t:J hushels
of potatoes; 3,4:36 l)usheb of oates anù other grain; and
4,S13 tons of hay and fotItIcr (HillCl' this period quantities

Total. . . .. . .. . . . . . . . .. . .. .. 25,19 (j

90

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
of wheat and harley have been raised in the dititrict.)
There were also in the above year, 771 horses, and 1,307
head of cattle. The manufactures of St. John's consists
of boots and shoes, tin-vtare, cabinet-ware and upholstery,
carpentry, lime, seal-oil, cod-liver oil, &c. Recently salt
has been manufactured from sea water, and spinning and
weaving wool and flax have cOlnmenced, producing the
fabrics called" hOllie-spun." There are two grist mills at
work, and a distillery. There is also a naillnanufactory,
saw mill, and an iron foundry, ,vhere every description
of castings is luade. This establishlnent is owned by the
Hon. C. :F. Bennett, one of the oldest and InoBt enterpris-
ing lnerchants in the island. The City of St. John's is
lighted with coal gas, and is well supplied "rith water,
which is conveye(l from Signal Hill. three miles distant.
The streets are well provided ,vith fire plugs, which are
also used to water the streets.
N early the whole trade of the island centres in St.
John'B. There is probably n10re business done in St. John's,
for the extent of population, than in any other town in
the world.
The two districts of St. John's, East and West, return
six members to the House of Assembly. According to the
census returns of 1857 and 1874, for the two electoral
districts of St. .John's, the population was 30,434, and
30,574 The different. denolninations were represented as
follo,vs :
1857. 1874.
Church of Rome .................21,890 19,946
" "England.............. 5,655 6,517
" "Scotland.... . . ...... 290 310
Wesleyan Methodists............ 1,850 2,926
Free Kirk.......................... 423 414
Congregationalists............... 317 460
Other Denominations........... 7 1
There were nine Churches of England, nine Churches
of Rome, three Churches of
Iethodists, one Church of

AND AS IT IS IN 1R77.

91

Rcotlancl, OIH' Free Church of Scotlan(l, and one Congre-
gationalist.
There were 4,553 inhabited houses, and 70 schools,
with -t,:303 scholar::,.
The following is a cOlnparative view of the n1.unber of
vessels elnployerl in the seal fishery, from St. John's, froIH
the year 1830 to 1859 :

Years. I
...001;;.1 Tons. I 1Vlen. I Ye
I Vessels. I Tons. I l\Ien.
1830 92 G1U8 1!J.ï8 1R42 74 G03,") 20,
4
18:n 118 804.) 2:-)78 184:-1 10., 91)2:) :n75
18:
2 1E;:3 114()2 3294 1844 121 11088 ;
777
1 Ft{3 10() 8()()!) 2!J()4 1845 12() 11R6:
:)8
I,)
1
;14 12:) 11020 I 2910 1R4() 141 13H,5 4470
183'> 120 111.i7 I 2n12 1847 9:) !):3!):3 I 221;)
1836 126 1142.> 28:").. 184R 10:
1004ô :{:)41
18;
7 121 101;48 2940 18.19 58 .>847' 2170
18:
8 110 9300 2826 185:{ 101 11204 ;{9G7
18:J9 7G G447 2029 1858 81 10100 :{88G
1840 75 G190 2058 1859 9H 12342 4fi42
1841 72 596:; 2078

In 1872, t,venty steamers sailed frolll St. John's and
I-Ial'bour Grace, for the Rcal fishery. SaIne of theln were

oo tons burden, carrying 280 lllcn each. There were
al
o a nUluher of sailing vessels sent out.
The follo,ving i
the nlunher of foreign vessels which
entereù the port of St. John's in 1850:

Vesse1s. Tons. l\len.
Spanish, GD 8,49G UG8
AIIle1"Ïcan, 1G 2,8
)4 13G
])anish, 1 91 5
Portuguese, 1 177 10
Gerlnall, 2 292 1ü
Total, 89 ] 1,D50 8:35

92

KE'VFOUNDLAND, A
IT 'VAS,

Exports frolll St. J ohn'F) in foreign hOttOUlS, ill lK50:
Qtls. Codfish. Tuns Oil. Seal Skins.
152,665 378
114
85

Spanish,
Gennan,
Danish,
Portuguese,
U.S. America,

1,750
16,582

6,430

Besides the above, about 600 vest;els belonging to St.
John's, '\vere elnployed in the foreign trade.
The following will enable the reader to forln an esti-
Inate of the number of seals annually Inanufactured at
St. John's.
Number of seals received in St. John's in 1839:
Landed froJn 76 St. John's vessels............ . .91,749
Landed from 98 out-port vessels ............ .150,576

Total. . . . . . . ... .. ... . . . .. .242,325
The following is the number of seals received by the
various Inercantile establishments up to the 30th of
April, 1845. There were, however, Inany thousand Inore
received after that date.

Robinson, Brooking & Co................... . . . .
John P. Mullowney ..............................
Walter Dillon...... . . . ... .... . ... .. .... .. . . . ......
Parker & Gleeson . .. _.. . . . . _ .. .. . . . ... . . . .. . . . . . . .
James Douglas & Co................... . . ... .. .. ..
La,vrence O'Brien ........... ... ................
James Tobin & Co.... .............................
H un tel'S & Co. . . ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Job, Brothers & Co. ............ ......... ...... ...
'V. & H. Thomas & Co......... - ... ... .., .. ......
Baine, Johnston & Co. ............ ......... ......
Richard Howley-............ -.. ..................
McBride & Kerr...... ..... _ ... ... . . . . ...... .....
Bowring Brothers....... .. .. .. .... .. .. . . .. . . . . . . .. .
John & J. Kent ......... ................. .. ......

4,365
3,500
1,800
700
:3,300
14,000
26,500
7,150
6,431
11,000
8,000
7,800
15,497
9,800
3,000

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

R. ü'Ð\vyer & Co. ...... ......... ........ ... ... ...
E. & N. Stabb......................... ............
John Nichols ................... ..... .........
John H. \Varren............... ........... ......
C. F. Bennett & Co. ....... ....... ....... ......
J. & 'V. Stewart......... ..... . .. ...............
Rennie, Stuart & Co. ........ .. . . .. . . . . ......
R. Alsop & Co. ....................................
Stabb, Row & Holmwood ........ .............
Hounsell, Schenk & Hounsell ....'..........
Newman & Co.....,..................................
:\1 udge & Co. . . . .. .. ............................ .

D3

7,000
1,996
1,000
5,100
9,572
18,235
13,523
7,800
4,900
5,978
5,557
4,250

Iaking a total of.... ... . . .207,754
\Vhich l)roduced 2,596 tuns of oil Ï1nperial, at. the usual calcu-
lation of 80 seals to a tun-valued at .1:30 per tun, amounts
to .t7i,880, or
311,520.

In 187G, l\Iessrs. Job Brothers' steamer "Neptune,"
commanded by the Hon. E. 'Vhite, returned from the
:seal fh;heries with 8,000 young harps the first trip, and
18,000 old seals on the second trip. The total value of
both trips estÏInated at
13
,OOO.
The staple articles of the produce of St. John's ex-
portecl are fish and oil. SOlne few years ago, four or five
cargoes of ice were exported, but I believe none have
since been sent away.
I do not know ,vhy the exportation of ice is not Inore
attended to. The ice trade of Boston and other parts of
the United States is very considerable. The freight on
ice exported from the United States in 184U aUlounted
to
D5,027.
The following is the nUTnber of vessels mnploycd in
the ice-trade of Boston in 1
48 :-
To various ports of the U uitcd States-41 Hhips, :J3
Lanlucs, :JU Lrigs, 12b ßchooners, nlakillg in all, 2.t.l vû:-\-
sels coa
twisc.

94

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,
To foreign ports-22 ships, 19 barques, 13 schooners,
in all 85 vessels.
The total value of the 60,425 tons of ice shipped from
Boston in 1848 alnounted to $38G,700. The quantity of
ice shipped from Boston in nine months in 1851 was
86,752 tons. It is calculated that about 66,000 tons of
ice are consull1ed in the City of New York, valued at
$2.50 per ton of 2,000 lbs., will give $lG4,500 as the
value of the ice consuilled in the city. The ice sells in
foreign ports at from three to six cents per pound.
The ice crop of New York in 1851 ,vas 180,000 tons-
of course it is a great deal more now.
There are eleven newspapers published in St. John's,
four weekly, four tri-weekly, two semi-weekly, and one
pu blished on the arrival of every mail packet. There is
also a small paper devoted to temperance, and an agri-
cultural journal-a quarterly publication.
In order to complete the improvements which are
going on in St. John's, the town should be incorporated.
The great objection to this, by the Protestants, is, that all
the patronage would be thrown into the hands of the
Ronlan Catholics, who compose two-thirds of the popu-
lation. There are two police magistrates in St. John's,
called district judges, with a clerk of the peace. There
are about a dozen medical men living in St. John's, some
of WhOlll have a very lucrative income.
Newfoundland was fOrlllerly distinguished from the
other .N orth American Colonies by its frequent exenlp-
tion froll1 cholera, but in 1854 St. John's suffered fear-
fully fi'oll1 that disease.
It attacked chiefly, says Bishop Field,-

"Those quarters of the town which are occupied by the poor,
dwelling in houses closely packed together, or in over-crowded
rooms wholly unventilated, and unprovided with appurtenances
as essential to decency as to healthiness, and having no proper
drainage or sewerage. There it was sadly true, in the 80urse

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

Ð5

of this visitation t.hat' there was not a house where there was
not one dead.' It has been estimat
d that 700 or 800 person::;
died, of whom 80 were )IeInbers of the Church of England.
"The Clergy had frequently, in addition to their own more
proper duties, to minister with their own hands to the sick and
dying. There was snch a panic among the people, that Illany
who only fancied themselves ill, sunnuoned us to tlH'm. The
Bishop, who was at St. John's throughout this distressing tinIe,
not only aided us by his counsel and advice, but directed us by
his eXaIuple, and encouraged us by his earnest and fearless
devotedness. I have myself Heen hinl pouring nourishing
, drinks' into the mouth of the puor agonised patient, in a room
or hovel, where filth and offensive odours proclaimed the very
hot-bed of pestilence. Even when friends or neighbours declined
the office, his Lordship has assisted in bearing the sick to the
vehicle in which they were to be carried to the hospital; and
in any way in which he hoped he migh t be useful to the souls
or bodies of his suffering flock, he was forward to prove hinlself
their ' servant for Jesus' sake.'
" 'rho parish also had the benefit of the services of the Rev.
J. F. Phelps, Vice-Principal of the College, and of the Rev. A.
E. C. Bayley,
Iissionary in charge of the out-harbours, and
especially of a pious and devoted English lady, who has for the
last year and a half given herself to the work of GOD here. She
not only toiled beyond a wonlan's strength, but with more than
even a woman's kindness and sympathy in n1Ïnistering to the
afflicted. The nourishment which she had prepared at lIeI' house,
she carried and gave to them herself, and shrank from no office
of piety or charity,-even closing the eyes of the dead, and other-
wise preparing them for their coffins.
"A distressing fact connected with this visitation was the
seen1Ïng indifference to the highest ànd nlost momentous con-
cerns produced by the rapiLI and entire prostration of mind as
well as body, which occurred in almost every case. I remmnber
very few instances in which the dying expressed any anxiety
about their souls.
" Many of the in]}abitants (including Churchnlpn, Dissenters,
and l
oman Catholics) afterwaròs expressed their sonse of the
"a.luaLle servic(;
uf the Clergy, by contributing to present ..\.rch-

95

E'V:FOUNDLAND, AS IT 'V AS, .

deacon Bridge and the Rev. T. 1"1. ,V ood with appropriate and
acceptable gifts." if.
The merchants haye two stean1 tug-boats for towing
vessels in the Narrows. Instances ha ye been known of
vessels after having arrived at the rnouth of the Narrows
in the ,vinter season, being obliged to bear up for Europe.
The pilots of St. John's are a noble and fear-nought race
of n1en, who are constantly exposed to the" peltings of the
pitiless storm." The pilot-boats are sn1all open boats,
built sharp at both ends, like ,vhale-boats; they are fur-
nished with a creYt'
of good ro-\vers, and, when the breeze
is favourable, sails are spread. This class of boats, how-
ever, ought to be superseded by larger and decked boats.
Many persons wonder how the pilot-boats of St. John's
live in weather in which they are frequently found.
The N ewfoundland
Iails are conveyed to and from
Halifax by a Royal Mail Steam-packet, and one of the
Cunard line, once a fortnight, except in the months of
January, February, and
(Iarch, once a month. The stealner
leaves Halifax for St. John's, imrnediately after the arrival
of the horneward bound lVlail, (from Boston), and after
remaining there seventy-two hours from the time of
arrival, proceeds back to Halifax with the return l\fails,
calling at Sydney, Cape Breton. On the average the
passage is performed in about three and a half days.
The following calculation of the distances between New
York and Bristol, and New York and Liverpool, and
,also between Boston and Li verpool, via Halifax and
St. John's, ,vere given some years ago in the Live-rpool
Stand(t-rd :-

FROM BOSTON TO HALIFAX.

From Boston Wharf to Cape Ann ........... .......
H Cape Ann to Cape Sable (course N. 78 0 E.
" Cape Sable to Sambro Light (N. 55 0 E...
" Sambro to Halifax..............................

MILES.
36
222
III
18
-387

* Report S. P. G.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

07

FRO:\I HALIFAX TO LIVERPOOL.

MILES.
}'rom Halifax \Vharf to SmTIbI'o........
........ ... 18
" Sambro to Cape Clear (N. 79::> E) .........
,207
" Cape Clear to Tuskar........... ...... ........ 135
" Tllskar to Holyhead...... ....... ...... ..... 99
" Holyhead to Liverpool... .. ........ ........ 74
-2,533
Total from Boston to Liverpool, via Halifax. 2,911

FRO:\I NEW YORK TO BRISTOL.

From New York to Cape Clear (N. 79 0 30' E)... 2,754
" Cape Clear to Lundy Island (S. 85 0 E).... 182
" Lundy Island to Anchorage, King's-road. 74
-3,010

FRO
I NEW YORK TO LIVERPOOL.

Fronl New York to Cape Clear.................. ... 2,754
" Cape Clear to Liverpool, as aho,-e.. 299
-3,053

FRO
I HALIFAX TO LIVERPOOL, VIA ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND.

From Halifax to Cape Race (N. 75 0 E.)......... 513
" Cape Race to St. John's . . ......... 55
" St. John's to St. David's Head (N. 82 0 E.) 1,860
" St. David's Head to LiverpooL.. ... ...ow.... 200
Total from IIalifax to Liverpool, via St. J ohn's. -2,6
8
St. John's to Sydney, C.B ..... ..... ............... 354
Sydney to Halifax....... p- ........................... 235
Taking, therefore, the direct course in each case, as by the
calculations given, we have the following r('sults :-
The voyage from New York to Liverpool is 43 miles longer
than from Ne,v York to Bristol. From New York to Liver-
pool is longer than from Halifax to the same port by 529 n1Íles.
From N ew York to King's-road, near Dristol, where the Great
\Vestern anchors, is 99 miles further than from Boston, via
I-[alifax to Liverpool; and that the voyage from Liverpool to
1 [alifax, via St. John'H, is only 104 TIliles longer than the direct
I m.ssage.
G

98

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

There is a Postmaster-General in St. John's, with aChief
Clerk, and five assistants. Post Offices are established at
the following places :- Harbor Grace, Carbonear, Brigens,
Trinity, Bonavista, Greenspond, Fogo, Twillingate, Bay
Bulls, Ferryland, Trepassey, Placentia, Burin, Harbor
Briton, Burgeo.

'VA Y OFFICES.
Port-de-Grove, Bay Roberts, King's Cove, New Perlican,
Old Perlican, St. Mary's, Grand Bank, Corelin, Isle of Va-
len, Little Platentia, Salmonier, Garnish, and Harbor
Maine.

POSTAL ROUTES.
Summer-Between St. John's and Portugal Cove, every
day:, except Sunday and Friday, by Waggon.
::Between Portugal Cove, Brigus, Harbor Grace, and
Carbonear, by Steamer, tri-weekly.
Overland, by Waggon, for Carbonear, via Topsail Kel-
ligrews, Holyrood, Harbor Main, Brigus, Port-de-Grave,
Bay Roberts, Spaniard's Bay and Harbor Grace, Four
Hours after the arrival of Halifax Steamer.
Winter-Overland, Mondays and Thursdays, between
St. John's and Carbonear, calling at all the intermediate
places.
Between Carbonear and New Perlican (calling at
Heart's Content) weekly, by Messenger.
Between CarboneaI' and Bay-de- Verds, weekly, by Mes-
senger, calling at intermediate places.
Between New Perlican and Bay-de- Verds and Grates,
calling at Old Perlican, weekly, by Messenger.
Between New Perlican and Trinity, weekly, by Boat.
Between Trinity and Bonavista, weekly, by ltlessenger.
Between Trinity and King's Cove, weekly, by Messen-
ger.
Between Bonavista and Greenspond, fortnightly, during
Bummer months, touching at King's Cove or Tickle Cove.
Between St. John's, Fogo, and Twillingate, leaving St.
John's every second Wednesday after the arrival of the

,

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

90

l\lail Packet from Halifax, or on such other days as the
PostInaster-Generallnay appoint.
* Between St. ,John's and Ferrylan(l, \veekly, IJY \Vag-
gon, during SUIllmer Inonths, and fortnightly in winter.
* Between Ferry land anù Trepassy, by .Messenger.
*Bet\veen St. John's and Placentia, by \Vaggon, at 4
o'clock, a.ll1., on the Tuesday after the arrival of Halifax
steamer.
· Between Placentia anù St. John's, by Waggon, in one
hour after the arrival of Packet Boat frotn Burin.
* Bet\veen Sahnonier and St. .à-lary's, by
Iessenger.
* Bet\veen Great and Little Placentia, Ly
lessellger.
*Betwcen Little Placentia, La
lanche, Sounel Island,
Harbor Buffett, Red Island, l\Ierasheen and Bourgeo, by
Boat.
* Between Great Placentia and Burin, by Boat, touch-
ing at Paradise and Oderin.
* Between Burin and Garnish, by
Iessenger.
* Between Garnish, Grand Bank, antI Fortune, hy
Ies-
senger.
* Between Garnish and Harbour Briton, calling at
English Harbor, by Boat.
* Between Harbour Briton, Burgeo and La Poile, by
Boa t.
Routes marked thus (*) are fortnightly during :-;ummer,
and Inonthly during winter I Ilonths.
Mr.
lorri
says:
" On the great Holyheadline, the coach stops to deliver the
Inails at the smallest villages or post towns; on the rail-rocuIs,
rapid as their course is, the sante system is adopted. The con-
sideration that is given to a village is denied to Newfoundland,
lipr Majesty's l\lail passes her shores, and sbe is not considt'red
of sufficient importance to stop for a few hours to deliver them.
The trade to Newfoundland is not so large, the demand for
British manufactures is not so great as that to the American
continent, yet it is not insignificant; there is between threo
hundred and fifty thousand and half a nÚllioll's worth of British
manufactures annually consulneù, and the anlount rapidly in-

100

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

cr8ases. There is neady a million of exports, the returns chiefly
centre in England. Some two thousand British ships, manned
with nlany thousands of British seanlen, are employed. To say
nothing of the growing importance of the country itself, surely
such a Colony claims a due share of consideration." It has
never yet received it.
In 1838, when establishing direct steam comlIlunication
between England and America was contemplated: Admiral
Prescott strongly recommended the harbour of St. John's
as a convenient post to touch at in the passage out and
home. He for,varded a memorial fi'om the Chamber of
ComIlwrce of St. John's on the saIne 8ubject, to show the
facility with which the passage to N e\vfoundJand was
luaùe, even by sailing vessels, in the depth of winter.
His Excellency, Governor Prescott, in a despatch, under
date of the 2nd February, 1839, said:
"'Vith reference to Iny despatches of the 12th and 19th
January, I have the honour to inform your LonhÒips, that a
nwrchant brig arrived here from Cork, on the 30th ult., after
a pa
sage of only thirteen days, and had no difficulty in enter-
ing this port, and sailing up to her owner's wharf."

Admiral Prescott's recoIIln1endation of St. John's as a
post of call was sublnitted by the Secretary of State for
the Colonies, to the Lords ComlIlissioners of the Treasury,
who did not deelIl it expedient to attend to his recom-
mendation.
His Excellency Sir John Harvey, in his speech to the
Legislature, at the opening of the Session in 1846, points
out the advantages of making Newfoundland an internle-
diate post of call, and fully confirms the opinion given,
under the high professional character of Achniral Prescott.
"The iInpressions which have becn produced on the ulÏnds of
several distinguished individ.uals Ly whOIn this Island has been
visited during the last sunllller, as to the decided superiority
which this port of St. J ohn's pos
esses over every other, as an
intermediate point in stealll navigation between England and
America, whether the tern1Ínus be the British Colonies or the

\.ND AS T1' 18 IN ]877.

101

United States, are: 1st-From its geographical position.
nd-
Froìll the depth of water and perfect security of its noble har-
bour, accessible at all seasons, and at all hours of day or night,
owing to tlH' absf'nce of ti(les or bars. 3rd-Frolll the safety
of navigation along the whole of the southern COilst of N ew-
foundland, frmTl Cape Spear, on which a splendid light has long
f'xistf'<l, to Cape Race, which-or in its nf'ighhourhood-it is
hoped will ere long exhibit one of equal power. 4th-Frcnl
the numerous harbours of refuge which present then1selves
along that coast.
" These are alnong the circumstances which havA attracted
the attention of the intelligent individuals to who 111 I have re-
ferred, and I now allude to the subject in order to point to it
the attention of the mercantile interests of this Colony, at a 1110-
lIlf'nt when such great efforts are being lluule to extend railroad
t'olll1Hunications to the Wf'stern extrmuity of Ireland, with the
ohj('ct vf shortening and facilitating steam cmnmunication be-
tween Great Britain and her transatlantic possessions.
"'rite GellPral Asselnbly l'f'titimw'l nt... l\Iajesty awl hoth
Jlons('s of Parliament 011 the same subject."
The railroad extending froIll the Stat0 of l\[aine, through
the ProvinccH of N e,v BJ unH\\Tiek and Nova Scotia, '\\ ilJ
greatly faciliate travel Let,veell Europc and Alllerica. Also
the Intercolonial Railroad. The distancc froIll St. John's,
N e\vfoundJaJHI, to the nearest part of Ireland is about
1,G.jO Jnilcs, and inHtances are un record of
ailing veH
els
having anchored in Ireland 7 anti 8 days froln St. John'
.
A po\verful
teanler '\vould aceoluplish thc diHtance in
alJuut .j days. By Inaking St. John's an intel'llletliate port
of eal1 foJ' the Juail stealllcrs, the (listance Let\veen the old
an(l new \yorld \vould Le \\'olltlel'fully l'clluce(l.
" This can only be achieve(l by short
nillg the sea voyag
, and
diHl'pnsing with the vaHt weight of coal awl other Hupcl'flnollH load
now carric<l. V {'SHelH desiguf'(l fOl' crossing the ocean with sp('('cl,

hollld be rcJieved of an load not requisite for stf';tllinc
H and
gooe} carrh,g('. (h'dinary nlCrchan'lise will always go more
cheaply in sailing v
ssf'ls. Valuahle goU(lH could he transferred
to LoatH of still greatl'l. Hpp(,ll, from the ocean tcrnlinns rnnning
if IH-'CeHs:u'y to the various Atlantic citips. Tn thiH way the safest

102

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

.

and swiftest passage would be secured. In a few years, instead
of a semi-weekly, a daily arrival of steamship5 111ay be expected."
A railroad is no,v being surveyed across the 'Vestern
part of Newfoundland to St. Gaspard's Bay; thence to
Shippegan in N e\v Brunswick, connecting \vith the Inter-
colonial Railroad. Stealnships froln Europe now lnake St.
John's an intermediate port of call. l\iessrs. Lord, Major
and M unner's stealners froln l\lontreaJ run to St. John's,
calling at Sydney and Pictou.
The following is an interesting incident in the life of
Fulton, the father of steam navigation, taken from an
American paper:-
" Some twenty years since, nlore or less-for I cannot fix the
date with more certainty-I formed a travelling acquaintance,
upon a steamboat on the Hudson River, with a gentlenlan, who,
on that occasion, related to me sonle incidents of the first voy-
age of Fulton, to Albany, in his steamboat, the ClareIllont,
which I have never met with elsewhere.
"I chanced, my friend, to be at Albany, on business, when
Fulton arriYf:'d there in his unheard of craft, which everybody
felt so much interest in seeing. Being ready to leave, and hear-
ing that this craft was to return to N ew York, I repaired on
board and inquired for 1\11'. Fulton. I was referred to the cabin,
and there I found a plain gentlemanly lIlan, wholly alone, and
f'l1gagcd in writing.
" :\11'. Fulton, I presume."
" Yes, sir."
" Do you return to N ew York with this boat
"
" \Ve shall try to get back, sir."
" Can I have a passage down
"
" You can take your chance with us, sir."
"I inquired the amount to be paid, and after a mOlllent's
hf:'sitation, a SllIll, I think six dollars, was named. The anlount,
in coin I laid ill his open hand, and with his eyes fixed upon it
he relnained so long lllotionless that I supposed there might be
a miscount, and said to hinl, is that right, sir 1 This roused
him as from a kind of reverie, and as he looked up to me the
big tear was brÏInming in his eye, and his voice faltered as he
said, ' excuse nle, sir; but me
llory was busy as I contemplated

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

103

this, the first pecuniary reward I have ever received for all my
exertions in adapting steam to navigation. I would gladly
commemorate the occasion over a bottle of wine with you, but
really I am too poor, even for that just no\v; yet I trust we
lnay n1eet again, when this will not be so.'
"The voyage to N ew York proved successful, as all know,
and terminated without accident.
"Some four years after this, when the Claremont had been
greatly improved, and her name changed to the North River,
and when two other boats, namely, the Car of Neptune and the
Paragon, had bpen built; making
Ir. Fulton's fleet, of three
boats plying between N ew York and Albany, I took passage on
one of these for the latter city. The cabin, in that day, was
below; and as I walk its length too and fro, I saw I was very
closely observed by one I supposed a stranger. Soon, however,
I recalled the features of .IVlr. Fulton, but, without disclosing this,
I continued nlY walk and awaited the result. At length, in
passing his seat, our eyes met, he sprang to his feet, and eagerly
seizing nlY hand, exclaimed, 'I knew it must be you, for
your features have never escaped rne; and although 1 anI
still far fro III rich, yet I may venture that bottle now.' It was
ordered, and during its discussion, 1\11'. Fulton ran rapidly but
vividly over his experience of the world's coldness and sne{'rs,
and of the hopes, fears, disappointnleuts, and difficulties that
were scattered through his whole career of discovery, up to the
very point of his final crowning triumph, at which he so fully
feJt he had at last arrived. 'And, in reviewing all thcse,' said
he, ' I have again and again recalled the occasion and incident
of our first intcrview, at Albany; and never have I done so
without renewing in lilY mind, the vivid emotion it really
caused. That seenled, and still does seenl to Ine, the turning
point in my destiny-the dividing line between light and dark-
ness, in my career on earth-for it was the first actual l'ecogni-
tion of my usefulness to DlY fellow-man.
" Such, then, wcre the events coupled with the very dawn of
steaDl navigation-a dawn so recent as to be still reco]]ected by
mally-anù such, as Fulton there related them, were the early
appreciations by the world of a discovery which has invaded all
waters, causing a revolution in navigation which has almost
literally brought the very ends of the earth in contact."

104

NE'VFOUNDJ
AND, AS IT WAS,

The following, from the r.iontreal Transcript, is a history in
brief of the losses of ocean steamers since the experiment was
satisfactorily tried of crossing the Atlantic in steam-propelled ves-
sels. Our contemporary is, however, incorrect in one particular.
The Royal William and not the Sirius was the first steanler
which successfully performed the ocean voyage from Pictou to
Cowes, Isle of Wight, in 1833.-The only vessel of the Cunard
line lost was the Columbia, at the entrance of the Bay of Fundy.
" The first steamship that crossed the Atlantic was the Sirius,
in 1838.* The regular line of European ste
ullships was started
by Mr. Cunard in 1840, and since that time there have been
lost on the Atlantic twelve steam vessels, making an average
in nineteen years of about one in every eighteen months. The
disasters may be f:ummed up as fonows :-
1. President. Never heal'd of.
2. Columbia. All hands saved.
3. Humboldt. ""
4. City of Glasgow. N ever heard of.
5. City of Philadelphia. All hands savt'lL
6. Franklin. ""
7. Arctic. A few only saved.
8. Pacific. N ever heard of.
9. Lyonnais. A few only saved.
10. Tempest. Never heard of.
11. Austria. Burned, great loss oflifè.
12. Indian. Twenty-two lives lost.
13. Hungarian. All lost.
14. Atlantic. . Burying hundreds within
a few feet of shore.
Ilewn down by a passing
ice berg.
Riven in
mid-ocean.
Foundered in twenty min-
utes, after striking an
iceberg.
These, with numerous minor cases, the details of which will
never be known, go to swell the list of lost steanlCrs."

15. Northfleet.

16. ViHe-du-Havre.
17. Arbitrator.

>:< For an account of the first steamer which crof.\sed the Atlantic, see " A
Peep at Uncle Sam's Farm," by the Author. Page 207.

.,
I

C')
o
.....
t-ri
!;::i
z
.....
@

Þ-3

o
C1
"1
J'1
rn

c..
o
::I:
Z
v.

't\"

1 ,

...../ .', '" -
:..
.:.
It .' " "
4"". _...
1 ,
.... IJt
\I
..'
;'
.iii JI
J .... ,. --I'
1" ' : -

--

t....... )
" "
:. 'I '*: '" It:- ;; .....':
'"
,.- I
'.. i' ,

" \: I
'''I' -.

...;. , :-" :
,,'
I' . -
'. - ',
{,,--

'"';j ';IT:"
'
iJ
- .

\... ',
.'
...or -4 11
r ;
_
..'

I

--.þ-:
-

. p_. <
,.:

:í,,\ '
-:l .....'.
':
I ,
"-, '\ .---
I. r ""
'
t
I ',
.

r "J"j-'

. I
't
,. ",

1' , .,!;
'1/1." ..,
I
".,.'. '.:
4 ."h

"

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

105

- ..; III ' 'I. .,,-...

. ..
, ..... 'II,I
.(
...
! III
II I!t

),"' · 'I\'
!II ,I ,
IIII )' I,
"1==-\. Ù

.,
L _""- \ L
r-' -=

\"---=---= \

-=-

-
,I .r r
.,
[ -T r
.1
'I -. t ,- - ' - '/1
rg' J,. LU L..-LJ..... H . I
f=
::"(í51!
I: t - -
L ..f' '. .,' I j 'jJJ IIß"
f' I .---:-__---=--
,' '-:. ..Hj_ ,.;,' \
I:

,rrl fMr j;'j 1/
',J' '.: [
;
: l L
l
;j
r
;, Jl .' L .: 1/
';110 -,.. , :. -:: b. I. '- II I
II =

'?-.
: r r I rr,r , ; 'flJ
If' ' 1rL L '", L: I
1
:1I1'
Lul l
i I,.

,I f
r
' II'Is

L
L

.JI I:
"

'JlJL IJ,f 1 t' _,
I I r '\, ,- [ .
n ;

"
I "

.;' ( [ L

.. r
: · II
I
': '" ;. rl (-..-.=t.: 1'1

"I ,,( [ _ I - t:
' I / ' '. "la.." I

I I' I 40 .
II , \ I ' -
I I

I \ 11

t." '
.Ij

-b."

)...,-: ","
"'J
,
. :;.
\r.- i' ,
·
."
j' j -. t:( f'r"

I.I' . r >>_1". f.' I.
t .r'.

1'" '
r: .'

110 ,.
,

""'.;tf ·
.,,':-.. ..

/, , .. . .'
I '.
. .

):

'
,
" -

_'i -..\";.. . ::t
""'
,:o,

" '.: ,

. "
T C II , .. ., '..-: ".ol
' ,
.

r .I

'.. '''
IIoJ\'' .')' ,.
h- -r.-'<. .{.. '
;i:' -
I II !.'
("- -
'þ
'
rt \ -' tl
þ . ..
;: ;
.- -ß,;,'; ,. I'. 1 -

_

I, . -t . " ,:
,4.:;
t
-.... "-.!.'4 . I'
I
j._ . , .....

j

:y "
/ . ,'!'t:Þ\
'i' '. (' 1::1

..I -. . .. \ ''1
,
jO. -... -
,,'
"
. L \

,.

'\..
'11','

, I
V I II'I
I I'!
II,

- " I
, II,
,II':' . J
I II ,P
"
1,1

II'

,'\:11
'I
, I

, ,
" .

! I I
II I
I I'

p
\. ' I, "
Z 'I I I II,'..,:'

I
I
"'
, I:: I
I '" I
I \l-
i. 1,1" I'
I.

I
I'
, , ,I:
'f, II,

1 11 ) 1 '

-d
'W' 'I
I i
:/ 1 I
!i.,: I I
\II
:
I
\

'I

IIJ, :;
\' I
'" i- i
111'1

f
'I
I. .
./11 /
I"H
jÞ

106

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

A magnetic telegTaph has- been erected from St. John'8
to Conception Bay and the western part of the island.
As yet no effort has been made to establish a" Sailor's
HOlne," or to erect a Mariners' Oh urch, in St. John's. In
this respect it stands alone an1Ïd all the North Alnerican
colonies, although possessing a larger number of seafaring
persons than any of thenl. The writer communicated
\vith the British and Foreign Sailors' Society, in Lon-
don, in 1846, but froln various causes the project "vas
then abandoned. The first President of the British and
Foreign Sailors' Society, Admiral Lord Gambier, was a
well-known and philanthropic Governor of Newfound-
land in 1802. It is calculated that there are three 'ì?1il-
lions of persons throughout the world occupied on the
great deep, and of this number 300,000 are at least British
seamen. Of these, it is said, not 20,000 have any practical
or experimental knowledge of the great truths of Chris-
tianity, so that not fewer than 280,000 of the 1110st deserv-
ing portion of our fellow creatures are in Inoral darkness
and ignorance. The poor sailor is more cleserv'ing of hon-
ou''j'' than the most. reno"vned warrior that ever crimsoned
his sword in the blood of his fellow man. The people of
N e\vfoundland, above all other countries, are deeply in-
debted to the adventurous and daring intrepidity of the
sons of the ocean !
To use the language of the eloquent author of "Bri-
tannia," a Prize Essay, dedicated to William IV.:
Fronl the shores of eternity they cast back on us looks of
upbraiding and reproach, because we never stretched out a
friendly hand to save thenl from destruction; and because, while
every other class was enjoying the benefits of our cbristian soli-
citude, we entirely neglected them. Fronl eternity they implore
us instantly to warn their brethren and children, lest they also
come to the place of torment."

The follo,ving is an extract of a letter addressed to me
lJY the British and Foreign Sailors' Society, in 1847 :

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

107

" It has been computed, that for every SIXTEEN sailors who
die of all diseases, ELEVEK die by drowning, or in wrecks : that
the nUJuber of British ships ,vhich are lost, is about OKE to
TWENTY-FIVE: that nearly TWO THOUSA
D of anI' mariners per-
ish every year in the mighty deep, chiefly by sl1ipwreck, by
which PROPERTY to the value of nearly THREE MILLIONS st
rling
is annually lost to the ernpire; while hundreds of widows, and
thousanùs of orphans, are thrown upon public charity; and that
th
more frequent cause of these shipwrecks is intemperance!
These thrilling facts luUSt speak with deep and soleIlln empha-
sis to everyone possessed of the feeling
of our COlllnlon }nl111an-
ity; but especially to such as have a dtie sense of the worth cf
the soul, and the momentous doctrines of salvation by Christ.
Oh! if there were any bowels anù nlet'des in those who call
themselves disciples of the Lord Jesus, let them-by all that is
IH'ccious in redeeming hlood-by all that is touching in Divine
Love-by all that is real in the discoveries of the gospel-by all
that enters into the worth of a deathless soul-by all that stands
connected with in1nlortality and eternity, attelllpt, without de-
lay, the present and eternal salvation of our deserving SEA
IEN !"
The aclvocacy of Temperance first cOllunenced in St.
John's in 183.3. A society was then formed, but eventu-
ally failed for ,vant of being conducted on the total al)sti-
nence principle. In 1838, a total abstinence society was
forilled, ,vhich, for a long tilne consisted of only nine
melnLers. In 184D 1I10re public efforts ,vere made, when
the Society hegan to increase. In 1841 the Society num-
bered 250 uWl11berH. The Society held several puhlic
Ineetings anù festivals in aid of the cause, and l)ut in cir-
culation tClnperance journals and tracts. ..All these efforts
,vera the lllCans at length of inducing others to elllbark
in the cause. In 1
4:
this Society was ùenolllÏnated
" The Abstinence Union Society," connected ,vith v.Thich
was then the Pl'eshyterian anù J\Iethodist
Iinisters.
In 1841, the Right Rev. Dr. Fleluing, late ROluan Ca-
tholic Bishop, cOBllllenced tho advocacy of total absti-
nence. lIe ilnported several thousand ])le({al
, on Olll'

;Ï( Ie of which tho tradc, fisheries, an({ agriculture of N c,v-

108

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

foundland were represented, and on the reverse side \Vab
the pledge, with the name of the president. The bishop
appointed one of his clergymen, the Rev. Kyran'Valsh,
to adnlÍnister the pledge, and in the course of a few week

several thousands enrolled their names and received the
pledge. From this time the temperance cause Inade rapid
strides, through the zealous advocacy of :tvir. Walsh. Sub-
sequently, the Rev. John Forestal was appointed presi-
dent of the Society, \vho was indefatigable in his exer-
tions to extend the cause. 1\11'. Walsh has now resumed
his old post again as president of the Society. In 1842,
the Rev. Thomas F. H. Bridge,
I.A., rector of St. John's,
parish church, began to administer a temperance card
alnongst the Protestant part of the Cou1111unity, when
hundreds signed the pledge. After this the Catholic and
Protestant clergYlnen in the outports cOlnnlenccd the ad-
vocacy of total abstinence.
In 1844, the nUluLcr of teetotalers had increased to
22,000 for the whole island, of which nUlnber there \ver{'
20,000 Catholics. During the Governorship of Sir John
Harvey, he delivered several temperance speeches, and
aided the cause by his presence on several occasionH.
After this period the temperance cause retrograded, until
1848, when 1\11'. Kellogg, an An1erican temperance lec-
turer, visited St. John's, and delivered a course of lec-
tures, which gave a fresh inlpetus to the cause. A ne\v
society was then formed, under the title of "St. John's
Total Abstinence Society," when several influential per-
sons, \vho had hitherto stood aloof, joined the Society.
Since this l}eriod public nleetings have been ref,rularly
held, and converts obtained to the cause. Several Orùers
of the Sons of Telnperance have been forilled.
The following is the quantity of liquors imported in
the undenllcntioned years, including ale and porter,
wines and spirits, of an kinds :- In 1
38, 277,808 gaHons ;
in 1
47, 94,2ú8 ganons; in 18.jü, 25G,361 gallons.

AKD AS IT IS IN 1877.

IOD

The scenery around St. John's is as fine ac; I have ever
seen in any country. The land is beautifully cultivated,
and dotted with cottages and groups of trees. The trees
are, ho,vever, destitute of that luagnificent foliage that
the trees of the neighbouring co.ntinent present. Neither
oak, elm, maple, beach, cedar, walnut, butternut, or ches-
nut adorns the N e,vfounJland landscape; the principal
trees being spruce, fir. birch, and pine. There are some
,veIl cultivated farnls in the neighbourhood of St. John's.
In the winter season the environs of St. John's is crowded
,vith perHons drawing '\vood froll1 the interior ,vith horses
and clog
, on low sleigh-like vehicles, called slides and
catarnarans. The greater part of the wood is used for
fuel. The principal part of the inhabitants, however,
burn coal, which is imported fronl Sydney, C.B., and
Great Britain. The air-tight or. close stoves which are
so COlnlnon in the United States and the continental pro-
vinces, and ,vhich are so very convenient, but which are
also very de
t1"uctive to the health, are not much used in
Newfoundland. During this season also, trains of sleigh-
ing parties are seen flying about in all directions, while
the hrass harness glistening in the sunshine, and the tink-
ling of the little hell:.; on the horses' necks, present a
scene of gaiety and animation.
The sleigh of Newfoundland is not a vehicle of busi-
ne
s, sleighing being pursued most! y for recrcation and
pleasure, and principally confined to St. John's, Harbour
Grace, Carbonear, and Brigus.
The principal places in the district of St. John's, east
and west, hesides the City of St. John's, is Torbay, ,vhich
has three cod liver oil manufactories, and a population of
1,
()O; Petty liarbour, where are three cod livcr oil nlan-
ufactorics, and a population of 747; ana Portugal Cove,
váth a population of ü.jl-at the latter place there are
three churches, one Church of Englan(l, one 'Vesleyan
l\lethodist, and one ROll1an Catholic. There arc also three
hutch;, also t,vo schoolhouses, and a public ,vharf for pas-

110

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

sengers, &c., to land off the packets which touch here
every day from various parts of Conception Bay. The
passengers either walk or ride in a coach over a beautiful
road nine miles and a half to St. John's. The craggy
rocks and wild to,vering cliffs, crowned ,vith stunted fir
trees, surrounding Portugal Cove, gives it an exceedingly
romantic appearance. Waterford Bridge and Tindi Vidi
in the neighbourhood of St. John's, are places of great
resort for pleasure parties, also Topsail, some miles
distant.
Quidi Vidi Lake is frequented in the summer for bath-
ing and regattas, and in the winter season for skating.
A considerable quantity of ice is taken from the lake and
deposited in an ice-house by the side of the lake, which
belongs to a company who supply the city during the
summer months. The whole country surrounding this
lake is finely cultivated.
About three miles from St. J ohn's i
"Virginia Cot-
tage," once the rural retreal of Sir Thomas Cochrane, the
governor. The lands are beautifully embellished with
trees, and laid out in gravel walks. There is also a small
lake along which winds a walk. This lovely spot was
adorned from the private purse of Sir Thomas Cochrane,
and after his departure from the island, was sold to the
present proprietor, George H. Emerson, Esq., once a
member of the House of Assembly, and solicitor-general
of the island.
Besides the above places in the two districts of St.
John's, there is Logy Bay, population 180; Flat Rock,
236; Outer Cove, 237; Pouch Cove, 736; and Broad
Cove, 301.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

III

CHAPTER IV.

DISTRICT OF CONCEPTION BAY.

I N 1501, Gasper de Cortereal, the Portuguese navi-

gator, visited Conception Bay, and gave to it the
name which it bears, after the n1Ïraculous conception
of the Virgin
Iary. He also gave the present names of
nlany of the coves and headlands.
A colony was attempted to be established at
iusquito
Cove, Conception Bay, S9 early as the reign of .J ames I.
By letters patent, dated 27th April, 1610, a cOlnpanyof
English gentlemen (among whom were the celebrated Sir
Francis Bacon, Lord Northampton, and Sir Francis Tan-
field) were granted all that part of the island lying be-
tween Cape Bonavista and Cape St.
Iary. These gen-
tlemen sent a company of elnigrants, under the direction
of John Guy, to plant a colony in the newly-granted
territory. Guy ,vas a Bristol merchant, and set sail froln
that city in 1610, with three bhips and thirty-nine per-
sOlis, as governor of the colony. He arrived at l\iosquito
Cove after a short passage, where he erected a dwelling-
house, storehouse, &c., and planted a small fort of three
cannon. He relnained here two years, and opened a very
promising intercourse with the native Indians, and in his
letters to England, describes the climate as not so cold as
that of England, and that the brooks had not been frozen
during the depth of winter. "Villialll Colston, ho,vever,
\vho was left in charge of the colony after Guy's return
to England, did not speak so well of it. Six of the erni-
grantH were seized with
curvy aud died.
In the SUIDIner of 1612, Guy returned to the colony,
and by judiciously treating the Hick they soon regailled
their health. It is said vegetables were at this period
raised, among which were turnips, \vhich \vere given to

112

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
the sick. Guy made a journey along the coast, where he
met with a number of Red Indians, shortly after which
the colony was abandoned.
Conception Bay is the most thickly settled and best
cultivated part of Newfoundland. Few bays surpass it
in beauty and grandeur of scenery.
Harbour Grace is the capital of Conception Bay, and
the next Town to St. John's. It is called the" Brighton of
Newfoundland," on account of its beauty. The harbour
is seven miles long, at the entrance are some islands, en-
tirely composed of fine roofing slate, on one of those islands
.a splendid Light-house is erected, there is also a harbour
light. According to the census of 1857, the population of
Harbour Grace was 5,095. There are four churches, one
Episcopalian, one ROlnan Catholic, one Wesleyan 1Yletho-
<list, and one Presbyterian. There is also a stone Court
House and Gaol, which was erected in 1830, with stone
obtained from Kelley's I
land. The first Court House in
Conception Bay was erected about the year 1808, a few
years previous to which, Judge Reeves, the first Chief
Justice of Newfoundland, visited Harbour Grace and
examined into a most disgraceful state of things, as res-
pected the administration of justice there. The Courts
were then conducted by floating and resident surrogates,
generally naval officers.
The following is an account of the public meeting held,
with the amount of ll10ney raÜ;ed for the erection of the
Court House and Gaol in 1807:-

" At a meeting of the magistrates and merchants in the Dis
trict of Harbour Grace, in Conception Bay, in order for raising
a subscription, &c., for the purpose of building a Court-house
anJ Jail in IIarbour Grace, it was fully resolved that the sum
of twenty shillings be levied on every thousand quintals of fish
catched and shipped off in Conception Bay; and each merchant
holds hÏInself responsible for the amount of the collections as
annexed to his name, which sums the said merchants are to be
reimbursed by leving the sum of two shillings on every hundred
quintals on each person or planter of whom they receive the said

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

113

quantity of fish, which the magistrates hereby give the authority
to do.
" And it is further'resolved, that every servant employed in
the fishery is to pay one shilling for every ten pounds wages, the
same as the last season; and that all publicans, shop-keepers,
coopers, and persons not carrying on the fishery, shall pay res-
pectivelyas follows :-Every shop-keeper, the sum of one guinea
and-a-half; every cooper carrying on his trade on his own ac-
count, the sum of one guinea; every publican Dot carrying on
the fishery, the sum of one guinea; and such other persons that
are employed in tbe fishery, the sum of half a guinea. And it is
also further resolved, that all chartered vessels that shall load in
Conception Bay, and not belonging to the merchants as their
own property, that each vessel so chartered shall pay the sum of
ten shillings B.nd sixpence for one season only.
" (Approved of)
" CHAS. GARLAND, J. P.,
" W
I. LILLY, J. P.,
" Ls. A
IAD, ANSPACH, J. P.,
" OLIVER ST. JOHN, Secretary.
" Harbour Gra8e, 22nd June, 1807."

(Enrolled. )
For Geo. & J s. Kemp & Co.,
Henry O. Watts ........ .t45
For \V m. Dawson,
Alex. Campbell..........., 25
For Alexr. Boucher & Co., ..
John Smith ...............
Gosse, Chancey & L
dgard ... ..... .... .. ...,...
Wm. H. 1\ll1110wney ........'...................
Richd. Cornish & Co......... .....................
Tllon1as Dllnn .......................... .... .. . . .. ..
Richard Palmer................. ..................
John Church will & 00. .............. ... .........
1(earney l
St. Jolin ................ ............
For \VU1. Ncwluan & Son,
J. Furneaux ..... ...... 7

o for 45,000
o for 25,000

16 0 for 16,000
16 10 for 16,500
5 10 for 5,500
3 0 for 3,000
2 0 for 2,000
1 10 for 1,500
1 13 for 1,300
3 10 for 3,500

o

7,000

Carried forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
126 13

H

114

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'V AS

Brouglttforwo/J"d.. ...... ... .:t126 13
Willianl Pinsent ....................... ...... ...... 3 0
J no. Travers ...... .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 0
Danl. Connors.. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . 1 0
Mathew Quarry.................... . . ... ... .. .. 10
Frs. Pike, for Elizth. Pike ...... .... . . . . _ . . . 1 14
John Kennedy. ....... .. ,..... . . ..... ....... ... 1 0

3,000
1,000
1,000
500
1,400
1,000

.:t134 7
HarbourGrace has two principal streets running through
it, called Water and Harvey Streets. There are SOlne brick
and stone buildings on Water Street.
The Church of England of Harbour Grace is the first
stone church ever built in Newfoundland. The following
is an extract from the scroll read on the occasion of the
laying of the foundation stone, by John Stark, Esq.. Chair-
Inan of the Building Committee, and Chief Clerk and Re-
gistrar of the Northern Circuit Court, which was depo-
sited in a bottle beneath the foundation stone.
" Here stood St. Paul's Church, which was burnt to the
ground by the great fire at Harbour-Grace, on the 18th August,
1832-erected on the site of the first church built in the year
1794 ; and the corner stone of this New Stone Church is now
laid by His Excellency Henry Prescott, Esq., Companion of the
Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, Governor and
Commander-in-Chief in and over the Island of Newfoundland
and its dependencies, and Vice-Adn1Ïralof the same, on Tues-
day the twenty-eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord Olle
thousand eight hundred and thirty-five, and in the sixth year of
the Reign of his present l\1:ajesty William the Fourth of Great
Britain and Ireland I{ing."
The land on which the Church was erected, together
with the Burial Ground and Parsonage lands, wal:; the gift
of the late Charles Garland, Esq., J.P., of Harbour Grace,
and grandfather of Wm. C. St. John, Esq., late Editor of
the" Conception Bay Herald."
In 1849, the l\tlethodist Chapel was destroyed by fire.
A larger and finer wooden building has since been erected.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

115

The ROlnan CatholicH have also crected a 1arge stone
church, ,vhich is no 'v a cathedral, Harbour Grace being
now the seat of the ROlnan Catholic Bishopric.
On the 18th of August, 1
::J2, Harbour Grace wasvisiteJ
by a destructive fire, by which ninety-six building3 and
the Episcopal Church, were destroyed. In 1844 it was
visited by another fire, when t,venty-five houses were
burnt, and property to the aInount of
:30,OOO \vas con-
sUlned; and in 1858, nearly the whole town was destroyed.
In 18:33, several a,vful Illurders took place here, the perpe-
trators of which were discovered and executed.
The Circuit Court sits twice a year at IIarbour Grace,
presided over l)y one of the three Judges of the Suprelne
Court. Quarter Sessions of the Magistrates' Court is also
holden, and one of the Police lHagistrates is in daily attend-
ance at the Police Office. There are two resident Police
1vlagistrates, a Clerk of the Peace, a Sheriff: and a Clerk
of the BuprelIle Court. There are threc medical Inen.
Here are located t\VO of the lllost enterprising, as wcll as
the largest rnercantile establishments in N ewfoundlalld,
ü\vned hy RitUey M Sons,. anù Punton ÒL Munn, now John
l\lnnn & Co. Both houscs take a Jeep interest in all
political and social ÏInprovcrnents, and contribute Illuch
to the }..'losperity and welfare of the town. Thesc houses
are largely em harked in the seal and cod fisheries, and
issue an extcnsive supply on credit to persons engaged in
the Lahratlor cod-fishery. There is great rivalry bctween
the two houses. But then the influence of COlnlnerce is
peaceful. The Inercenary gospel of the k'(lgcl" Jel10UnCC5
the gOt1 of war, ana charges to his account a vaHt ,vaste of
bloo(l antI treasure, to the (!ehit of profit anù losB.
COllllHCrCe is favouraLle to the full developllIent of the
resource
of evcry land, and calls to its ait! all the light
an(! knowle(lge ,vhich art ana science ca,n renùer.
Wherever rnerchants ùivc,-;teJ.. of cUðte, have given a tune

· The hOl
C of nidley & Co now clefunct.

116

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

to society, civilization
nd refinelnent have had a dwelling-
place; the standard of learning has been higher than in
comnlunities where agricultul'eand the lnechanic arts have
been solely cultivated; and religion no\v follo'\vs where
cOlnlnercial enterprise leads the ,yay. There are several
other smaller nlerchants at Harbour Grace, besides the
two large houses above mentioned. Since the establish-
ment of the Local Legislature, Harbour Grace has always
returned one of her townSlnen to the House of Assembly.
The first lnember was Peter Brown, Esq.; since that,
Thos. Ridley, James L. Prender, John }[unn, and others.
Harbour Grace has been the birth-place of the press in
Conception Bay. Fornlerly the" Mercury," the" Herald,"
and the" Conception Bay Man," were published here.
The name of the paper at present published in Harbour
Grace, is the" Standard," Mr. Archibald Munn being
editor and proprietor. There is an excellent Grammar
School at Harbour Grace, well furnished with books, maps,
and philosophical apparatu
, in '\vhich a large nUlnber of
children is educated. This school is presided over by
Professor Roddick, a highly intelligent Scotchman, for-
merly teacher of the classics in the High and Lower School
of the 1\.1 echanics' Institute, Liverpool, England. There
is alt;o a very excellent School belonging to the Episcopal
Church. The ROlnan Catholics have also a very large
School, and there is a female school supported by the
Governlnent; besides these public schools there are some
private ones. There is also a small Custom-House.
Since the election riots in 1840, a small company of the
Inilitary had been stationed at Harbour Grace, and when
it was in contemplation to remove then1 to St. John's, so
anxious '\vere the people to retain them, that they peti-
tioned the HOllIe Governlllent for them to renlain. Hal'''
bour Grace has a COlnmercial Society and Public Reading
Rooll1. Thereare also the Benevolent Irish Society; Dorcas
Society; Temperance Sociêty; Marine Insurance Society;
and a V olunteer Company. There is a post office and a

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

117

telegraph office. The town next in in1portance to Harbour
Grace is Carbonear, ,vhich ranked a little higher in popu-
lation in 184.:"), and until within the last fe,v years, al ways
stood higher a
a place of con1merce. The census of 18.57
gives Carl)onear a population of 4,808. The lnanufacture
of oil clothing here an10unts to over
3,OOO,
'Vhen the French fleet attacked and destroyed St.
John's in 1G9G, the British settlers at Carbonear Huccess-
fully resisted Iberville, the French commander. Again,
in 1706, ,vhen St. Ovicle, the cOlnlnander of the French
fleet, destroyed every other British settlelnent in thc
island, Carbonear defended itself and repelled the agres-
SOl'. In 1762, however, in C01l1ffion with all other parts
of the island, this hitherto iInpregnable fortress "
as taken
by the French. In 17G2, Charles Garland, Esq., of Har-
bour Grace, supported a detachlnent of Inen, ,vhom he
garrisoned on Carbonear Island, at the mouth of the
harbour. 1\11'. Garland paid, fed, and supported thef:,c
IHen, '\\
hen provi:-;ions ,vere scarce and dear. He also
raised a nUlnber of sailors for the ten1porary u:-;e of the
navy. The ,vriter has often seen sonle of the cannon and
the remain
of the fortifications erected on Carbonear
1:-; lanù.
In 1775, in a dreadful storul ,vhich devastated the
\vhole coast of N e,vfounrlland, Carbonear and Harhour
Grace suffered severely in loss of fi
hing craft and l11C11.
It is said up,vard
of a hundred boats, ,,,,,ith their crews,
,vere lost in one cove. During the above year, Harbour
Grace and Carhollear ,vere constantly annoyed l)y AIllG-
rican privateer
, hut ,vere kept at a distance by the
conullantling lJatteries on the cliffs. O,ving to the general
depression of trade on thú clo
c of the ,val', and great
privation cOnSe(!llent on the ùcstruction of St. J ohu's hy
the great fires in the "Tinter uf 181 G, and other enuse:-;,
sOtHe of tht' inhabitants of Car1Jonear and IIarbour Grace
\vere in a (lestitute condition. N 111111 )er8, ren(lerec I c le
-
tit ute lJY \vallt,lJcgan to Lreak open the nlcrchallt-;' stores.

118

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

Volunteer companies were ÌInmediately embodied and
armed, to prevent further depredations, and con1n1Ìttees
of relief ,vere formed to issue small quantities of food at
stated periods. This winter is universal]y designated by
the old inhabitants of Ca.rbonear as the
c Winter of the
Rals." In 1856, a destructive conflagration destroyed a
great part of the town of Carbon ear.
Car honeaI' was once a town of great commercial im-
portance. The merchants at one period used to send to
St. John's to purchase fish and oil to load their vessels.
It is said that two of the Carbonear merchants, George
and James Ken1p, retired to England with a fortune of
Æ30,000 or $150.000 each. These persons at one time
owned the greatest proportion of the landed property in
the town of Poole, county of Dorset, England. John
Gosse, Esq., of the well-known firm of Gosse, Pack and
Fryer, it is said also accunlulated a fortune at Carbonear,
and retired to Poole, anù many others.
The principal mercantile establishments of Carbonear
at the present tilne are those of John Rorke-who has
been Inany years a member of the Legislature, J. and
S. Maddock, Benjamin Gould, and others.
Robert Pack, Esq., the principal of the house of Pack,
Gosse and Fryer, had lived at Carbonear the greater part
of his life, and had largely contributed to its prosperity.
He was one of the members sent by the nnanimous votes
of the people to the first Legislature of Newfoundland,
and was subsequently twice returned; he declined, how-
ever, at the last election to take his seat. By his devo-
tion to agriculture he set an example worthy of imitation.
About twenty-five years ago, l\{r. Pack cOlnmenced the
cultivation of a large tract of land in the neighbourhood
of the town of Carbonear, -w'hich he soon brought into a
well-cultivated farm. He subsequently built a splendid
cottage on it, surrounded by gardens, walks, and trees.
He Inade it his permanent residence up to the time of
his death a few years ago. He was identified with the

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

]19

general interest
of the country from a boy, and for fifty
years was a principal in one of the oldest and largest
mercantile establishments in Newfoundland. He spent a
fortune in ùeveloping the agricultural capabilities of the
soil.
Carbonear has three places of worship. One Church
of England, a ne,vand elegant buil(ling, erected nIainly
through the exertions of the Rev. 'Ym. Hoyles; one new

Iethodist Church, ,yhich is the largest belonging to that
body in the island; and one Ronlan Catholic. It has a
court-house, a police Inagistrate and constables, a clerk of
the peace, and a custom-house officer.
Out of the four melnbers for the district of Conception
Bay, Cal'bonear has ahvays sent one. There are several
pri vate and public :::íchools. The Government School is
conducted by Professor O'Donovan, fornlerly a tutor in
Trinity College, Dublin. . He is a good-natured, intelli-
gent Irishman. There is a well-conducted l\Iethodist
school, also an excellent school belonging to the Church
of England, and another under the direction of the Roman
Catholics. There is a post-office and telegraph office. A
newspaper called cc The Star," wa
established at Car-
bonear in 1830, which was succeeded some years after by
It The Sentinel," both, however, are n01V defunct. Through
the efforts of the late Thoma
Chancey, E
q., then a
leading Incrchant, a conlmercial society was fonned in
1834, this also has become defunct.
For many years Carboncar ,vas blessed ,vith a valuable
circulating library, established mainly by the late John
Elson, Esq., a gentlemen of extensivc literary acquire-
Incnts, an(l one of the principals in the respectable anù
long-established house of
lade, Elson & Co. P. II.
Gosse, Esq., )LR S., ,vas in this establiBhnlent Heveral
years, after\var(l
onc of the Engli<;;h naturalists, and au-
thor of several valuable ,yorks.
S. W. Hprague, aftc]\var(ls a Wesleyan
retho(list nIinis-
tel', P. 'rocque, after,vards a Church of England clcrgy-

120

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

man, and about a dozen merchants, received their train-
ing in this establishment. Owing to lVIr. Elson's seques-
tered habits, his ,vorth as a man of general literature ,vas
known to but few in the community in which he lived.
Had his lot been cast among other influences than those
by ,yhich he was surrounded, he would have shone nlost
conspicuously as a public man.
The library, after lllany years of usefulness, was finally
broken up, and no effort has since been made to establish
another. There is, however, a valuable and extensive

Iethodist Sunday-school library, and a large number of
standard works are yearly added to it, by means of an
annual public collection. There is also an excellent
Church of England library. These libraries, however,
reach very few of other denominations. It is to be re-
gretted that in a community so large as Carbon ear a pub-
lic circulating library is not re-established.
Books have been termed" the nlonuments of vanished
minds," and a circulating library pronounced "an ever-
green tree of knowledge, which blossoms all the year." Dr.
Channing, one of the greatest American writers, says:-
" It is chiefly through books that we enjoy intercourse with
superior minds, and these invaluable means of communication
are in the reach of all. In the best books great men talk to
us, give us their most precious thoughts, and pour their souls
into ours. God be thanked for books. They are the voices of
the distant and the dead, and make us heirs of the spiritual
life of past ages. Books are the true levellers. They give to
all, who will faithfully use them, the society, the spiritual pre-
sence, of the best and greatest of our race. No matter how
poor I am. No matter, though the prosperous of my own time
will not enter my obscure dwelling. If the sacred ,vriters will
enter and take up their abode under my roof,--if l\iilton will
cross my threshold to sing to me of Paradise, and Shakspeare
to open to me the worlds of imagination and the workings of
the human heart, and Franklin to enrich me with his practical
wisdom,-I shall not pine for intellectual companionship; and
I may become a cultivated man, though excluded from what is
called the best society in the place where I live."

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

121

There is a benevolent Irish Society at Carbonear, also
a
Iethodist Total Abstinence Society, a Bible Society, anrl
t\VO medical filen The next in1portant to,vn is Brigub,
,,"'hich contains a population of about 1,779, frOln ,vhich
an Ï1nportant seal anù cod fishery is carried on. FOl'lllerly
Charles Cozens, E
q., the late stipendiary Inagistrate,
carried on a very extensive D1ercantile establislunent. He
also cultivated a large farm. The
lessrs. l\lunden, N 01'-
Ulan, Percey, 'Vheelan, Bartlett, and Roberts reside here,
,\\Tho are SOine of the richest planters in N e\vfoundland.
Brigus is ,veIl cultivated, and, for the extent of popula-
tion, has a nUlnber of good residences. There is no large
mercantile e:-;tablishment at present at Brigus. The last
belonged to Robert Bro,vn, Esq., ,vho has ren10ved to St.
John's. Nearly the ,vhole trade of Brigus has been re-
lTIoved to St. John's and Harbour Grace. There are three
churches, one Episcopal, onc l\'Iethodist, and one ROluan
Catholic. There is a Court-house, a stipendiary magis-
trate, and a clerk of the peace. Quarter Sessions of the
Peace are holden here; John C. Nuttall, ESll', is collector
of custolns. There is a post-office and a telegraph office.
There is one large public school, belonging to the Epi
co-
palians, and also one ROD1an Catholic school.
Not far from Brigus, at places called Turk's IIl'ad an<l
English Head, Copper mines are Leing worked, they have
pro(luced three tons of good ore. The next Ï1nportant
town is Port-de-Grave, which is Hituate on a very long,
narrow, bleak promontory. It and the neighbouring coves
con r in a population of 1,!)7S. There are three places of
,vorship, one Episcopalian, one l\iethodist, and one H,olnan
Catholic. There are t\VO Puhlic School
, ,\T]JÏch belong' to
the Episcopalians and the
Iethodi
ts. There are here
severallfierchants ,vho carryon the seal and coù fisheries
to a cOIlsi<lerable extent. The ne
t place of inlportancc
is Bay RoLerts. There was formerly a large lnercantilc
estahlisllluent, a branch of the finn of Pack, Gusse, and
Fryer, conducted by a very intelligent English gcntlclllan,

122

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
Willialn Green, Esq., son-in-law of ltir. Pack. James
Cormack, Esq., a smart and well-informed Irishman, also
carried on a very respectable trade, and Mr. McLellan did
a considerable business. (These firms are now defunct.)
The Episcopalians, Methodists and ROlnan Catholics each
have a church here. There are two Public Schools, be-
longing to the Episcopalians and Roman Catholics. The
Hon. C. F. Bennett, of St. John's, comn1enced the working
of a very extensive slate-quarry here some years ago.
Bay Roberts has a population of 2,300.
There is a Methodist Church and a School here, and a
number of respectable planters.* FOrIl1erly large mer-
cantile establishments were conducted here, but the build-
ings are now almost in ruins. The view of land and
water, on the top of the hill between Brigus and Cupids,
is as fine a landscape as can well be imagined. The next
place of iInportance is Spaniard's Bay. Here William
Donnolly, Esq., for many years carried on a large and
profitable business, previous to his relnoval to Harbour
Grace. Spainards' Bay has one Episcopal, and one Roman
Catholic Church, and two schools belonging to the respec-
tive denominations.
At the head of Conception Bay are Holyrood and Har-
bour Main, containing a population of about 800 each. At
Chapel Cove, an abundance of Limestone is found. The
lands are extensively cultivated,
tnd large quantitie8 of
vegetables are raised. There is a ROIrlan Catholic Church
in each place with schools.
The original inhabitants of these places were rom
England and Jersey, and their descendants informed n1e
that they had been brought up in the Church of England,
but owing to their not being visited by any Protestant
Minister they were induced to join the ROlnan Catholic
Church. Mr. Ezekiel, an English Je\v, informed me that
he had joined the ROlnan Catholic Church for the same

* Owners of fishing establishments are called vlanters.

AKD AS IT IS IN 1877.

]23

reason. He is now dead, and, I believe, has left a nuIiIer-
ous family. These places are now principally inhabited
by persons from the" Emerald Isle" and natives. On the
north shore of Conception Bay the principal places are
Broad Cove, Black Head, Adam's Cove, Western Bay,
Ochre Pit Cove, Northern Bay Island Cove, Bay-de- Verds,
and Grates' Cove at Island Cove. Some years ago a rner-
cantile business \vas carried on by Richard Rankin, Esq.,
an intelligent Englishman, ,,
ho afterwards hecalne the
resident Stipendiary l\Iagistrate at Bay-de- V erds. Thirty-
three seal nets are employed catching seals. One Packet
Boat plies from each of the harbours of Harbour Grace, Car-
honeaI' and Brigus, to Portugal Cove, for the conveyance of
n1ail
and pa
Hengers en 'route to St. John's.
.A srnall stearn-boat has taken the place of the sailing
packets.
The cod-fishery in Conception Bay COlnmences about
the beginning of June, and ends about the last of Septeln-
bel', after ,vhich the potatoes are usually dug and put in the
cellar for the winter. From this period the great lnass of
the fishermen are idle five lnonths, owing to the want of
lllanufactures or employment other than the fishery.
Single n1en usually becon10 (( \vinter dieters" (that is, they
pay for their board until
Iarch), or they engage them-
r-;elves as ,vinter servants, \vhen they are enlployed hauling
wood for fuel from the woods; for which, in mOHt caseR,
they only receive their board for wages. On the first of
l\[arch all is hustle and animation, preparing for the Real
fishery. Person
are seen cOIning in froln all parts of the
country, SOBle by lana, ,vith their bats, sealing-gun, and
Lun<llcH of clothing over their shoulders; others COlne in
Rkiff.,;, loaded ,vith clothes, boxes, bags, guns, anù gaffS.
Froin the 1st to about the lOth of
larch, the streets of
Harhour Grace, Carbonear, Bay Roberts, and BriguR, are
crowded with groups of hardy Heal-hunters. SOllIe arc
l'IH I )lo y e<1 Lendino' sails and tixincr the ricro'in()" of the vessel.
o
n 00
,

Olll
nHtking oarH and } )rcparing the Healing-punts or

124

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'V AS,
skiffs; others collecting stones for ballast, filling the water
casks and cleaving wood; ,vhile others are en1ployed
putting on board the provisions necessary for the voyage.
The shouting, '\vhistling, and clatter of tongues, presents
almost a scene of Babel. In severe winters the 11arbours
are frozen, "Then a channel through the ice has to be cut
for the egress of vessels. l\Iany men and yessels are lost
in the prosecution of this voyage. Sonletin1es vessels are
crushed between large masses of ice called "rollers," at
other times they get in contact with islands of ice. The
seal-fishery is a constant scene of bloodshed and slaughter.
Here you behold a heap of seals \vhich have only received
a slight dart from the gaff: ,vrithing, and crimsoning the
ice with their blood, rolling from side to side in dying
agony. There you see another lot., while the last spark of
life is not yet extinguished, being stripped of their skins
and fat, their startlings and heavings making the unprac-
tised hand shrink ,vith horror to touch them. In the
prosecu tion of the seal fishery the Sahhath is violated to
a great extent. In pursuing this branch of c0111mercial
enterprise, some have been suddenly raised from con1par-
ative poverty to wealth and affluence. On the other hand,
persons of means have enlbarked in the voyage, and have
been as suddenly reduced to poverty. Several steamers
are no,v sent to the seal fisheries fron1 Harbour Grace.
Fortune at best is but a fickle goddess,"but she \vill always
have devotees worshipping at her altars. For a 1110re
detailed account of the seal fisherie:s, see "Fisheries."
A Magnetic TelegrfJph has been established from Concep-
tion Bay to St. John's.
In 1836, the population of Conception Bay was 2
,215.
The agricultural produce then ,vas 746,869 bushels of
potatoes; 4,184 bushels of oats and other grain; 940 tons
hay; acres of land in cultivation, 2,t>73. Of live stock
there were 638 horses; 1,034 neat cattle; 1,632 hogs;
and 1,187 sheep.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

125

According to the census. of 1857, the population of Con-
ception Bay ,vas,-
10,U13 Church of England. In 1
74, 1:3,738
13,345 Roman Catholics. "15,340
9,345 'V esleyan
lethodi
ts. " 11,793
5 Kirk of Scotland. cc 1
75 Free Kirk. C( 187
13 Congregationalists. " 9

33,396 Total.

Total 41,070

There ,vere,-
Churches of England... . .. .................. 13
Roman Catholic.... . ... . . ................. . 13
Wesleyan. . .......... . . . ..,..... .... .. .... . . . .. 16
Free Kirk of Scotland. . .... ................ 1

Total. . .................... ...... 43

There were also 80 schools, ,vith 4,563 scholars; and
5,4D3 dwelling houses. There were 12,043 acres of land
under cultivation.
Ship-building has been principally carried on at Car-
bonear and Harbour Grace. 'Vithin the last few years,
several large, substantial, and beautifullnoùel vessels have
been Luilt at Harbour Grace by the enterprising mercantile
houses of the l\Iessrs. Ridley and M unn ; and at Carbonear
by Messrs. Rorke, and others.
In the 11l0Uth of the Lay, about 50 n1Ïles frolll Carboncar,
is the island of Baccahew (called Baccaloas) by Cabot
when he discovered N e'\vfounùland. This was the nalne
Cabot gave to all the land he discovered, which signified
cod-fi.,h in the Indian tongue. The slnall Island of Bac-
cahew has long been cele1rated for it birùs and eggs.
This island is much frequented in the sprin cr and SUlnnlcr
for the purpose of procuring the eggs of the sea birùs
which breed there. Their egg
are o1taineJ. by letting

126

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

persons down from the top of the cliff.'3 by ropes. The
daring adventurers soon lose sight of their companions, as
they pass down the perpendicular walls and overhanging
parts of the cliff.'3, when they reach the terraces, which are
often TI10l'e than two feet wide, they cast off the rope, and
having procured a load of eggs, they signify to their com-
panions on the top their desire to be dra,vn up by pulling
the rope. This occupation. is attended with great danger
and sometÏ1nes men have been killed. A light house ,vas
erected not long ago at the north end of the Island.
The following table will show the relative importance
of the trade of Carbon ear and Harbour Grace at the
periods referred to:-

ö
c:tð

Ó
<
Z
Z
o
8

8
Z

o
......

8
::r:

H

rñ
H

rn
rn

>

.

o

þ

8

o

......
,...

8
':/1

M
cr.>
00
....-I

<:--1

00
....-I
....-I

-:<:>
00
....-I
a:J
r-.

Q)

Q)
..c::
+>
to
:::
'

'"tj
0)

r-.
Ó
r-.
g

r-.

::r::
"S
2
r-.

Q)

o
.0
r-.
ce
Q

-
o
a:J

o

Q)
..c::
+>
'"tj
Q)
r-.
Q)
+>
s:=
Q)
+>
ce
..c::

AND AS IT IS IN 1877,

I l
. <:--1 0 I:-
U .uaN
.:.:> I:;)

ó I (,:) . 00 (,:)
l
g .SUO.1
:

::.

slassa A I
:
I:- ....-I

I

'uaN I
:

0 :

I g

8U0.1 1
:

:

I

I ' I
;:
O . ----' ......,
I :
o slas8a A èh .
<:--1 .---. '" '< .---. t.:

'uan: I S :

;:!;-I

:; --

"uoJ; I
:

g:j I

t>lassa A I
. 00 "11 <:--1 I g
1 ':.:>
(':)c";'-:'=<:--1 I

'uaW
c. c-:. ....-I ....-I _..
<

I 0
....-I C'1
1 0 I C':>
z
C'1 I:- '..... u:. ....-I

o 'suo.1 0 ....-I
t::.

::.,
ê
....-1....-1
Ö SlaRsaA I
....-I

<:--1....-1 I

r.5 I C'l-.C'1t---- _ 1 ....-1
u 'ua}ç:
. <:.0 IC

p:;

'IIUO.1 I g :

o C'-1

slass;)A I
:
'X;
- I IC

--
:::S 'uan: gs IC

I C':>....-I
C'I rfJ
o .8U0.1

,

I:: C'I
Ö II1a88aA I
1""'4 oc
....-I
. I :
.
: '

Sì:i
Q):

I .-SHSAn
p::;
I)

8.2;

.s .:u .
.&

Z
W :

Þ r:j..c::..c:: Ek
....:
,:::
o
'E.
'

'

rð

a '
'J::
s:=

Þ

Þ
ó

C':I
:n
p-4

><
ø::
<

z
<

or.-

o
z
Ã
z

=
<
...
þM

;;;

z
<

&Q

o
z
Ã
.r.

=
<
;:.;
><

c-i
':"J
fJ
p-4

;..
=
<
þ
z
<

f::
&Q

I I

:=J
IC

I C':>
. 0
, C':.
--.:

o
z
i5
z

ø::
-<:

I
I
,;
I

I

I

1 i2

I
:+;jg:j;;
1
Tn I

:-
C'J
"'.( -t< :-': t;\J t- .....

g
C'll:-C'l
....-I
en
--- -
Õ I
_
L":)OC'l....,O
o I
l
....-I
C'1 cr.>

:5

1:-
Õ
E-i
--

..c:1
IJ

I
I IC1CO-:<:>I:;)

C':>
C':.0Ci-:<:>:-':
o I:- 'Y.., C. OC; :;:

O....-l
':.:>-x,
C
I:- C'l C':> C'!

-
o
ttJ

]
&

=
Q)
::a

I I:-
c-:....,.o

OO

....-Ic-J=:>
c<':I....-I-:<:>t;\J
....-I
I IC 0
c.= 0 ...,.
0001
01:-
C....-IOOC'JOOO
o c<':IlC ,
I:- C'J
I
C':> I
....-I

C'!""'c<':IlO<:--1
:
:
:

'ce:ce'

'r-. ,r-. . r-.
r-.Or-.Ór-.Ó

r-.
r-.
r-.

cOOOO O

,.o,.o

.a
å

æ

v::r;:.;Þ:v:I:
I I I
1:'1 c<':I -t<
C':>
:':>
cr.>

oo
OO
OO

....-1....-1....-1

Õ
E-i

rJJ
Q)
IF.)
00
Q)
;>

r-.
as as

::I

dS

..c:: '" ..c::
+> +>
10

t.o bO
j:;

;a ;a

Q) Q)
r-.: r-. ::

ce
Q) Q)

127

6
d
:::

d
IJ

..c::

10
gp
;a

Q)

+3

o
t)
t)

Q)
>
o
.0
c;S
Q)
..c::
+>
.s
'"tj
Q)
.s

o

+>
o

Q)

+>
a:J

......
......

.0
.s
"tj
Q)
r-.

Q)
......
t)

......
Q)
00
00
Q)
>
I

Z

,

ca

Q)

128

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

[The foregoing staten1ent was ascertained preparatory
to fraIning a petition to his late Majesty "Villiam IV., to
lllake Carbonear a free port. The privilege, however, was
conceded to Harbour Grace since then. The repeal of the
navigation laws opened all the ports of the island to
foreigners.] ,
The following is the nUlnber of vessels employed in the
seal fishery froln Carbonear and Harbour Grace in 1836,
1837 and 1838:

Ships.
Carbonear . . ... . . ... 80
Harbour Grace. . .. 32

Tons.
6,889
2,Gll

Men.
1,918
741

In 1837.
Carbonear.... ....74
Harbour Grace...... 49

6,446
4,099

1,798
1,166

In 1838.
Carbonear. . . . . . ... 72 6,312 1,855
Harbour Grace. . .. 47 3,887 1,152
The following is the number of seals Inanufactured at
Carbonear and Harbour Grace in the years 1839 and 1845 :

In 1839.

Seals.
Carbonear........ .. ....... .............. 41,019
Harbour Grace........... ..... ........ .... 11,6
5
The number of vessels employed in the Seal Fishery
throughout Conception Bay in 1834, ,vas 218; in 1837,
20G ; and in 1838, 200 vessels.
In the year 1869 Messrs. Ridleys fitted out a steamer
for the seal fishery, which returned with 17,000
eals
the first trip, and 6,000 the second trip.
The following is the number of vessels fitted out for
the seal fishery from Conception Bay, in the undermen-
tioned years :

AND AS IT IS I
1877. 129
Years. I Vessels. I Tons. I Men, I Years, I Vesseæ, I To
I JHen.
18
a I 174 14704 I 4818 1846 17!> I 15176 5214
1840 IG!) 1-10 36 1 4674 ]847 1m I 1:{!)8!) 4U24
1841 157 12440 4431 1848 148 13,')15 4842
1842 177 14635 5040 1849 149 147G5 I 5113
1843 lRO 14877 I 50!)8 1853 184 I 1923.3 I m.l64
184 Pi 20:? 1G971 5628

In 1873, Ridley ÒlJ Sons, and John :r.lunn & Co., of
Harbour Grace, enlployed three steamers in the seal fish-
ery, besides a number of sailing vessels. The number of
Heals Juanufactured throughout Conception Bay, in 1839,
,vas I 12,G76 ; and in 1845 there were about 50,000 lnanu-
factured; ,vhile at Carbonear alone, in the year 1832,
there were 124,417 seals lnanufactured, and at the saIne
place, in 1824, there ,vere 101,31G lnanufactured. Nearly
the whole of the
ealing vessels are enlployed during the
SUl1uuer in the Labrador cod fishery. There is also a great
nUlllber of
Hnaller craft elnployed in the fisheries, besides
about 3,000 large fi
hing boats. The foreign trade of Con-
ception Bay enlploys about 100 vessels, from 90 to up-
wards of 200 tons.
At Kelly's Island, and Little Belle Isle, excellent, fine-
grained, grit-stone is abundantly found, and froln the stra-
tification and natural cleavage is set, ,vith scarcely any
dressing, for builùing. The iHland of Big Belle Isle is
about nine miles long and three broad. On either enrl of
the island is a village. Here there are SOlne ,yell-cultiva-
teù fanns. The soil of Belle
sle iH
aid to be richer than
any other part of Conception Bay. During the past few
years several fan1Ïli(>H of natives and otherR belonging to
CarLon car and I-Iarbour Grace, olnigrated to various parts
of the United States, lllany of \VhOlll have since returned.
It is not often that Ne,vfoundlanùers leave their country.
They arc fond of 101110. The writer cannot describe the
painful elnotions he fclt, \vhen, for the last tilne, he saw
I

130

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

the diln shores of his native land die away in the distance;
a thousand fond recollections clustered around his heart,
of hOlHe and distant friends.
The nUlnber of emigrantß annually an'iving at N ew-
foundland used to be between 300 and 400, principally
from Ireland. A few years ago more than double the
above number used to arrive in a year. N ow none.
" The natal soil, to all how strangely sweet,
The place where first he breathed, who can "forget;
Whate' er the cause, man still adores
The soil that gave him birth.
And tho' awhile for distant shores
He quits his native earth,
He loves, gray-haired, to walk the shade
Where first he saw the sky,
And on the spot where first he played,
To lay him down and die."
The following statistics are from the Emigration Com..
missioners' last Report :-
"The great impulse given to emigration dates from the year
1847. In the forty-three years, from 1815 to 1857 inclusive,
there emigrated from the United Kingdom, 4,683,194 persons.
" Of these there went to-
"The United States ........... ...................2,830,687
" To British North America.. ........... -..... ..1,170,342
"To Australia and New Zealand.. . . . . .... 613,615
" To other places ..... .... ,... ... _ ........'...... 68,560
" Of the whole emigration, more than one-half, viz., 2,444,
802, emigrated in the eight years from 1847 to 1854 inclusive.
In 1855 and 1856 the emigration fell to 176,807 and 176,55-1
respectively, principally in consequence of the demand for the
army and navy, and the departments connected with them, dur-
ing t.he Russian war. In 1857 the llunlbers rose again to 212,
875. The increase was, to some extent, checked by the recruit-
ing for the army in India. During the first three months of
1858 the number of emigrants amounted to only 19,146 ; this
being the smallest en1Ïgration for the same period in any year
since 1856. The decrease was chiefly owing to the demand for
recruits. "

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

131

CHAPTER 'T.

i N no part of the \vorld are there Ulore noble hays than
<t in N e\vfoundland. Eighty and ninety n1Ïles the
occan iB penetrated by those grcat arnlS of the sea,
into the land, bringing the treasures of the deep to the
vcry doors of the inhabitants. It is very probaLle that
the \vhole of the earlier voyagers to Newfoundland visited
Trinity Bay. The celebrated Captain 'YhitLourne, \vho
'\vent in a ship of his o\vn against the Spanish Al"ll1ada, in
the l"eign of Queen Elizabeth,
/isited Trinity HarLour so
early as 1.'578, ,\\rhere he obtained poultry and fish. In
I7ü2 Trinity shared the fate of all the other British settIe-
luents Ly being destroyed Ly the French fleet. Trinity
Harbour (so caUecl fronl being entered on Trinity
unday)
is the Capital of the District of Trinity Bay. It is one of
the best anù largest harbours, not only of Newfoundland,
IJut uf the \vorlù. It has several arnlS and coves, where
thousands ùf
hips Inay ride land-locked, secure froln
\vina, tide, or sea. The N. 'V. arm runs in various direc-
tion
for a distance of three l11iles. Tho S. \V. ann also
fluws in different branches to about the saIne distance,
\vhen both arms nearly nleet, fonning Rider's Hill (,\\Thich
is situated in the centre of the harhour, and at the foot of
\\rhich stands the to\vn) into a peninsula. It has a S\viss
app<,arancc. The scenery on all sides of 1,oth anll
is ex-
trelllely picturcsque, rOllutntic and beautiful. The \VOOÙS,
in SOlne parts, skirt the olIgo of the water, anlongst \vhich
are seen the graceful l,irch, shining like a bilvcry COhulln
aulÎd the dark evergreens and underwood. Towering
pilcs of rocks are seen tORsed into fantastic
hapes, froul
the fi:ssurcs of which the fir, Lirch, and mountain a
h

DISTRICT OF TRINITY BAY.

1
2

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAb,

spring, waving with the slightest breeze. Here also is
heard the roaring of several large brooks thundering in
solitude, and creating an ever varying succession of spray
and foanl, as they dance along their course from rock to
rock in musical cascades.
In 1842, Trinity was visited by the first steamer, and
which was the second that ever appeared in Newfound-
land.. She was called the John JJfcAdam, and had been
previously employed running between Cork and Liver-
pool, and was sent to St. John's in order to be sold.
Trinity was long the seat of some of the oldest mercantile
establishments in Newfoundland. The
Iessrs. Garlands
and Slades, for a great number of years, carried on large
and flourishing trades. The premises that formerly be-
longed to
lr. Garland were afterwards owned by Messrs.
Brooking, Son & Co., of St. John's, ,vho carried on a large
trade there, presided over by their agent. The executors
of the late Robert Slade, also did a very extensive busi-
ness. The venerable William Kelson, Esq., the Isaac
Walton, of Newfoundland, resided here, who was ahvays
the unflinching advocate of the hook and line, over
all other modes of catching fish.
The Circuit Court sits at Trinity once a year. There
is a Stipendiary lVlagistrate and a Clerk of the Peace, and
also a Custom House Officer. There are also two lnedical
gentlemen. In _1838 a "Benefit Club" was est a blished
here which, since its organization, has paid to sick mem-
bers, and the relief of widows $2,000. Trinity has three
churches, which belong to the Episcopalians, Methodists,
and Roman Catholics. There is one English Church and
one Roman Catholic SchooL The population of Trinity
in 1836 was 1,253; in 1845 it was 1,268, and in 1857 it
was 1,510. In 1833, Trinity employed thirty-seven ves-
sels in the foreign trade, besides nineteen more in the seal
fishery. There are several populous settlements in the
neighbourhood of Trinity,such as Eughah Harbour, Trouty,
and Bonaventure. These places, with Catalina and Bird

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

133

Island Cove, are the only impoliant settlelücnt:-; on the
north side of the Bay. In 1857, over G,OOO pounds of soap
,vere manufactured in these settlementR. At Catalina i

found the celebrated "Catalina stone," iron pyrites. A
light-house has been erected on Green Island, at the en-
trance of the harbour. Random Sound i
a beautiful lake
of water, the shores of ,vhich are ,veIl adapted for culti-
vation. Here John Tilley, Esq., resides, \vho by indolnit-
able energy and perseverance rose from obscurity to
elninence as a man of learning. 1\11'. Tilley taught hinlself
to read and ,vrite at twenty-six years of age. He was the
first to comnlence brick-nlaking, and preserving sahnon in
tins in N e,vfoundland. The Rev. Henry Petley, l\lib:.,ion-
ary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, thus
describes his visit to Random Sounds in 1859 :

" I had long wished to go round Randonl Island, and visit
the people in the North-\Vest Arm and Smith's Sound, as the
two reaches of sea water on two sides of the triangle of Random
are called; the third side being that open to the bay, Trinity
Bay. To visit these, I started about half-past nine A.IVI., on
the 22nd August, frOln Heart's Content, and got off Hf'art's
Ease, across the bay about fourteen miles, about one. Upon
nearing my port here, Gooseherry Cove, I saw a punt with two
hands making towards DIe, and slackened nlY sheets to allow it
to come up ; it had my intrnded pilot on hoard, who wf'lconlCd
T11e, and finding I waS going the proposed journey, asked for a
couple of hours to get his breakfast and split his fish, for he
had heen fishing since dawn on an enlpty stomach. 'Ve were
soon under sail, and a light hreeze carried us np the N orth- \Vest
Arm of J{andonl, to near ßlr. Blundell's, Reekes's IIarLouJ',
when down came the rain, ánd we had to row a n1Ïle or so up to
his house. Blundell and his \Viff' were away in St John's, hut
his son received us kiwny, awl made up a hlazing fil'p, which

oon cll'inl our wet clothes. After tèa, at the request of young
Blundell, I read SOTIlC prayers, and explailH'd tIlt-' Guspel fur the
Suwlay Leforp, the Pal'al,le of tIll' Unjm;t
towarc.1. 80u11 after
we went to I'l'st, allel L slept HOlllHIly till ahout four A.l\1., whell
1 WêlH awoke by my worthy pilot going out and comnu'llcing

]34

K1<:WFOUNDLAND, At) IT 'VAS,

battle with SOlne Indian dogs, used by the Blundells for hauling
wood. The battle raged with fury whilst near the house, but
as it got lllore distant slackened and died away. But it COlll-
menced again more severely when the poor pilot thought to re

turn to the house; stones and sticks flew about, and I was ju
t
starting up, fearing the dogs were on him, when the door open-
ed, and the tumult ceased. Even the inmates of the houses
here are in dread of these dogs. I have not heard of their at-
tacks being fatal on men, but an Indian dog and three others
were shot in Heart's Content, only a week or two, for killing a
cow. They have a bad name, and deservedly. And yet some
of these dogs must have been the ancestors of the noble dogs
known in England as the breed of this island. The best are jet
black, and of good size; but the ordinary dogs, if not of the In-
dian breed, are very curs, and could be made to walk under the
English Newfoundland dog. There are here, some miles in,
renlains of Indian gardens; gooseberries, raspberries, and nuts
are still growing there in profusion. Mr. Blundell has a saw-
n1Ïll worked by water. From this harbour to Smith's Sound,
across Randonl, the distance is only, in Eastern phrase, a
couple of hours.
"Leaving early
after givïng away a few books, I went to a
place called Piston lVlere, where another saw-mill has been set
np; this has a lnore convenient wharf than any of the mills,
shallow water being found where the streams issue into the arm.
A house was building here for the owner's brother, and the
ground was good
sheltered and well cropped. It lies under
a cliff, which receives the warmth of the sun in the day, and
throws it back at night, thus causing an even temperature.
Whilst here, the rain fell in torrents; on its slackening a little,
we started, refusing, for want of tillIe, the friendly hospitality of
the people. The weather soon appeared decidedly against us, so
we were obliged to give up going to Maggotty Cove, Deep Bight,
and Upper Shoal Harbour, places like those we had visited,
occupied chiefly by Wesleyans, and similarly, each containing
two or three fan1Ïlies. After we had passed Foster's Point, a
dangerous shallow, with a rock, to take a skiffnp about a third
across the arm, we took to the oars, and rowed up under the
shore till we got past Bound's Heaù, when we got sail on the
boat, and ran across to 1\11'. Tilly's, of Lower Shoal HarLour.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

135

Here we threw out our grapnel in about eight feet of watf'r, and
waited for a 'flat' to take us ashore. \Ve were kindly enter-
tained by JUl". Tilly, an old gentleman, who appeared to have
found pleasure, and profit too, in scientific and learned pur-
suits. He is a \V e
leyan, and, as I was the first clergyn1an, I
believe, who had 'burst into this 5ilent sea,' I did not feel dis-
posed, single-handed, as I am in this mission, to discuss the
church question with hinl at any length, particularly when I
found him recognisin
the 'Vesleyan teachers as a lay body, and
giving me leave to have service in his house. He had a llomer's
Iliad in the Greek, which, as he did not want, he exchanged with
Ine, after Diomed's fashion, for Parker's National :Thliscellany.
I had no time to visit his saw-mill, or to take a walk into the
country to see the large pines, now only to be met with some three
miles in. But I saw his farm, a good extent of land for these
parts, bearing fine crops of potatoes, oats, and grass. There is
an old Englishman here, who is his principal labourer, who is
very careful over the potatoes. The next morning brought St.
Michael's Day, and the service, l\Iorning Prayer anù sermon,
\Vas well attended. I soon after had to leave. l\Iy visit here
gave nle much pleasure; the people were evidently more intel-
ligent than the usual settlers; and everything seemed to tell of
prosperity following the track of industry and order. 1\Ir. Tilly's
is about half-way between Trinity and the ele
tric telegraph
station in Bay of Bull-arm.
" Nearing the shoal water of the Bar, a score or two of ,vild
geese took to wing. Spurrell had a winter tilt near this, and
once on a l\iarch morning walked with two others to Trinity,
arriving there the same day about five o'clock.
larshes and
ponds, with a few woods, are the character of the interior of
the country. Leaving the Bar, we entered Smith's sound, and
after a long sail came to Burgon's or Berrigon's Cove, where
were three families. Opposite this, on the other side of the
sound were several small settlements, Apsey Cove, with a good
harbour, Lance Cove, LaUe Cove, Porridge Cove, &c., with
from one to three or four families, as I understood, in each.
The people have all come here within the last five years or less.
The land is good in places, and the fishing has been productive
this year; but the people seem living too much for the day.
The only one in these parts representing the 'king of men'

13ß

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT '\V AS,

(I have been reading Mr. T. 's Homer), has been the sheriff from
Harbour Grace last spring; whilst the sole visit of a pastor
they have had has been my own. The next morning they
came over, and I was sorry to tell them I could do nothing for
them in the way of church or school, their numbers being so
few. Mr. Corbury, my host at Burgon's Cove, has an old Eng-
lishman with him, the only man about here who can read; he
has been in the habit of reading part of the services on Sundays.
1\Ir. Corbury wished to have a burial-ground consecrated, but
as this was beyond my power, and as performing a partial ser-
vice might have seemed to fix a station for a church, I thought
it best to ask him to wait for the present.
" After the service, l\iorning Prayer with two christenings
and a sermon, we started again, and soon passed the slate qual'-
ries, naw hecoming useful to the colony, and rowed, under a hot
sun, t'J near a tickle called the Thoroughfare, containing four or
five houses, where a slight breeze relieved us, and brought us
once more out into the Bay. Here we had to take to our oars
again, and row to Rider's Harbour, where a poor fisherman named
Bayly, kindly entertained us, and I gave him of such things as
I could, holding a ser..ice in his house, and christening two of
his children; sponsors for whom, as well as the majority of the
congregation, were found from some boats lying in the harbour.
I ought to have mentioned the pleasure it gave me when a poor
man, who had been grass-cutting, came alongside of me as I was
coming in, and gave me for himself and his neighbours a kindly
invitation to Island's Eye, or Ireland's Eye, a very primitive
place, where there is a little school-church, in which, if report
speaks correct, psalmody is unknown. But as this is out of my
l\Iission, I could only say I had no time for such a visit. Here
are great quantities of raspberries, and soon after arriving I had
some with milk-very reíreshing after the day's work

"N ext morning we breakfasted a bout four, and were soon off,
wishing to reach Heart's Ease before night. The distance was
not great; but the wind, blowing fresh, was right ahead. We
rowed up to Deer Harbour head, when we hoisted sail, and beat
up, standing off and on between the small islands which dot the
coast here, and the main. We made our way up towards the
Eastern Head of Random, a fine bold point where iron ore, or
something unknown to Sinbad, attracts the compasses of passing

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

1:{7

boats, and renders them useless. 1\1 y pilot once had the needle
of his compass spinning here, in a gale of wind and fog, and by
this he guessed where he was, just before the fog lifting showed
the Head right above him. After passing the Eastern Head a
squall of wind and rain carne on, and if the little boat had not
hooked well up into the arnl, as Spurrell said, we should have
had to r
n back again. One or two tacks brought us well into
the arm, and under the Western Head, where the wind fell, and
we ha(rto row into tlH
tickle above Heart's Ease, where the wind
came on smart again, and we beat up to Gooseberry Cove about
fi ve o'clock."

The most important place to Trinity is Old Per-
lican on the south side of the Bay, ,vhich is one of the
oldest scttIelllents. It had a population in 18:57 of 793.
The next populous settlements are Grate's Cove, Hant's
Harbour, New Perlican, and Heart's Content, each of
which has a population of from four to six hundred, ,vith
churches and schools. At Old Pcrlican there iF; a l\letho-
dist church and school. Stephen l\1 arch , Esq., carried on
a n1ercantile establishlnent here, and is no\v a menlner of
the Assembly, and a lllcrchant in St. John's. There is
also a
rêthodist chureh and
chool. There is a nlercan-
tile cstablishlllent, ,vhich is a branch of 1vIessrs. Slade's,
of Trinity.
At New Per1ican, there is an Episcopal church and
school. There are also two luercantilc estaLlishments.
N cw Perlican is cele brate( 1 as heing the residence of the
Astrologer of Newfoundland, the late 1\11'. PittInan, who
was an Englishman, and fonnerly agent for Oarland'

hou::;e, of Trinity. New Perlican is faruous for ship-
lJtli1<1 ing.
At All IIeart's Cuntent there iH an Episcopal church
and school. There are several lIlcrchantH resiclcnt here.
A paeket-l,uat run:-; frulH thi:-; plnce to Trinity once a 'Vel\k..
llere are the buildings of the .l\..tlantic rrclegrnph C(Hn-
pa 11 y.
The next placc
uf allY iluportaIlcl' ar(" N e\v Harhon t.

138

E'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

and Dildo Cove. At the former place
Mr. Newhook re-
Hided, a I1wl"chant and Hhip-huilder. Dildo Cove is noted
as heing the residence of the late celebrated Tonl Fitz-
gibbon 1\loore, a poor fishennan, who was the represen-
tative of Trinity Bay, in 1836, in the Recond House of
AHsemhlyof Ne'\vfoundland. Trinity Bay is famous for
ship-building. In 1836 the population of Trinity Bay
was G,803.
In 1857, the following was the population:-
6,016 Church of England.
1,253 Roman Catholics.
3,460 \Vesleyan Methodists.
4 Free Church of Scotland.
3 Congregationalists.

Total ..... 10,736

In 1874,
8,417 Church of England.
1,583 Roman Catholics.
5,653 Wesleyan l\lethodists.
8 Free Church of Scotland.
4 Congregationalists.
2 Baptists.

Total...... 15,667
There were 12 Churches of England.
3" Rome.
8" Methodist.
There were also 1,747 dwelling-houses; 20 schools,
with 1,035 scholars. There were 1,819 acres of land in
cultivation, the annual produce of which were 916 tons
of hay, 10 bushels of '\vheat and harley, 39,312 bushels
potatoes, 205 bushels of turnips, 277 hushels of tÏ1nothy
aJHl clover seed, 126 bushels of other root crops. Of live

tock there were 1,:352 neat cattle, 680 Inilch cows, 240

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

120

horSCH, fj:36 sheep, ana 1,:
!)5 s\vinc and goats. There
\vere five saw tnills, valued at
6,OOO. The quantity of
Lutter luanufacturea ,\Tas 10,1:36 pounds. The I1U1111)or of
vessels eniployed in the seal and cod fisheries was 37
hoats carrying fronl 4 to 30 quintals of green fish an<< I
np,vards. Nets and lines, 1,033. Quantity of fish cured
aç; follo,vs :-

86,723 quintals of codfish.
176 teices of saln1on.
1,072 barrels of herring.
The nurnher of seals taken was 6,100. Seal nets
o\vned, 234. Quantity of oil manufactured, 95,562
gallons.
The follo\ving are the nurn LeI' of vessels employed in
the seal fishery at different perioùs fronl Trinity Bay:-

Year. Ships. Tons. l\fen.
1834. . . . . . . .19. . . . . . . . 1,539. . . . . . .. 418
1844. . . . . . . .35. . . . . . . . :2,908. . . . . . . .1,013
1847 . . . . . . . .69. ..... . . . 6,OnU. . . . . . . .2,101
1848. . . . . . . .6.3 . . . . . . . .5,880. . . . . . . .1,922
1840. . . . . . . .40. . . . . . . .4,320. . . . . . . .1,14U
1853. . . . . . . .25

Some of the above vessels ,vere
ent froin St. John's to
Catalina and Rant's Harl)our in the Fall to he fitted ont
for the seal fishery. The above al
o include
ix schoonel'1')
belonging to Bonavisto \vhich sailed froni Catalina.
The nunl1)er of seals Iuanufacturo(l in Trinity Bay
<<luring the years 183U and lð45 ,vas as follows :-
In 183 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,.
üO
In 1
4.) . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,350
At Trinity, the practicp for a lluluher of y('ars ha(lllpl'n
to c1ail11 for the o,vners of the Hailing vessels, a lIlan's
share llC.'yollcl the 11\11111)u1" of persons engage(l in the \0)-
age. In lK:)6, ho\vevcl', the hardy seal hunters (lutcl"ll\iul'd

140

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

to
Ul)}llit to this iniquitous practice no longer, They
held a public n1eeting and threw the "dead tHan over-
board."
lVleasures were taken to extend a subn1arine Telegraph
across the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Ireland."
The following is from Lieutenant Maury, of the U. S.
navy:-

" The United States
brig " Dolphin," Lieutenant-Command-
ing O. H. Berryman, was employed last summer upon spf'cial
service connf'cted with the researches that are carried on at this
office concerning the winds and currents of the sea.
"Her observations were confined principally to that part of
the ocean which the merchantmen, tts they pass to and fro upon
the business of trade between Europe and the United States,
use as their great thoroughfare.
"Lieutenant Berryman availed himself of this opportunity to
carry along, also, a line of deep sea soundings from the shores
of Newfoundland to those of Ireland.
"The result is highly interf'sting, in so far as the bottom of
the sea is concerned, upon the question of a submarine tele-
graph across the Atlantic, and I therefore beg leave to make it
the subject of a special report.
" This line of deep sea soundings seems to be decisive of the
questions as to the practicability of a submarine telegraph be-
tween the two continents, in so far as the bottom of the deep
sea is concerned.
"From Newfoundland to Ireland the distance between the
nearest points is about 1,600 miles; and the bottom of the sea
between the two places is a plateau, which seems to have been
placed there especially for the purpose of holding the wires of a
submarine telegraph, and of keeping them out of harm's way.
It is neither too deep nor too shallow; yet it is so deep that the
wires, but once landed, will remain forever beyond the reach of
vessels' anchors, icebergs, and drifts of any kind; and so shallow
that the wires may Le readily lodged upon the bottOlU.
" The depth of this plateau is quite regular, gradually increas
ing, from the shores of N ewfouncUand to the depths of fi'on!'
1,500 to 2,000 fathonls, as you approach the other
ide.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

141

" The distancebetween Ireland and Cape St. Charles, or Capp
St. Lewis, ,...in Labrador, is somewhat less than the distance
fronl a.ny point of Ireland to the nearest point of Newfound-
land.
" But whether it ,vould be better to lead the wires from N ew-
foundland or Labrador is not now the question; nor do I pre-
tend to consider the question as to the possibility of finding a
tinle cahn enough, the sea Sillooth enough, a wire long enough,
a ship big enough, to lay a coil of wire sixteen hundred miles
in length; though I have no fear but the enterprise and ingen-
uity of the age, whenever called on .with these problenls, will be
ready with a satisfactory and practical solution of thenl.
"I simply address myself, at this time, to the question in so
far as the bottom of the sea is concerned, and as far as that, the
greatest practical difficulties will, I apprehend, be found after
reaching soundings at either end of the line, and not in the deep
sea.
" I submit herewith a chart, showing the depth of the Atlantic
according to the deep-sea soundings, made fronl tiule to time, on
board of vessels of the navy, by authority of the Department,
and according to instructions issued by the Chief of the Bureau
of Ordnance and Hydrography. This Chart is Plate XIV. of
the sixth edition of 'l\Iaury's Sailing Directions.'
" By an examination of it, it will be perceived that we have
acquired by these simple means a pretty good idea as to the
depression below the sea-level, of the solid crust of our planet
which underlies the Atlantic Ocean. and constitutes the basin
that holds its waters. .
" A wire laid across from either of the above-named places.
on this side will pass to the north of the Grand Banks, and rest
on that beautiful plateau to which I have alluded, and where
the waters of the sea appear to be as quiet and as completely at
rest as at the bottom of a mill-pond.
" It is proper that the reasons shoulJ be stated for the infer-
ence that there are no perceptible currents, anù no abrading
agents at work at the bottom of the sea upon this telegraphic
plateau.
"I derive this inference from a study of a physical fact
which I little deemed, when I sought it, had any such
bearings.

142

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

"It is unnecessary to speak on this occasion of the germs
which physical facts, even apparently the most trifling, are
often found to contain.
"Lieutenant Berryman brought up with Mr. Brook's deep
sea line sounding apparatus specimens of the bottom from this
plateau.
" I sent them to Professor Bailey, of West Point/for exan1Ïn-
ation under his microscope. This he kindly gavè, and that
eminent microscopist was quite as lnuch surprised, as I ,vas to
learn, that all these specitnens of deep-sea sounding are filled
with microscopic shells; to use his own words, , not a particle
of sand or gravel exists in them.'
" These little shells, therefore, suggest the fact that there
are no currents at the bottom of the sea, whence they came-
that Brook's lead found them where they were deposited in
their burial-place after having lived and died on the surface,
and by gradually sinking were lodged on the bottom.
Had there been currents at the bottom, these would have
swept and abraded, and mingled up with these microscopic
remains, the debris of the bottom of the sea, such as oozle, sand,
gravel, and other matter; but not a particle of sand or gravel
was found lying among them. Hence the inference that these
depths of the sea are not disturbed either by waves or cur-
rents.
" Consequently, a telegraphic wire once laid there, there it
would remain, as completely beyond the reach of accident as it
would be if buried in air-tight cases. Therefore, so far as the
bottom of the deep sea between Newfoundland, or the North
Cape, at the mouth of the St. Lawrence, and Ireland is con-
cerned, the practicability of a submarine telegraph across the
Atlantic is proved."
Bay of Bull's Arnl, in Trinity Bay, has acquired great
celebrity as being the place of landing of the first Atlantic
Telegraph Cable.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

143

CHAPTER 'TI.

DIHTRICT OF BOXAVISTA BAY.

HE first land discovered in N e\vfoundland by the
'@. Cabots, appears to have been about Cape Bonavista,
and to \vhich they gave the nan1e of l'e1'l'ct PirrLU'rn
Vista (the land first seen), happy sight or vie\v. The
celebrated navigator Jacques Cartier 1eing recoll1mended
by Chabot, .A.dIniral of France, was entrusted with a
comrnission to form colonies. He arrived at Newfound-
land on the lOth of 1.Iay, 1534, and touched at Cape Bon-
avista, thence sailed along the coast until he entered the
the Gulf of St. La\vrence. In 1G96, when the French
fleet destroyed St. John's, and nearly every other settle-
ment in the island, the British settlers in Bonavista suc-
sessfully defended themselve:s. In 1760 the celebrated
Captain J alnes Cook visited Bonavista and
urveyed the
coast. The French were allowed to fish along the shores
of Bonavista Bay until the Peace of 17t)3, \vhen their right
to fish along this part of the coast was relinquished.
Tracc:s of the French occupancy are still to be seen, con-
sisting of heaps of stones \vhich ,vere used for the purpose
of curing fish on; also several rude grave stones which
marks the Lurial place of their dead. Cape Bonavista is
dashed by the ocean lJillo\vs, \vhich
eem to struggle for
the Inastery, as they atteInpt to scale the lofty cliffs ,vhich
guar,l the shure. Here, in IH4:
, an excpllent light house
was erected 1JY the local Government. \rhat is called
Cape Bonavista is a narl'O'V strip of lan<l, jutting a1uut
three luiles into the ocean. It is ta11e land, and agricul-
tural operations have recently Leen pursued there to SOUle
extent. Bunavista and its environs are quite level, all of
which are well culti vate<l lllCado\vs and gardens. At

144

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
Lance Cove, is the greatest natural curiosity in the neigh-
bourhood of the Town of Bonavista. This is a grotto
formed by the action of the sea, and very inappropriately
termed by the inhabitants" The Dungeon." It is about
thirty feet deep and three hundred yards in circumference,
situated about a hundred yards from the edge of the clift:
On one siùe of the botton1 of this cave are two channels,
each about seven feet wide, arched over with grit stone,
into which th e old oceans thunders its milky foam. Dur-
ing a heavy sea the sound is deafening, resembling the
noise made by the working of the machinery of a large
mill. On the other side is a small beach, formed by the
action of the waves, on which the earth is constantly
foundering from above. This roofless cavern-for it is all
open to the light of day, except the channels at the bot-
tom, and may be called a pit rather than a cavern-must
enlarge very fast owing to the soft material which pre-
sents itself to obstruct the progress of the sea.
About forty years ago, in the winter season, a very
singular and most extraordinary sound was heard in the
neighbourhood of Bonavista. It comlnenceù about three
o'clock in the afternoon and lasted until the next day
about noon. The lllen at Bird Island Cove were going
about nearly all night, SOlne '\vith loaded guns, some with
hatchets, and others with whatever weapon they could
cOll1ll1and. The sound is described as resell1bling distant
thunder. It has also been cOlnpared to the growl of a
bear, the bellowing of a cow, &c., conveying a deep sepul-
chral tone. What is most strange and unaccountable is
that it appeared alongside of everybody, although at the
tÏ1ne some were at a distance from each other of from one
to five ll1iles. Men hau1ing wood at the tÏ1ne thought the
sound call1e out of the ground ill1mediately under the
slide or teall1, and, in some instances, were so alarmed as
to leave the wood behind. Several females thought a
bear had got into their chambers, and ran terrified from
their dwellings.

AND AS IT
Ib IN 1877.

145

This singular sound could not have originated fron1 the
rumbling noise luade by the ice, because no ice, at the
tin ie, ,vas near the coast-neither would the noise l1lade
by the ice be heard in the peculiar manner this sound was
heard; and it does not, appear to have been sYlnptonls of
an earthquake, because no tremLling nor the slightest
nlotioll ,vas felt in the earth; and nothing remarkable
occurred imn1ediately after the sound passed a,vay, except-
ing that two days after\\?ards one of the heaviest ground-
seas ever known took place. The origin of this sound
could hardly be the eruption of some distant vulcano, the
neare
t of the
e being in Iceland, though Sir Stanford
Raffles states that the detonations produced by the erup-
tions of Tombora, a volcanic mountain in SUlnbawa, were
heard at a di
tance of nine hundred and seventy mile
.
This sound is ternied by the inhabitants of Bonavista and
Bird Island Cove, the" thunder-growl."
At the time of the great earthquake at Lisbon, in 1755,
the effects were felt at Bunavista.
The sea retired and left the head of the harbour dry for
the space of ten lliinutes, whûn it again fio,ved in and
rose to an unusual height, overflowing several1l1cadows,
for about the sarne space of tinle as it had retired, and the
waters on each side of the Cape ,vere greatly agitated.
Bona-vista is the capital of the district of Bonavista} and
in Ih45 contained a population of 2,097. There is a very
ne
(t Church of England here, also a 1\Iethodist Uhurch,
an(l a ROllIn,}) Catholic. The Rev. Henry Jones, a Church
of England .Minister \vas settled here in 1725. The first

Iethodist n1ÏIlister stationed here was the Rev. George
Srnith, who endured great privation and suffering. He,
ho\\"cver received great ho<.;pitality from Dr. 'Mayne, who
aftel",vanls rClnOVC(} to Ilarhour Grace. The ,vriter has
read an autograph lettcr ii'om thc celcbratcd Dr. Adam
Clarke, aa(lrc:-;sed to Dr. Alayne, thanking Ihirn for his
kinùness to George SulÏth. l'he lettcr ,vas accolllpanief1
by the J)uctUl"S Treati:-;e (just then published). "On the
J

146

NE'V:FOUNDLAND, AS IT W A8.

Use and Abuse of Tobacco." Bonavista has a fine Court
House and Gaol, and two well-conducted Public Schools.
The Circuit Court sits here once a year. In 1857, two
hand-looms were in operation here, fron1 which were
manufactured one hundred yards of comn10n cloth. Soap
and candles were also n1anufactured.
WIll. Sweetland, Esq., (well known for his literary ac-
quiren1ents) was the late resident police magistrate.
Cape Bonavista is celebrated for the great number of
seals usually obtained there. During the early part of
the sealing voyage, seals can always be obtained off thiE
Cape.
In the month of March the field-ice paRses along the
northern and eastern shores of Newfoundland, and S0111e-
times, for weeks, nothing is to be seen but the glittering
surface of the icy ocean. This floating ice brings with it
in1mense numbers of seals. N un1bers of seals are taken
at Bonavista in seal nets. The late
lr. Saint usually
obtained froill one hundred to three hundred during the
winter and spring. In 1843 the number of seals taken at
Bonavista, by persons who went off on the ice fron1 the
shore, was estimated at 20,000 ; and it was calculated that
40,000 were taken to the shore throughout the Bay; and
in 1862 it is said 150,000 seals were taken a few miles
fron1 the shore on the ice, in this Bay and the Bay of
Notre Dan1e. Some years ago the ice was packed and
jaIlllned so tight in Bonavista BRY for several weeks, that
the seals on it could find no opening to go down, when
numbers of then1 crawled upon an island, and some people
happening to land upon the island discovered them. It is
said 1,500 seals were slaughtered among the bushes. Seals
have been known, when pressed in with the ice, to crawl
across Cape Bonavista, a distance of half-a-mile, to the
,vater on the opposite side.
The number of vessels employed from Bonavista in the
seal fishery, is seven. These vessels, however, usually sail
from Catalina, owing to Bonavista being an unsafe har-

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

147

bour for shipping. Agriculture is pursued very extensively
in the village of Bonavi:;,ta. The quantity of potatoes
raised in Ih43, w"ere 45,000 bushels. '\'0' ere it not for their
gardens, the fishennen of Bonavista coulù not live. Her-
ring and potatoes are the principal food of the poorer class
of the inhabitants. There is no part of N e,vfoundland
where I haye &een ;:,0 much poverty as in Bonavista, in
1841 and 1842.

" There is much nourishment in fish, little less than butcher's
meat, weight for weight; and in effect it may be more nourish-
ing, considering how, from its soft fibre, fish is more easily
digested. l\Ioveover, there is in fish a substance that does not
exist in the flesh of land animals, viz., iodine-a substance which
may have a beneficial effect on the health, and tend to prevent
the production of scrofulous and tubercular disease,-the latter
in the fornl of pulmonary consumption, one of the most cruel
and fatal with which the civilized, highly educated, and refined
are afflicted. Comparati ve trials prove that, in the maj ority of
fish, the proportion of solid matter-that is, the matter which
remains after perfect desication, or the expulsion of t}w aqueous
part-is little inferior to the several kinds of butcher's meat,
game or poultry. And if we give attention to classes of people,
classed as to the quality of food they principally subsist on, we
find that the ichthyophagus class are especially strong, healthy,
and prolific. In no class, than that of fishers, do we see larger
families, handsomer women, more robust and active Inen, or 3
greater exemption from maladies."

The potato disease was a terrible calan1ity to the poor
people of Bonavista; yet not,vithstanding the poorneB
of
the dict, a hardier, healthier, or better looking race of tucn
are not to be found upon the face of the gIoLe. A grcat
part of the poverty of Bonavista, is o\ving to the \vant of
roum to erect stagcf) and flakes for the fishcry. llalf the
fishermen, in consequence of their having nu \vater-si(le
prcnÜses, cannot" go on the plant," as it is callcf 1 (all the
tishenncn \vho keep a boat <1ncl elllp]oy 1Jlèn, or even keep
a skiff and fi
h alone, are cLLlled " planters" in N e\vfound-

148

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

land), they are therefore obliged.'to go as sharemen,-that
is, the planter finds every requisite for the prosecution of
the fishery, for which the shareman allows hÎ1n half his
catch of fish; but, unlike the sharemen of Conception
Bay, the practice at Bonavista is for the shareman to pay
the planter for his diet.
The shareman of Bonavista Bay catches 50 qtls. of
fish for the summer (which is beyond the usual catch),
out of this, 2j qtls. only belongs to himself; and when
the planter is paid for his diet, the poor sharenlan has
about 14 qtls. to call his own, out of which he may have
to support a family of from five to ten persons, from
the beginning of October to the comn1encen1ent of the
fishery in June, unless he may catch a few seals in
M arch. Vegetables, then, are indispensi ble to the poor
of Bonavista, in order to a subsistence. The islands
of ice which sonletimes ground near Bonavista in the
spring, no doubt has a tendency to check the progress
of vegetation. These icebergs appear like crystal castles,
with their high and glittering pinnacles, towering in soli-
tary grandeur, and sometimes reflecting the most beautiful
colours. Son1e of these icebergs a.re several hundred feet
in altitude above the level of the sea; it is calculated that
seven-eighths are belo\v the surface. Captain Ross saw
several of then1 together in Baffin's Bay, aground in water
1,500 feet deep. One of these in1n1ense masses of ice ex-
ploded in the summer of 1843, about a mile from Bird
Island Cove, '\vith a tremendous noise like the rumbling
of heavy thunder. Several large streams of water were
running off it a long tin1e before it burst. One side of it
was covered '\vith a quantity of earth and small stones. I
have been informed by several persons that they have seen
htrge trees eIllbedded in then1, which appeared as if torn
froll1 the earth by SOlne violent force.
It is said that n1any icebergs contain rocks and earth,
frequently exceeding 50,000 tons. Captain Scoresby de-
scribes a large iceberg drifting along, locked with earth

AND A:':; rr IS IN 1877.

149

and rocks, conjectured to be froln 50,000 to 100,000 tons,
and other ohservcr
speak of lnillions of tons of stune ana
other solid Blatter carried Ly the ice. Thcy arc, no doulJt,
agents in the production of shoals, as ,vhel'cver they
ground and are disolve(l, the earth and stoneS lllust sink
to the bottonl, thereby diIniniç;hing the depth of the ,vater.
c; In this Inanner," saYf; Lyell, "Inany suhJnarine valleys,
Hlountains, and platfol'ln
1eCOJlle strc\ved over ,vith
gravel, sand, HUHI, an(l
cattere(l blocks of foreign rocks,
of a nature perfectly ùissiulÏlar froln all in thc vicinity,
an(l \vhich luay have been transported across unfathoIn-
:t l,le abysses. If the bergs happen to Jnelt in still \vater,
so that the earthy and stony Inaterials Inay fall tranquilly
to the bottom, the deposit \\Till probably 1c unstratific(l
like thc tern1Ïnal Inol'aine of a glacicr; 1ut ,vhenever the
lilatel'ials are uIl(ler the influence of a current of ,vatcr
as they fall, they ,viII be sorte( 1 and arranged according
to their relative weight and si7.c, and therefore I110re or
less perfectly stratified. There can Le little doubt that
j(.eLl.rgs often hreak uff the peaks and projecting points
of sulnnal'ine Inountains, ancllllust grate upon and polish
their surface, furro,ving thetn or scratching thCHl prccisely
the Hanle ,yay as the glaciers act on the solid rock ovcr
\vhieh they arc propelled."
. By lileans of these iccl)ergs a large quaIÌtity of water
IS rcturncd to the occan. If it ,vcre not for the I1l0VCInent
of the glaciers, vast accutllulation
of sno,v and ice \vould
1'0 pile(l nlountainH high in the polar regions. Glacicrs
have ha(l an ilnportant intluence in the distribution of
anitnals ovcr the globe. The nULl IlH loth, elephant, anù
Jilastecioll have Leen founù inlbe(ld('(l in thelll. There is
scarcely any part of the \vorl( 1 ,\
h ieh at
onle tilHe was
not
ulHllerged, and \vherc traces of t4e action of iccl)crgs
().' of glacicrs eannot he foun( 1. In parts no\V far l'CIHove<1
frolll the ic y re(rions there al'l'\ Inark..H } )luuO'hed centuries
o , 0
a
o by the passage of glacierH to the sea, or of iC<,l )crgs
dashing UIl the ro('ky coast-lines uf thl' prilneval ,vorl(]

150 NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VA
,

(, i .
,
' I ' I I
\ J r" i" I
1 / '1' ( I I 11

r /:1 i
'
/

fI% " I !I ,i' I

I

I, \ I

' il lm)rtl
-f!/ .

\

, II :iI' I ,: ! t 1\ "''7d
,I\--- -
), ','-.:.. "'-

I "'III I J ll j

, 'Ii: ' \ I

": \

:- -
.
!

It;'
.

..
.j'l / I "'I' ' I ' I
, ' 1 \ I '
'
,.,.,. .
" ' I !,III I 'I""I

! l j l l:' ,I I ' I';,:J.
)
-i:.':. ,- ,':

;;

; "'i>
.'
,
'.:
"
fd' ll l
' 1 ' /'1 1 11 ' ,I :r ! 1(,' I 'I .t'{
i

:
'
:

' f f?-
III ' " I ! /: i :1,'AIII/1\ :

r; :1!7j i
:

, . " .
_
.

I:ll -i\\L_
,.

1

1 C
I iI,
'" "', .
'f '; I,"

'
. ' \ "
I' ' ' I \1. :=I(
"""

.
,. ",. =:. I'
, ' ;.,
=,: , .' q 1iJ.' . " I '
I?;.:; " 'J

i/..

1 I .If
: IA

-
1 1 1 II I I'

\'. , '
I
-I ,;-
, -\
It'--
'\' \

'1

I \ 1 ' 1 ' i*
7' ", , : I, l "-',
:;, I \

\ I '
I ,I, -"'
'- < 'I
"
/:
:
"11 '
" , J W II "!, , " I , , 'i
- J 1 1 " r " ,,
III\' _ i;:, . - _
l i;f! I' r(,,<
"
: ,'I': 1 " / / , .'í:" " :,'1 , ',..;. -
'
' I ,'I #':1:: ,:
:'
I':
,\: ý;'
.
',I, :1
ljlli 'IIII!II , If,1 h ,::,
.
); / 11 1 I "IIIi',' ',I

1r1

1
,
,

: II " I I '1'i '
i
,III
I ,I, 1,;ì,
"'1.

-
,

"!" ii, , :,I
\ ,;f 1,
)II ! II ", d
I} ','t
F. --

II ' 1 1.tj. - , "1 Ilk '>>In
-, H
,I ' I ' I 'tIf
:I.i ," fJ' I,

I,
;

, ::,,111,1 1 ,. ' " "tf,/1 " :".
r', .:
'" -1.',

I' ' 11 1/ 1 1 ii ll ' li
ij' l I
;
", ] 'I I I,.' '\
II I-'
'; I :

,

II I II "! 1 ' 11 ,1 'J ','iT' i' ,',;: 'I .
. 'J _ - 'r" :
æ
'I ' l l i I I 'I n l ", ,r:: ,t 1/,
I 1,1:/ , '
, , ,

00
' I ' Iii, I '1'1 !
I'
:,-I'" ' ... .
1
,
'

1 / IIIJ,!.:IJ!;;li / '/,.,j I !".I;,

li
: ' .
,j I:, ""'Ii
,),

, -. :
" :: IIIIJII :/lli" /,,1, \
'I :) .. i

I
,I
..
;L';-., j\ '"
I'i 1 ' . 1 1 1 1 / ,, / 1: 1 1/:, \ 1 I (I II r i
. · ,', "
' '
ll

ø:

t
j, :,
1 , '1 ,1 ,:' I I
I, 'i" ," ..).
' , ,,'
,
--:.'

..
ill I :
!' ,1ft. ,,-.____
', ',)\',1, ('"

r'

.
'I I, ' II I' H> r. ,I

'
,It-....

I,
I J,
, t"
--- r -
-1\
. "::'::
I , ,
.
-

t- :p
:-
, (f .
I1IIIII1 & I. , I'" " '; _'
-
II- ," ' 1 ",'.t1.l J ),'"

,
...:.::....-=< .. _
' "
" I II
l
lr '," ,'\1\ f

=' 'J
-- = 4 " ....
,
"
.
"'.==
'I,

---- -
,

II , I <',
. '" _
-= I
___..:;.... _ "-
1,1" F/Jf, J I. '
...

',
ç'
" W I < ' 'j :;/" " \
.
_ -

.
'
,
'" . ,,',I , I . - , . I ." ___ .. <!!
I
,/I ' h. ':-\.:'
, \ l

" , '

'

II 'I! )1, :'0" .' '
A(j
,
I I ,1'
, I
'
q' IrJ
" ",III

I
tl 'I
" J'r/!1 ,,If I U'I .!I,
f'li 'f I \
\

l
' II \11
,,111/ 1
j !1!llk\!
'J
"

AXD AS rr IS IN 1877.

151

Sir \VilliaTfi Logan sho,ved me SOlne very beautiful

lah.; in the .àl useUlll in Montreal, Inal'ked \vith the
grooves of the glacier grinding over them at SOlnc relIlote
age. Thesc islands of ice are
upposcd to be lllasses (le-
tached hy the action of the \vaves fronl the vast glaciers
(lescending into valleys tern1Înating in the sea, ,vhich are
kno,vn to abound in Greenland, Spitzbergen, and other
high polar latitudes.
Dr. Urville saw one glacier in the
outhern ocean,
thirteen n1Ïles long, with vertical walls one hunch"ed feet
high. The great Humboldt Glacier, connecting Greenland
and "1' ashington Land,
hows a solid glassy ,vall three
hun(lred feet above the sea, with an unkno,vn depth
hl'lll'ath, '\vhile its curved face bo,vecl by pressure fro)}}
llehind, extends sixty n1Ïles in length. Dr. Hayes mea-
:.;urc(l an iceberg in Baffin'
Bay, which "'
as three hun-
drec I and fifty feet above the sea, and three-fourths of a
lnile long. Itg total height ,vas t,vo thou
and eight hun-
dred feet.
])uring Captain Ross's Arctic expedition, he discovered
lan(l frolIl 9,000 to 20,000 feet in height, perfectly cov-
ered with eternal :;;now, and the glaciers descending fronl
the 11lountain sUllunit projecting nlany n1Île
into the
ocean, presenting a. perpendicular face of lofty cliffs.
These icy break-waters are undenuined and excavated by
the waves, and in proportion as the excavations are en-
larged and the sno\v and ice accuHlulate a10ve and be-
COltle heavier, iHlmense lnasscs fall into the sea, \vhence
COlne the icebergs "\vhich appear in the spring along the
eastern anù northern shores of
e,vfounùlanù. They arc
lookcd upon a
(lreatlful engine:.; of de
trnction l,y all
lllariners. l\Iany ves
els engaged in the s(;al fishery fre-
quently COlne in contact \vith thClIl, \vhen sOlnetiules ve",-
sels and crc\vs are (;ugulphcd in the Inighty dcep.

" As when in northern sea8, at midnight ùark,
.An isle of ice encounter!:; some swift ha.rk,
.And !:;tartling' all itH wretcheH from their Hleep,
13yone coM impul:ic hurl::. thclll to thp deep."

1.52

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

The next Ï1nportant place to Bonavista is Groen's Ponù,
which is an island composed of granite, on the north sidl'
of the Bay. It contains a population of about 900. The
principal nlerchants formerly were Booking, Son & Co.,
Wm. Cox & Co., and Burry & Carter. There is a cUF;t
ln
houf;e officer and postnlaster, also a justice of the peace.
A circuit court sits here once a year. There is a neat
Episcopal Church and large congregation.
In IH34 Green's Pond employed 12 vessels in the seal
fishery. In 1847 there were 13 veHsels elnployed, an<l in
1849, including a few vessels from the other northern
harbours, there were '27 vessels employed, of an aggregate
tonnage of 1,850, carrying 75i Inen. There is abo a con-
siderable foreign trade.
The nUH1ber of sealF; Inanufacturecl at Green'F; Pond ill
1839 was 11,500, and in 1845 there were 4,800.
The next populous places are Salvage, King's Cove, and
Open Hall.
At the head of Bonavista Bay there are nUlnerous
islands, and the scenery is interesting and ùeautiful.
Considerable quantities of pine boards are sawed there in
the winter season.
In 1836, the population of Bonavista Bay ,vas 5,183.
The agricultural produce then was 62,287 bushels of
potatoes and 1
4 tons of hay. The live stock consisted of
57 horses, 377 neat cattle, 693 hogs, and 60 sheep.
In the year 1845 the population of Bonavista Bay Was
as follo\vs:

4,684 Episcopalians.
1,809 Roman Catholics.
727 Methodists.
7 Presbyterians.

7,227 Total.
The number of churches was :-

Episcopal............................. ......... 11
Roman Catholics . . .... . .. .. .. .. ... ... . ... 2
Methodists. . .. . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . .' ...... 1

Tlwre \VPJ'e 1 ,O:
!) tl\\'elIlug houses, and ) 7 sehools, " ith
(;
9 scholars.
There \".ere 1 079 acrcs of lan(1 in cultivation, produci1lg
annually 25,H71 Lusheis of potatoes; 272 IJtlshels of oats
and other grain; and 2ßO tons of hay. There \vere 121
horses, and 967 cattle.
Acco},fling to the census of 1857, the population of
Bonavista Bay ,vas as follo,vs :-
Church of England.... .5,714
It()]nan Catho1icR...."'. . .2,0:30
'V (.sleyan
I (.thOf lists.. 1 ,Ok:

Fn'e Church,
cotlan(l. .
J
Congregationalists ...... 14-
Ba p tis tR. . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . ()

AJ'\D AS rr IS IN 1877.

T( )tal S,K!)O

153

In lR74-6,8G4
" :!/>!)!)
" :1,;):
1
" 12

"

2

"

4

Total 1 :
,() 12

The Jl11l1l IJer of places of ,vorship "'as :-
Churches of England ........... ...... ....... ) 1
Ronlan Catholic . . .... ... . . ... .. ... ........ .. 4
'V e:-.:;le }'an . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1
There arc 1,3ôO (hvelling-houscs, and 19 schools, \vith
812 pupils. There were 1,278 acre
of land under culti-
vation, yielding annually ü04 tons of hay; 49 bushel
uf
\vheat anf} Larley; .
l)ushels of oats; (jü,407 Lushels of
potatoes; 2,2071Jushels of turnips; anf1405 bushels of other
root crops. There \vere 733 head cattle; 258 Iuilch cows;
67 hor::.;es; 87:3 Hheep; :
,2!):3 s\vine and (roats. Quantity
of hutter Inanufactnred, 2,üG1 pounds, a
d 1G poun(ls of
chee
e. The nUlnlJer of vessels clnployed iu the seal aJHI
('0(1 fisheries \vas 57. Boats carr y in o ' froIH fonr to thirty
b .
({utIs and uI)\\"ar<1s of green fish, 7
3. Quantity of fish
cured, 9
,942 qutls of c(}(}-tish ; It)2 tit'rs of sahnon; and
1 GO 1,arrels of herring. The nnHllJer of seals taken, \\Taf;
S3,1Ð2.
eal Ht'ts o\vH(>(I, 1,3.j7. Gallons of oil1JHulufnc-
tnrefl, 54,137.

154

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AI:) rr \V AS,

(iJ-IAPTER VII.

nI
TRICT OF .FOGO AND TWILLINGATE.

HE principal place in this district is T,villingate

(originally Toulingate,) it is situate on an island of
the same name, and contains a population of about
2,300. Twillingate i
divided by the sea, fonning the
north and south side of the harbour into two islands.
The principal part of the inhabitants live on the north
side, ,vhich includes Back Harbour and Cro,v Head.
The Routh side of the harbour, includes Jenkin's Cave,
])urrell'
Arm, and Fanner's Arm. Twillingate has two
places of worship, one Church of England, and one Metho-
dist. l\1any years ago a Congregationalist n1ÏnÜ.,ter w'as
stationed here. There are also t"vo schools, and a Court
HOlme and gaol. There is a police Inagistrate, John Pey-
ton, Esq., (celebrated for his endeavours to bring the Red
I ndians into a civilized state.) There is also a Clerk of
the Peace, a jailor and Bailiff: and a Custon1 House officer.
\V Ul. Stirling, J unr., Esq., is the physician and coroner of
the district. Twillingate is an old settIeInent, the princi-
pal trade of which has long been carried on by Inerchants
connected with the trade of Poole, England. The prin-
cipal lnerchants forn1erly were J. Slade & Co., Cox &
Slade, J. Colbourne, Joseph Pearce, Lyte & Hayward,
ancl
Iuire & Co.
In 1845, Bishop Field for the first tilne vi
ited Twillin-
gate. The following account of the Bi
hop's visit will
perhaps interest the reader:-
" At Twillingate the arrival of the' Ship' was announced and
welcomed by a splendid display of flags on every side of the
harbour, and discharges of cannon fro In the establishn1ents of

AND .AS rr IS IN 1877.

15;;

Messrs. Slade & Co., antI ::\1essrs. Cox & Blade. The church
flag in this H(
ttlclllcnt is a beautiful St. G20rge's enHign, ]H'P-
seutecl by thrf'f' captains ofve
sels. A very substantial,capaciouH
awl handsonle church, 80 feet by 45, with a lofty and charactf'l"-
istic tower at the western end, has lately been erected here;
and the inhabitants were anxiously desiring the Bi
hop's presencp,
that the fabric might be duly set apart and consecrated to God's
honour and service, with accustoll1ed prayers and blessings.
Tlw consecration took place on Thursday nlorning, cOIDlnencing
at 11 o'clock, and, though the fishery was at its height, a lar
('
congregation asselnbled to witness, and assist at the solemn
service. It was very gratifying to see anlong them the grey
heads (Jf many respectable old planters, who still know how to
use and value an Apostolic n1Înistry and the Church of their
fathers. There was no collection on the occasion, for an tlw
work had been completed and paid for (to the amount, it is said,
of Æ:l,OOO, besides voluntary labour), by the contributions of thp
merchants and planters, assisted only with .t50 frolll each of tlH'
two grpat Church Societies in England, and f:lO from tIlt,
Church Society of this Country.-The contributions of the iu-
hahitants had been wisely luade a.t intervals, and year by year,
thpl'ehy lessening the pressure on their (in SOlue cases) sIc'nlh-r
B\f'anS, and keeping up their interest in the pious work; alH1
pn.venting the necessity of that most oLjectionable, not to say
il1egal, pr:lctice of selling the pews, and so giving to privatf\
persons à property in GOD'S house. Nothing surely can morc
ùircctly set at naught our Blessed Lord's injunction, "l\lake
not my Father's house a house of merchandize."-(St. John, 2,
1 G.) The church, as it is now completed, is an honour and
an ornament to the settleuwnt; and lnay it be a groat and
lasting hlesðillg ! Tho Bishop, is reported, offered to present a
sil vcr cup and paten for the I-Ioly CoulIIlunioll J but found him-
self forestalled by the libcrality of H. Slade, Esq., of Pool, who
had signifi(.cl his wish to furnish fuulls for the purchasl' of a
cumpl(,te set of Comulunion-platc, to it.ny aUlount which might
he llPccssary. Another feature in the proceedings of the day is
dpserving of all notice and conunclHlation-viz., the anxion

desire of the inhahitants, n1any of w hOlll had possessed ['('WS ill
theil. former church, to prevent snch acquisition of property in
the new one; for w hich purpo
c they made over the church by

156

NE\V:FOUNDLAND, AS rr \V AS,

a proper deed to the Bishop, in trust, for the perpetual UR(
of
all the inhahitants. (The same method, we understand, was
adopted, with the same laudablE' object in view/' at the consC'cra-
tion of the church in Fogo.) The consecration service was eOll-
duded by two o'clock; after which nlany boats again put out
for their fishing-grounds. The.day was fine, and the whole pro-
cepdings seemed to be conducted under happy auspices, and,
we hunlb]y trust, with a special blf'ssing fronl above.
On the nlorning of quitting Twil1ingate (the 4th of July),
forty ice-islands, we ullderstand, were distinctly seen and
counted at one time from the deck, and others, some of thenl of
immenHe size, were met and passed every hour."
The next iInportant place is Fogo, which is also situate
on an island of the same name. It contains a population
of a10ut 800 inha1itants. Here there is an Episcopal
Church and Schuol. There are also t,vo Inercantile es-
tablishlnents belonging to the Messrs. Slade & Cox. There
is a Collector of CUHtolns and a physician.
Tilton Harbour ranlu; next in trade and population;
here there is a Ronlan Catholic Church and School. It
contains a population of nearly 400.
The other principal settlements are J oe- Bats- Arn1; I-Icr-
ring Neck and Exploits; Burnt Island and Tilt Cove,
where an extensive copper Inine is being worked. Fishing
iH the principal occupation of the inhabitants of the district.
In 18.37 the population of the district of Fogo ,vas-
In 1874. 1854.
6,527. ..... ........ ....6,2S2... ....Episcopalians.
1,517...... ...... ...1,492.... . . . Roman Catholics.
:),:j
l.. . .............. .2,036.........Methodists.
10. . . . .. . .. .. . .. ... .. 7.. '" .. . . PresLyterians.
7...... . . ... . . . . . . o. . . . ... CongregationalistH.
1. . . . ....... . .... . O.........Baptists.

13,G4:3 9,7G7 Total.
Therewere 17 churches; 9 Episcopal, 4 ROlnan Catholic,
and 4 Methodists. There were 1484 dwelling-holmes, and

.

AND AS IT IS IN Ib77.

157

16 schools, with 675 scholars. There were 1,183 acres of
lan<l in cultivation, producing (;:3,2G2 bushels of potatoes;
1,497 tons of hay; and !JOO bushels of turnips. Of live
stock, there "\vere 37 horses; and 592 cattle; 383 milch
CO\VS; 215 sheep and 2,OG3 s\vine and goats. Butter nla-
nufactured, lö,4.:,)4 pounds. Some three or four srnall
ve;o,sels are sent at the seal fishery, and the nUInber of seals
annually manufactured is fronl seven to nine thousanù.
In 1t)57, there were 1,819 seal nets o"\vned in the district,
and !),3
O sails. There are probably about 20 vessels elll-
ployed in the foreign trade. There are 10vessels eInployed
in the fisheries, and 1,720 boats carrying fron1 4 to 30
<fltintals and upwards, of green fish, The quantity of tish
cured was 72,G5.5 quintals of codfish; 75 tierces of saln10n;
and 8Ð:J lJarrels of herring; gallons of oil, 63,3GO. Fogo
and T\villingate Island lies at the mouth of the great Bay
of Notre Dame; or, as it is generally called, Green Bay.
In this capacious bay are ;:;even smaller bays, alllong
\vhich arc Seal Bay, Badger Bay, Gander Bay, Hall's Bay,
and Bay of Exploit
, in the last of which three mills are
in operation. This part of the country during the sun1mer
season abounds with deer, and is celebrated as being the
hunting-ground
of the Red Indians. of Ne"\vfoun<lland.
The lndians had fences erected about l
miles into the
interior, to entrap the deer, extending a distance of 30
111Ïles, all which has long since disappeared. Froln thu
Bay of Exploits a small river extends about 70 miles,
\vhich reaches Red Indian Lake, which iH about 40 111Ïles
long; thence a chain of lakes extend to the Grand Pond in

t. George's Bay, \vhich is fifty 111ileslong, and en1pties into
the ocean. An inlanù \vater communication could be
effected fron1 the extrelne north to the extrellle \vest of
N c\vfounùlanù, Loth of \vhich are agriculturally or geolo-
gically consi<lere<l the lllost valual}le portions of N ew-
fUulldh.1n<1. In the Bay of Notre DaHlè ùr Green Bay, thurc
art' :-;UIlle e-xcellent fore
t tÏ1nLer, consisting principally of
lJil'ch, Pinc,
pruce and Fir.
rr. Gil)LiH
, of St. J uhn's,

15

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

erected a saw-mill here in 1
44 ; the pine board obtained is
closer grained and much ,vider than what is generally im-
ported froln the neigh bouring colonies.
The 1\lessrs. Knights,' of St. John's, who carryon a trade
in this pa.rt of the country, usually take several cargoes of
board and plank to St. John's in the sumn1er season, ,vhich
always conllnands a higher price than any of the in1ported
lumber. There are no, v five saw n1ills at work, valued at
$15,000. Mr. 1\iurray estimates that in Grand Bay there
are 720 square miles of pine and spruce timber; manufac-
tured into hllnber would be worth hundreds of millions of
dollars.
The district of Tobo tenninates at the northern extremity
of the Bay of Notre Dan1e, which is Cape St. John; thence
con1mences the French Shore, extending north; thence to
Cape Bay on the west. For an account of the French fish-
eries, see Fisheries and District of Fortune Bay. Captain
Bennett, of H.lVl. S. Rainbo
v, in 1856, says :-
" I was anxious to have revisited Tolinguet, but it would
have been highly imprudent to have run the ship into the
bight of the Bay in such a series of tremendous weather,
attended as it was with incessant fog.
" I was fortunate enough to be in the harbour of Croque
during the worst part of it, where I found the French King's
ship the Giraffe, and saw several English fishermen from dif-
ferent parts of the coast, none of whom had any complaint to
offer.
" The French to the northward have been very successful in
this fishery,
o much so, that many have been obliged to desist
from fishing, having used all their salt, and they are, even now,
anxiously looking forward for vessels from France with a
further supply."
Some of the finest and most beautiful harbours of New-
foundland, are on what is called the French Shore north.
The following interesting account of this part of the coaF;t,
is given by Captain Loch, to the Earl of Dundonald, in
1847 :-

AKl> AS IT IS IN 1877.

15U

" I sailed from St. John's for the coast of Labrador, July
23rd, with clear weather, and a moderate breeze from \V.S. 'V.,
which lasted until we were abreast of Trinity Bay, when we
Inet a fo
from the southern coast, which generally fills that
Bay, with wind between South and \V. S. \V. passing over the
narrow Isthmus which joins the ùistrict of Ferryland to the
great boùy of the Island.
" The wind shifted to N.N.
. and threw up, as it increased,
a chopping sea; but as the fog was light I stood to,vards Cape
Freels, to see whether the valuable fishing grounùs, extending
round its extremity, were occupied by our own people.
"This Cape is to be avoided in thick or heavy w'eather, on
account of innumerable rocks and shoals that surround it, both
North and
outh.
" It nevertheless is a good fishing station, and affords shelter
for boats and sn1all vessels-seventeen were in sight.
" At noon we passed Funk Islands within a nÜle, leaving it
on the port hand. It is a flat-browed Island, I should say not
more than sixty feet high, and cannot be seen at more than
twelve n1Íles distance.
"Parties repair thither in Spring and Autumn to collect
eggs and feathers. ...t\.t one time a very considerable profit
could be gained by this trade, but lately, owing to the war of

xtermination that has been waged against the flights of Puf-
fins, Gannets, Divers, Gulls, Eidar Duck, Cormorants, &c., &c.,
it has greatly diminished. One vessel of twenty-five tons, is
said, once to have cleared two hundred pounds currency in a
single trip to Halifax.
" July 26th, we passed between Groais and Belle Island
(South), shortly after daylight, counted ten icebergs-some
drifted about with the winùs and tide, others aground, and
two at the entrance of Croque.

CROQUE.
"This harbour is a long, narrow indenture, slightly curving
toward.s its head, where vessels may lay perfectly land-lockeJ.
,. It IS the head-quarter station for the
"rench men-of-war
cnlployed for the protection of their fisheries.
"I found at anchor the :French brig of war J[alcag'J.c, and

160

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

two empty merchant vessels laying with their top-gallant-masts
down, and hatches locked, their crews to a man were engaged
fishing. Besides these, there was a snlall English schooner,
the þfarine, bound and belonging to St. John's, with a cargo
of Salmon.
"The French have two rooms in Croque, on opposite sides
of the harbour. \Vhen they return home for the winter they
leave them in charge of two fishermen named Hope and !{ear-
ney, only removing the canvas covering of the stages.
"They also leave some of their boats behind them, turning
them over on the beach, and thatf:hing them with spruce
boughs, in the same manner that our own migratory fishermen
do theirs on the coast of Labrador, to protect them from the
weather.
" Their establishments are conducted upon the sanle principle
as our own, and although their arrangements evinced a better
system of discipline, I do not think that the same energy is
displayed by their fishermen in the prosecution of their employ-
ment-nor does it appear to me to be so thoroughly performed.
I mean that, to my inexperienced eye, they neither seem to be
so well cleaned, split, boned or cured.
"The two rooms in Croque enlploy between them thirty
seven-quintal boats, and one hundred and thirty men; hun-
dred afloat and thirty shore men (as they are termed), in the
establishments, six of these boats were exclusively occupied in
catching caplin and herring for bait, and were manned by
crews of eight men.
"Their fishing this year commenced the 5th June, and is
considered good in point of quantity-although the fish are
unusually small. The catch has been to the present date (July
27), seven thousand quintals, and they anticipate six thousand
more before the close. They use seines principally, but they
also fish with lines.
"Caplin had struck in very early, and in great adnndance.
They are now beginning to disappear, replaced by herring.
"Croque is by no means a first-class fishing station. Rouge,
St. Julian's, Goose Cove, Creminallera, Braha, Quirpon, besides
others in the vicinity of Cape St. John, all harbour more
vessels and send forth a greater number of boats.
" The French coast fishermen do not receive so large a bounty

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

161

as their countrymen engaged exclusively on the banks. The
risk and expense att
nding their occupation is much less, and
consecluently the insurance lower.
" The coast fishermen sail fronl France in vessels of 150 to
200 tons, laclen with salt and containing their entire fishing
equipments, comprising men, boats, nets anù provisions. When
they arrive at the destined harbours they move their vessels, re-
roof their last year's establishluents, land their goods, lock up
their vessel's hatches, and commence 1Ìshing. If the season
proves prolific, traders connected with the planters will, perhaps,
once or twice during the season carry away the proùuce of their
gooJ fortune and industry, preserving a sufficiency to freight
their own vessels back to France.
"The French north-east coast fisheries are prosecuted per-
haps with greater vigour, and have increased more rapidly,
than those to the southward.
"This year there were upwards of 11,000 fishermen em-
ployed between Cape Ray and Cape St. John, showing an
increase of 1,500 men within two years. I had great difficulty
in collecting information, not only from the superintendents
of rooms, but also from the naval officers; they evinced, I
thought, great jealousy in their answers to my questions.
" The northern and southern fisheries are opposing interests.
The former are conducted by houses at Granville, St. 1\1 alo,
Gampol, Bennick, Havre, Rants and St. Brieux; the latter by
merchants at Dieppe, Bayonne, and in one instance in connec.
tion with a St. -i.'lalo house of the name of L'Guiller. I met,
at the table of the Captain of the French brig-of-war, two
superintendents of rooms, they had originally been masters of
bankers; they appeared to be men of energy and substance,
and possessed very considerable general information. They
spoke with pride of the sailors their bankers produced, and of
the hardships and dangers they were exposed to while fishing
on the banks, and that to deprive their country of these
fisheries would be to lop ofr the right arm of her maritime
strength.
" I found, during my stay, the climate dry, the winds light
and in the harbour (notwith:::;tandillg the proxÍlnity of eight
or ten icebergs), the temperature miJù and agreeable; but

K

16

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

outside the air was damp and chill, even with a clear sky over
head.
" Sailed for Belle Isle North, July 29th, and observed on
my way there, one brig in Fish Shot Cove, one bark and one
brig in Goose Cove, one ba.rk, one brig and a schooner in
CreminiHera Cove, two barks and two brigs in Braha, one
English brig in Griguot Harbour, one French brig in Degrat
Harbour."

The following is an account of Bishop Field's visit to
this part of the coast in 1849. The nun1ber of British
subjects inhabiting the French Shore North, from Pack-
quet to Cape Norman, is about 1,200 :-
" The attempt to cross the Straits was more successful to-
day, and by the kind assistance of a French fishing-boat, the
dangerous harbour of Quirpon was safely entered, and the
Church Ship anchored among a crowd of French vessels and
boats about 4 o'clock.
" A comfortable looking cottage on shore seemed to speak of
natives or residents, and by enquiries made there it was found
that eight families have settled in the place, chiefly from Har-
bour Grace. One fanÜly has been resident 35 years, others
14 years, &c. No clergyman of our church had ever before
visited them. Evening service was celebrated in one of the
cottages the same day, anù on the following day both the
morning and evening service; and at these services all the
children of the settlement, and some fronl Noddy Harbour,
were received into the Church. All the English inhabitants
attended, and, notwithstanding their separation and seclusion,
they are well-dressed and well-mannered people. Their catch
of seals in the winter is probably as profitable as the summer
fishery; and wood is abundant at a short distance. They
have the custody of the French rooms and gear in the winter,
for which service they reeeive presents of clothes and other
remuneration. The :French fishery is conducted on a liberal
and systematic scale. In this little harbour there are five
establishments, numbering from one hundred to one hundred
and thirty men at each. They fish with the bultow and
enormous seines."

ANU AS IT IS IN 1877.

lü3

CHAPTER VI]I.

DI;;;TRlCT OF FERRI LAND.

RRYLAN]) \vas one of tho earliest settled parts of

N e,vfoundlanfl. It is said to have been the ren-
r- '. dCZVOUH of one Easton, n piratical adventurer, ,vho,
in 1578, con1n"1an(lecl a fleet uf ten vessels. This daring
adventurer inlpressed a hundred sailors for his Heet, anù
leviecl a triLute frulll all engagell in the fisheries.
In 1 (j2:1, J aJncs l., Ly letters patent, gave his principal
Secretary of State, Sir George Calvert, all the S. E. part
of the islan(l lying bet,veen the Bays of Placentia and
Trinity, \vhich he erectec 1 into a province unùer the Hallie
of Avalon. I-Ie planted a colony at Ferryland, and ap-
pointed Captain \Vynn as governor, who l>>uilt a large
chve]ling-hou
e, a granary, anti HUnle stores; and in his
COlllJllUnications the follo,ving year to Sir George, statec.I
that on the 17th of August, wheat, l)arley, and oats \vcre
care( I, and that tho various ganlen vegetables had arri ved
at full luaturity. These cheering accounts induceù Sir
Geolge, ,vhv luul no,v lJccn created Lord BaltiHlore, to
relllove to .Ferrylantl ,vith his fall1Ïly, \vhcre he erected a
Hplencli(l 1uansion: and Luilt a strong fort, costing over

l.)O,OOO. After reillaining SOlne years, and finding at
length that the soil and clilllate did not COBle up to hiR
expectations, anù his estate being exposed to tho attacks
of the French, he returned to Englanù, ,vhere he oLtaincd
a grant of landR in the Colony of
laryland, callecl after
Charles's Queen. lie relnoved thither, and founded the
City of Baltimore, now one of the principal cities of the
U ni ted States.
In 1t$54 Lord BaltilIlorc sought to esta1>>liRh hi
claÏ1u
to the Province of Avalon, but in consequence of Leing so
long out of pOHse

ion, his clairn ,va
not allowed.

164

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

There is a tradition that St. Joseph, of Arirnathea, took
refuge in England. I t is said he came to Avalon, after-
ward:-i called Glastonbury, in SOlnersetshire, and there
founded a church, which was looked on subsequently as
the cradle-of British Christianity. A splenùid Abbey,vaH
erected. There is an ancient Roman town, no,v called
St. Alban's, but in ancient tÏInes called Verulan1. The
proto-Inartyr of Britain, St. Alban, there shed his blood
for ChriHt. Calvert called hiH province Avalon, in honour
of St. Joseph, of ArÍlnathea, and his own to,vn Verulan1,
in honour of St. Alban.
Lord Baltimore,* it is said, wag a convert to the Ro-
Ulan Catholic religion, anù having relinquished his situa-
tion at court, turned his attention to the establishment of
the Colony of Maryland. About this time the Puritan8
had Hettled the Colony of Plyn1outh, and nUlubers of per-
sons were clnigrating fi'Oll1 England to the un
ettled wilds
of America. The Puritans professed to have tied froin
persecution in England, while they in a short tÏ111e perse-
cuted Churchnlen, Presbyterians, Baptists, Quakers, Ro-
rnan Catholics, anù Indians; they \vere, in fact, the 11lOst
intollerant persecutors who ever set foot on American soil.
There were no Methodists in those days, 01' they would
have COlne in for their share of persecution.
In 1737 , John and Charles Wesley were missionaries
of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in the
Colony of Georgia, and whilst there, Wesley was de...
nounced as a Papist, because he, like a true Puseyite

mixed wine with water at communion, and denied the
validity of non-episcopal baptisln. This was not the first,
nor the twentieth time, Wesley was accused of Popery.
An account of these and other Popish tendencies of Wes-
ley, when on his mission to Georgia, may be seen in
Tailfer's Georgia, &c.t
While the Baptists and Quakers were persecuted with

* Bishop lVlullock.

t Dr. Coit.

AND AS IT IS 1
]877.

165

fines, banishment, imprisonment, and death, for their reli-
gious opinions, in New England, "Lord Baltimore," says
Bancroft, "invited the Puritans of
Iassachusetts to emi-
grate to Mal'ylancl, offcring thCIll lands and privileges and
'frce liberty of religion.'" It is :;aid Lord Raltinlore ,vas
the first in the western ,vorld to proclaÏ1n religious tole-
ra tion.
" 'Yhat a luarvellous contrast," says Dr. Coit, "betwecn
the concluct of these outcast Papists of
Iaryland and the
Puritans of New England, upon the grand subject of reli-
gious lil)crty. Papists could tolerate: Puritans could not."
According to Bancroft, the ROlnan Catholics ,vere hut
a luere handful, surrounded by Protestant colonies. T t
,va
therefore a piece of policy on their part to afford an
asyluln to the persecuted.
"This claim, however, of the Romanists, as being the first to
proclaim religious toleration, is disputed by Professor I{nowles
in his life of Roger Williams. 1\laryland tolerated Christians
and Trinitarians only J. and even passed a law in 1 G49, mulcting
all who should speak reproachfully against the Blessed \Tirgin,
or the Apostles. 1\11'. Knowles correctly says, such a provision
lnight be made a terrible engine of persecution-for a Protest-
ant might say, e. g., that the Virgin l\'Iary should not be wor-
shipped, and that would be a dismal reproach to her in the eye
of a Papist. But Roger \Yilliams, he says, granted toleration
to every body. Bancroft says the law of IG49 threatened anti-
Trinitarians with death. In Upham's Life of Vane, in Spark's
American Biography, the priority appears to be clainled for Sir
H arry Vane, as an asserter of liberty of conscience."*
It is :;;aid the elder Lord Baltimore never settled in
AUlcrica. Stone type at variouH tilHes ha:-; 1 )een picked
up at Ferrylanù, Rupposed to have heen brought there 1y
Lord Baltilllore.
r n 1'7ü2, Governor Graves fortified and garrisoned the
Isle uf Bluis, at the lllonth of Ferryland IIarl)our. Rol)ert

* Coit's PuritanÏ:;m.

166

NE'VFOU:NDLAND, AS IT ,V AS,

Carter, Esq., rendered essential service to Lord Colville,
in repelling the French, who were at this period in posses-
sion of all the settled coasts. :rvir. Carter supported the
garrison on the above island (where were also a number
of the inhabitants of Ferrylancl) from the 24th of June
to the 9th of October, by procuring provisions when they
were scarce and dear.
In 1833 twenty-five vessels entered and cleared at the
custom-house. But within the last thirty years, the
trade and population of Ferryland have very much de-
clined. Ferryland is the capital of the district, and in
1845 contained a population of 486. In 1857 the popu-
lation was 598. There is a court-house and gaol, a Church
of England and a Roman Catholic Church, and two
schools. The circuit court sits here once a year. There
is a resident police n1agiHtrate, who is also the custom-
house officer and surveyor of crown lands. There is a
clerk of the peace and constables. Here also resides the
sheriff of the southern district, and several merchants.
The next place of importance is Bay of Bulls, wherc
the French landed their troops in June, 1762, who pro-
ceeded overland and took St. John's. In 1796, the French
COIn mander, Admiral Richery, destroyed the village and
shipping, took their fish and oil, and drove the inhabit-
ants into the ,voods. The population of Bay of Bulls in
1
45 ,vas 626, and in the year 1857 it was 721.
The next important places are Cape Broyle, Brigm;,
Witless Bay, Fermcuse, Renews, and Le Manche, where
a lead Inine is being worked.
Near Renews is Cape Ballard, off "vhich is a celebrated
fishing bank, eight miles fro1l1 which is Cape Race, the
southernmost cape of Newfoundland, in sight of which
lnost of the American and European steamers pass, and on
which a lighthouse is erected. An electric telegraph has
been erected from Cape Race to Cape Ray, a distance of
380 111Ïles long, at a cost of .t20,OOO or
100,OOO. Oft.
Cape Race a suitable yacht used to be l)laced in order to

AND AS IT IS I
1877.

167

intercept the Atlantic steamers, ,vhich almost invariably
sight that headland. Carrier pigeons ,vere employed to
convey the ne,vs from Cape Ray to the Island of Cape
Breton, a distance of 70 nliles, now conveyed by telegraph.
In 182
, the exact position of the Virgin Rocks "Tas as-
certained by Mr. J oneH, Ina
ter of H.'
\I.S. Na88a

. There
are dangerous rocks laying 18 leagues S.E. by E. from
Cape Race in lat. 4G o 2ß' 15" north, long, 30 0 5G' 35" west.
" The rocks extend in an irregular chain or cluster S. 'V. by
W., and N.E. by E. 800 yards, the breadth varying from 200
to 300 yards. The least water on a white rock is 4
fathoms,
with from 5 to 6
fathoms about 100 yards all around it, the
bottom distinctly visible. Towards the extrelnities of the shoal
the soundings are from 7 to 9 fathoms on detached rocks, with
deep water between them; the current setting a mile an hour
to the 'V.S.'Y., with a confused cross swell. To the S.E., S.,
S.'V., 'Y., and 'V.N.\Y. of the shoal, the water deepens gra-
dually to 30 fathoms, half a mile distant; to the N. \V., N.,
and N.E., one-third of a mile, and to the E.N.E, E., and E.S.E.,
a mile.
"The bank upon which the shoal is situated extends E. by
N. and \V. by S. four miles and a quarter; and two miles and
three quarters across its broadest part, with regular soundings
of from
8 to 30 fathoms, until they sudJenly deepen on its
outer edge to 39 anù 43 fatho111s.
" Lieut. Bishop, commanding 11.1\1. Gun-brig }.[anly, writes,
9th July, 1829:-
" 'The bottom ,vas repeatcdly seen by the officers of both
ships, in from 7 to 4
fathoms, apparently of a very white rock,
with large particles of seawood on the sand around them. In
aùdition to this, on the morning of the 7th, about 2 a.m. f when
rilling with a whole cable and a heavy sea, I observed such
violcnt breakers Ileal' the brig as to canse nle to batten down
the hatches; anù I am of opinion that, had there been a little
more wind, no vessel coulù have passed over that spot, or re-
Inainefl there with safety.' "

168

NE'V:FOUNDI.JAND, AS IT 'VAS,

The population of the District of Ferryland in 1846
\vas as follows :-
4,399 Roman Catholics.
181 Episcopalians.
1 Presbyterian.

4,.
81 Total.
There were nine R0111an Catholic and one Episcopal
Church. There were 780 d,velling-houses, and 22 schools,
with 975 scholars. There were 1003 acres of land in cul-
tivation, giving an annual produce of 28,596 bushel
of
potatoes, 591 Lushels of oats and other grain, ancl904 tons
of hay and fodder.
Of live stock, there ,vere 176 horses and 607 cattle.
The population of the district in 1836 was 5,111. It
had, therefore, considerably increasetl in 1845.
According to the returns in 1857, there were-
127 Church of England.
5,093 Church of Rome.
8 Wesleyans.

In 1874--

5,239 Total.
173 Church of England.
6,246 Church of Rome.

6,419 Total.

There were-

3 Churches of England.
8 Churches of Rome.

11 Places of worship.
There were 885 dwelling-houses, 23 schools and 834
scholars. There were 2,131 acres of land under cultiva-
tion, yielding annually 1,481 tons of hay, 306 bushels of

AND AS IT I::) IN 1877.

lGD

oats, 26,78:) bushels potatoes, 27 bushels of turnips, and
430 bushels of other root crops. Of live fstock, there were
831 neat cattle, 1.53 milch CO\VS, 337 horses, 3.jO sheep,
and 301 swine ana goats. Quantity of butter nlade,
D,944 pounds.
The nUlllber of vessels elnployed in the fisheries was 9 ;
boats of from 4 to 30 quintals of fish and up\vards, 7G8.
Quantity of fiðh cured, 14.5,030 quintals of cod-fish; 7.57
barrels of herring; 2 tierces salmon; and 22 Larrcls of
other fish. Gallons of oil, 153,856.

170

NEW}--'OUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

CHAPTER IX.

DISTRICT OF PLACENTIA AND ST.
IARY'S.

N Plaisance (beautiful place) or Placentia, the French
4! founded a colony in 16GO, ,vhich was a flourishing
settlelnent. At this period the French paid a duty
of five per cent. on the produce of the fisheries to the
British Governn1ent. In 16D2, ho,vever, COllU110dol'e Wil-
lian1s was sent with a fleet against Placentia, which he
partly destroyed. After Placentia ,\yas taken fron1 the
French, it becalne a deputy-governorship under the Gov-
ernlnent of Nova Scotia. But on the appoinhnent of the
first regular governor of Newfoundland, Captain Henry
Osborne, in 1728, Placentia ,vas placed under his juris-
diction.
In 1762, when the French were in possession of St.
John's, Governor Graves, ,vho was convoying a fleet of
Inerchantmen, was met on the banks by a sloop which
was sent to inform him of the attack of the French on the
British settlements. He instantly repaired to Placentia,
and restored the ruined fortresses of Fort Frederick and
Castle Hill.
Bishop Mullock says :-
"The great òemilune which guarded the entrance of the
port is now a shapeless heap of rubbish, its vaulted brick case-
ments have been all destroyed, and the remains of a castle on
Crevecæur Hill are slowly perishing. It is remarkable that
several properties are still held in Placentia by virtue of the
original :French titles, and such importance did the government
of Louis 14th, the Grand Monarch, attach to the possession of
the place, that all the grants are signed by the I(ing's own
hand, and countersigned by his nlÍnister, Phillippeau. Nor
were the French oblivious of the necessity of religion in their

AKD AS IT IS IN 1877.

171

new settlement-a Convent of Franciscans, a branch of the
Convent of Our Lady of Angels, of Quebec, was established
there in 1689, on the site of the present Protestant Church and
burying ground, and a few French tombs of the date of 1680
to 1690 yet remain to nlark out the place where it stood. 1\lost
of the :French tonlbstones were taken by the English settlers
after the surrender of the place by France, and applied to the
ignoble purposes of hearth stones and door steps. N ewfound-
land \\'as then under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Quebec,
and in 1 G8B the second bishop of that ßee, l\lonseigneur St.
Vallier, made a visitation of }1lacentia and the neighbouring
parts, in company with Father Giorgieu and some of the Fran-
ciscan community of Quebec. The records of the foundation
of the convent anù of the episcopal visitation are in the archie-
piscopal archives of Quebec. Thus we see two great and
powerful nations established on the shores of Newfoundland,
opposed in politics, in interest, in religion, and it is easy to
imagine that the progress of the country must have been not
only retarded, but absolutely impossible."
Placcntia is the capital of the district, and ,vas once
the principal place in the island. Hanllya vestige of it:-;
ancient fortifications IlO'V, however, are to be seen. The
population of Great and Little Placentia in 1845 ,vas
l,O:}
, and in 1
G7, 1,2.')0. There is a court-house and
gaul at Great Placcntia, also a police nlagistrate and
custOlll - house officer, and clerk of the peace. The cir-
cuit court :;;;itf', here once a year. There is a ROlnan
Catholic Church and a Church of England-there are HO
fe,v Protestants in the place that thc latter church is left
. ,vithout a luinister. His late Majesty, \YillialIl IV., ,,'hen
on thc N e,vfountlland F;tation, as l'rinec 'Villialfi Henry,
presented a conllllunion service to this church; and a few
years ago, Atlelaide, the latt1 Queen Dowager, relict vf his

lajesty, gave 1:.>0 to,varùs the repairs of the church.
J>lacentia if; supplieJ with a cOllllllercial Hehuul. The
principallIlCrchant
fOl'llll'rly "Tcre Rodger thveetIuan &
Co., an Irish IIousc, and the l\l('ssrs.l\I l1rpheys. 1\11'. S,,"cct-
Juan \vas a lllelH lJcr úf thc first h;(rislaturc of N ('wfound..
o
land.

172

NE \VFOUNDI.JAN D, AS IT 'VAS,

......--- -

z
-<
H

Z
Þ
o

z
rñ

z
II:
o

C/1
ri1

rf.!
Þ
o
::I:

......
"'"
o
E-<
r/l
Þ
o

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

173

Placentia Bay is one of the largest bays in N e\vfou
(l-
land. It is f-;ixty lnile
broad auel ninety llliles long, l'lch
ill luinerals anel tish{'ries, \vith nunierous settleluents, har-
1 HJurS aue 1 islaue Is. The cultivation of the Hoil is rapidly
prot,rres:->ing. Placentia Bay is Repal'ated froln Trinity
Bay on the north-cast coast hy a lo\v isthmu
ahout three
InileH loner across \vhich the French ,vhen in P ossc
sion
b' '.
of Placentia, fonncù a road covered ,vith logs, on \vluch
they hauled their boats fronl one place to the other, and
the fishennen no\v freeluently carry bait froln one Lay to
the other. Bet"reen St. John's and Placentia there if.; a
house of éntertaiull1cnt for travellers.
St. l\Iary's is the lllost itnportant place in the district,
which i:-, the chief place in St.
lary's. It has a popula-
tion of GD2. There is a courthouse and gaol. The circuit
court sits here once a year. There is a police 11lagistrate,
\vho is also preventive officer. There is a RODian Uatholic
Church auel
chool. Fornl(
rly
Iessrs. Slade, Elson & Co.,
of CarLonear, carried 011 a considerable trade here, which,
ho\vever, ha,:; been long Lroken up.
Ir.
[artin, their
agent, was returnee} a lllelllber for the diHtrict in the first
House of Asselll.bly of N è\vfouneUand.
Plneentia and St. ::Uary's are very tlourishing agricul-
tural districts. The geological structure of the district for
the lllost part is cornposed of variegated slate rocks,
which, next to the soft sandstones and coal regions, is the
Hlost fertile fOl'lnation in N c,vfoundlan<l.
t. l\Iary's Bay
has a nnn11er of settIclnents. FrotH Sahllonicr, at the head
of the llay, to COllception Bay the e1istance i
ten nlÏle:-;,
ane} frolli Colinet to Trinity Bay the (}istance is but eight
nliles.
Trepassey is the next inlportant place in the diRtrict,
'\vhich is a goud harhour situate in Trepassey Bay, near
Cape Pine, \vhere an iron lighthou
e ha:s Leen built by
the British Governnlent, ::;aid to Le one of the finest ill
the world. Trcpassey ,vas forlnerly a place of
onle note,
but is no,v a very inconsideraLle fishing village. ItH po-
pulation in 1
57 was 541.

1'74

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS rr 'V AS,

Not far frOIll Cape Pine, at the entrance of St. Nlary's
Bay, is situate St. Shotts, '\vhich is the scene of nearly all
the shipwrecks ,vhich occur on the N e\vfoundlautl coast.
The tides along the shores of N ewfoundlalld generally GO
not rise or fall 11101'e than six or eight feet. ()n the coast
of St. Shotts, however, a
trong current sets in frolll the
east,vard at the rate of foul' Illiles per hour. It has been
observed that the current I'uns faster during the spring
tides, and owing to a proper allowance not being IIlat!e for
the force of the tide, vessels cOllling frolLl Canada and th

,vest are frequently ,vl'ecked upon the coast. Several of
H.M.S. ships were lost here at different periods. In 1849,
the steamer ]{ cstrel, comll1anded by Captain Meagher, ,vas
lost here, on her ,yay froTn Efalifax ,vith the N ewfounJ-
lanù nlail. WU1. S,veetlnnJ, Esq., and C. W. St. John,
Esq., have written two very interesting papers on the
probable cause of the ship,vrecks at Ht. Shutts. The
paper by Mr. St. John is a lnasterly production.
Cape St. Mary's is called the" garden of Ne,vfound-
land," on account of its superior fishing ground as well as
its agricultural capabilities. FOl'll1el'ly fishing Loats used
to asselnble at the Kegs (t'\vo rocks about four or five
miles off the Cape) fi'oln all parts of the country, and even
now a great nun) bel' of boats frequent the place fronl re-
l110te districts. The cod-fish is larger and 1etter than
what is usually caught in other parts of the island.
During the
unllner 1110nths a dense cold fog usually at-
tains here, hence a COIDlllon saying anlong the fisherrncn,
" Cold as St. Mary's fog."
According to the returns of 1845, the follo,ving wa:4
the population of the District of Placentia and St.l\1ary's :
5,455 ROlnan CathoEcs.
971 Episcopalians.
:37 l\tlethodists.
8 Presbyterians.

6,471 Total.

AND AS IT lS [N 1877.

175

The number of d\velling-houses in the district ,vas tJGO,
and 11
chools with ;')7:3 scholars. There were also n Ro-
lnan Catholic Churches and 4 Protestant Episcopal.
There \vere 2,200 acres of land in cultivation, producing
28,7j9 bushels of potatoes, 58
bushels of oats and other
grain, and 1,373 tons of hay and fodder. Of live stock
there were 45 hor:-;es and 1,G18 cattle.
In 1833, Placentia elnployed ten vessels in the foreign
trade, now, however, it does not en1ploy half that nUIH-
ber. A considerable coasting trade i
carried on in the
cod and herring fisheries.
The census of It;.37 gives the population as follo\vs:-
96ü Church of England.
7,15ü Church of ROlne.
208 \Vesleyans.
4 Kirk of Scotland.

In 1
74-

8,33
Total.
1,331 Church of England.

,37] Church of nOnIe.
2:
f) 'Vesleyans.
13 I{irk of Scotland.

Ð,ü7
Total.
5 OJ. u rchcs of England.
1.3 Cll urchcs of Itollle.
1 'V e
leyan.
T\venty-tiv(' Rchools and DH2 pupils. There were
1,i!Jl ù\velling-hou
es. Of lanel under culture there \VCle
:3,80ü acres, producing annually 1,547 tons of hay, 42
Lushel:-, of \vheat and barley, ]
O bushels uf oats, 27,003
Lushels of potatocs, and 730 Lu
hel
of turnips. Of live
stock there \yere 1,.340 Heat cattle, 928 Illilch CO\VS, 284
horses, 3,5[)2 sheep, and 35.3 s\vine and goats. The quan-
tity of l,utter Inanufacturetl "-as 24,08:3 pounds.

There 'VCl'e-

176

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

The nunlber of slnall schooners and fishing boats carry-
ing from 4 to 30 quintal::) of green fi
h, elllployed in the
fishery ,vas 1,121, using 1,511 nets and seive
, curing-
131,848 Quintals Coùfish.
15,020 Barrels of Herring.
100 Tierces Salmon.
The whole producing 128,248 gallons of oil.

AND AS IT IS IN 1
77.

]77

CHAPTER X.

DISTRICT OF BURIN.

URIN is the capital of the. di
trict, and situate(l un
t

he ,ves
coast of Plac
ntIa Bay
In th
year 1845
. It contaIned a populatIon of 1,6.)3. It IS now over
2,000. It ha
a courthou
e and gaol, also a police Inagi
-
trate-the late 'Vm. Hooper, E
q., ,vho ,va
the InelnlJer
of the district in the first House of Asselnbly of N c,v-
fOlln(llaI}(1. The circuit court Hits here yearly. There is
a clerk of the peace and a CUHtOlll- houHe officer.
.Burin lm:-; au episcopal, a ROlnan Catholic, and a Me-
thu(li
t Church; the1't
are also three schools. The prin-
(OipalllWl'chants were fonnerly l\Icssrs. R. ò.J J. Falles (a
Jersey 11ou
e), and Mr. O'Neil, and others. Burin is f'UP-
plieù ,vith three lnedical men. ..l\lany years ago a large
an(1 tlouri:-;hing lnercantile estaLlisluuent ,vas carried on
here by Spurrier & Co., the ruins of ,vhich are still to be
seell.
The principal fiHhing ground iH Cape St.
rary's, "\vhich
is aLout 30 milcH distant on the opposite
iùe of l
lacentia
Bay. In crossing the TlluUth uf this wi{le bay, the fishing
l)oats are exposeù to all tIle fury of the stonn. In a gale
in 1847, eleven fi:-;hing Loats and forty-four fishennen
were lost belonging to Burin.
Durin Bay is a beautiful inlet of the sea, it is nine
nlÍlés long, and frollt a milc to a quarter wide; along each
shore the land is
uperior, the fisherIllen have SOlne well-
cultivated gardens here. The distance froBl this to Gar-
nish, in Fortune Bay, is 17 nlÍles. In the" Reach" :::;OlDe
goo(llilllc stone iN found.

Iortier is the next sûttIelnent to Burin. At the head
of
lol'tier Bay the land iH gOOf 1, re( I l11arl line the bank:-:;
L

178

NE'\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

on both sides. The head of the bay is very narrow, and
the tide here runs very rapid, from the Salt Ponds (ponds
in the interior composed of fresh and salt water).
In September, 1848, having been provided with a guide
by my hospitable friends, the Messrs. Falles, of Burin, I
walked through the country from Burin to Fortune Bay.
We stopped a night at Samuel Merley's (cousin of the late
Joseph Ten1pleman, Esq.), at the head of l\1.ortier Bay.
1\11'. l\1:erley carries on a salmon fishery, as well as the cod
fishery, and during the summer he killed fourteen seal

in the salt pond near which he lives. At the tinle I was
there I saw four seals in the pond. Mr. Merley had sev-
eral well-cultivated gardens and some cattle, and his
table was well supplied ,vith sea-fowl. The whole dis-
tance froln this to Fortune Bay was at that time unculti-
vated and uninhabited, although the soil is better than
any I have seen in either Placentia or Fortune Bays.
Me
srs. Harrison & Hooper forlner]y carried on a very
considerable trade at Mortier, but, like most of the remote
parts of Newfoundland, the foreign trade bas declined.
The population of the place is no,," about 400.
At Andierac, or as it is now called Odearin, which i

an island, the large house of Spurrier carried on an exten-
sive establishment some years ago, the ruins of vlhich
were occupied by 1\11'. Farlong, who shipped his fish to
Halifax. The population of Odearin is about 450. There
are many other important settl
ments further up the bay,

uch as Isle of Valen, Marashan, &c., &c.
The principal places on the west are Corbin, St. Law-
rence, Lawn, and Lamalin, each having a population of
from 150 to 500. St. Lawrence is a beautiful harbour,
about a mile from the Cape of the Red Hat (Cape Cha-
peau Rouge). SOllle years ago N eWlnan & Co. carried on
a large trade, which they afterwards removed to Little
Bay, thence to Harbour Breton. The remains of N cw-
man & Co.'s premises at St. Lawrence, were, at the time
of my visit, occupied by Mr. Thorn, son of the late Mr.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

17D

Thorn, who ,vas forty-nine years agent of N e,vman & Co.,
and on his retirelnent from the trade, was allo,vefl by
them a pension of Æ40 per annUlll, in consideration of his
services. In the granite rocks which COlllpOSC the coast
about St. La,vrcnce, a small vein of lead has been di::,-
covered, containing silver.
Lawn i:s one of the principal fishing stations on the
coast, and rluring the SUllllner, Loats asseillble here frorll
alrnost every quarter. The principal inhabitants of the
place at the time of the author's visit was
Ir. Connors,
an intelligent Irislllnan, ,vho hacl a large family. He
carried on a large fishery, anù had a well-cultivated farm,
with sheep anfl cattle, anfl was in very cOlllfortable cir-
curllstanccs. Here a copper mine has been discovered.
At Lamalin there is a police n1agistrate and a collector
of custolnf05; :)Ie
srs. Pittman, Cake and IIan(l have a large
and well-cultivated tract of land, and keep from eight to
twenty cattle cacho These tracts of lanfl at Salnalin have
IJcen obtained by draining the bog which lllostly COlll-
prif-ie the neigh bourhood. 1\11'. Cake has a beautiful piece
of Ineadow land which he reclain1ed by draining the hog,
after which he spread over it sand, with a coat of lnanurc
of sea-weed.
The ,vhole coast frolll Lawn to Lalnalin, and for lnany
miles heyollfl it, is flat and very l)arl'en. The rocks are
lllostly sienite an(l porphry. Hardly a :-,tunte.J tree is

een within Iniles of Lalnalin, anfllllost of the inhabitants
have to procure fresh watcr frOln an island, owing to their
houses heing erecte(l on the beach, \vhich is also Hur-
roun(led \vith Log. Thi:i bog forllls c"\:cellellt pcat for
fuel, heaps of \vhich ,vere drying at the tÏ111e of lilY visit
to Larualin. A" c()n
i(lerab]c hait tl'étfle in herring, ('aplin,
and. squids is carric(l on hetwcen Lalnalin and the French
island uf
t. Pierre. The (listance frolu each place is al)out
seven InilCH. The French are allo,vec 1 l)y treaty to fish
half ,vay, 01' 1l1icl channel. ,A. Church of England ha
for

180

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

some years been er
cted in Lamalin, and roads are being
111ade to the different settlelnents.
In 1833, the District employed 54 vcssels in the Foreign
trade, viz: Burin, 45, and St. Lawrence, 9.
In 1845, the population of the District of Burin, ,vas-
1,951 ROll1an Catholics.
1,221 ,Episcopalians.
1,183 }riethodists.
2 Presbyterians.

4,3.37 Total.

There were 63!) d\velling-hou.-;es and 11 schools, ,vith
4dt) scholars.
There were 1,046 acrCH of land in cultivation, giving an
annual produce of 11,081 bushels of potatoes ;
o hushels
of oats and other grain; 777 tons uf hay and fOthler. Of
live Htock, there were H5 horses, and 88D horned cattle.
According to the Returns in 1857, the population was
as follows:
In 1857.
1,356 Church of Englan(l.
2,3.5
Roman Catholics,
1,810 W
sleyans,
1 Kirk of Scotland,
1 Congregationalist

In 1874.
I,G33
2,492
3,:348

5
o

5,522 Total.

7,478 Total.

There were H.38 clwelling-honscs; 12 schools, and 476
pupils: :3 ChurcheH of Englan(l; ;) ROlnan Catholic, and
;
\V c\-;leyan
lcthoaist. There "vere 1 ,254 acres of lane I
nnaer cultivation, producing annually 794 tons of hay;
.
() hushels of oats; 8,445 hushels of potatoes, anf1 200
hllRhels of turnip
. Of live stock, there were 1,i7
neat
cattle; 48
lnilch cows; 86 hor
es; 280 sheep, and 222
swine and goats. The quantity of butter lnaùe, was

AKD AS IT IS I
1877.

181

] (),656 pounds; of soap, 4,820 pounds. The number of
small schooners and boats employed in the fishery ,vas
1,004; nets anù sieves, 1,188. Quantity of fish cured,
80,071 quintals uf cod fish; 3,723 barrels of herring; 14.3
tierces salnlon; 1
seals; and GG,362 gallons of oil.
There ,vere 858 dwelling-houses; 12 schools anù 476
pupils; 3 Uhurches of England; 3 'Vesleyan l\lethodist ;
anù 5 Ronlan Catholic. There were 1,254 acres of land
under cultivation, producing annually 794 tons of hay;
;30 bushels of oats; 8,455 bushels of potatoe:s; anù 200
bushels of turnips. Of live stock, there were 1,i78 neat
cattle; 488 nlÎlch cows; 86 horses; 280 sheep; and 2:32
s\vinc and goats. The (luantity of Lutter Inade ,yas 1G,G.36
pound
. Of soap, 4,820 pounds. The nun1Ler of schoon-
ers and Rlllall hoats employed in the fisheIY, was 1,104;
nets and seives, 1,188. Quantity of fish cured, viz:-

0,071 (luintals of coù fish; 5,723 Larrels uf herring; ] 4.')
sahuon; and 18 seals, anù ()G,:3(j2 gallons of oil.

182

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'V AS,

CI--IAPTER XI.

HIS'roRY OF FOHTVNE BAY, ST. PETEHR, ETC., ETC.

ORTUNE BA Y in 184.3, contained a population of

up,vards of 5,000, and returned one meDlber to the
General Assembly. There ,vere 229 acres of land
in cultivation; 3GO head of cattle, and 5 horses. The
nunlber of large fishing boats was 1,341.
The population of Harbour Briton and Jersey Harbour,
is about 500, which towns are the seats of two very large
and flourishingnlercantile establishments; the latter place
might be Illore properly regarded as a branch of Harbour
Briton, rather than a distinct harbour. The house of
Philip Nicoll, jun., at Jersey Harbour, had been in exist-
ence about a hundred years. There ,vere several partners
connected with it, comprising some of the nlost intluential
men in the Island of Jersey. The principal of the estab-
lislullent was Chief Justice of the Island of Jer
ey. It is
said Sir William Gossett, late Seljeant-at-arUls in the
IIouse of ComBlons, was also a partner. There were two
other establishnlents belonging to this :firm on the west-
coast at Bargea and La Poile. The agent of this large
and respectable establislullent at Jersey Harbour in 185G,
was John Chaplnan, Esq., an Englishnlan, who Callle to
N e,vfoundland a pOOl' boy, an apprentice to a fishennan ;
but by perseverance, honesty anù industry, he rose to l)e
the head of one of the largest Illercantile establishlnents
in N c\vfounùlanù. His successor was Cleillent
Iallett,
Esq., a J erseYlnan. rrhe IT ouso of N eWluan & Co., at
Harbour Briton, is one of the oldest anù wealthiest in
N e\vfoundland. One of the partners, Mr. Hunt, ,vas a
Director of the Bank of England. l\fessrs. Ne\vman &
Co., had four establishulents in Newfoundland, viz :-St.

AKD AS IT IS IN 1877.

183

J ohn'R, Harhour Briton, Burgea and Gaultois. The St.
John's hranch has Imen closed; Sir Robert Newlluln ,vas
the principal. At Gaultois, the \vhale fishery ,vas carried
on to bulne extent. N e'V1l1an & Co. erlLployed t,vo vessels

}Hl eight \vhale-Loats. They have the necessaryappar-
atuH for Inanufacturing the \vhale oil. The nlll11ber of
-vhales annually captured ,vas bet,veen forty and fifty.
The (plantity of I,vhale oil Inanufacturetl by this finn in
1
30 and It)34, was about 200 tuns. In 18.57, the quan-
tity \vas not l110re than t50 tuns. The harpoon gun is
pencrally used. The species of whale8 taken are the
Hlunp Back and Sulphur Bottonl. The latter yield frolH
4 to 1
tuns uf oil, but are sol(10111 taken; the fonner are
1110re abundant, antI yield frOIH two to five tuns.
The N c\v Bedford ..Jfcl'cnry Rays :-
" '\Ve haù an opportunity on Saturday to witness SOlnè inter-
esting experirnents performed uuder the direction of Mr. C. A.
Heineken, an intelligent merchant of Bremen, Gennany, no,v
on a visit in this city, illustrating the effect of electricity to
facilitate the capture of the whale. The subject was first brought
to the notice of l\lr. Heineken by the discourses of Dr. Somers-
burg, Professor of Natural History, and Mr. lluckstan, in Bre-
men, as presenting important advantages over the mode
hitherto employed in the whale fishery. The most prmninent
fcatures of the new moùe proposed, may be briefly enumerated
as follows :
The electricity is conveyed to the body of the whale from an
electro-galvanic battery, contained in the boat, hy means of a
nletallic wire attached to the harpoon, and so arranged as to
reconùuct the electric current from the whale through the sea
to the machine. The machine itself is simple alltl conlpact in
construction, t'ncloseù in a strong cheHt weighing about 350
pounds, awl occupying a space in the boat of about three and
a half fect long by two feet in width and the same in height.
It is capable of throwing into the body of the whale cight
tl"emendous strokes of el<}ctricity in a second, or 950 strokcs in
a minute-paralyzing, in a.n instant, the muscl('s of the whale,
awl depriving it of all power of motion, if not actually ûf life.

184

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

"That every whale at the mo
ent of being struck with the
harpoon is rendered powerless, as by a stroke of lightning, and
therefore his subsequent escape or loss, except by sinking, is
wholly impracticable; and the process of lancing and securing
him is entirely unattended \vith danger. The arduous labour
involved in a long chase in the capture of the whale is super-
seded, and consequently the inconvenience and danger of the
boats losing sight of or becoming separated from the ship, is
avoided. One or two boats only would be required to be low-
ered at a time, and therefore a less number both of officers and
seamen than heretofore employed, would be ample for the pur-
pose of the voyage.
"Mr. Heineken, although not at first inclined to place much
reliance upon the proposed advantages to be derived from thi

discovery, has subsequently become in a great measure a con-
vert to the theory, and at the urgent solicitation of practica

whalemen in his employ from the port of Brenlen, has recentl}
placed the apparatus on board of two whaleships in which he is
interested as owner, from that port. He is desirous of sub.
mitting the subject of the discovery to the consideration of
practical whalemen and others in this city, with a view of pro-
curing further tests of its efficiency. U
It appears fronl evidence given by Henry Butler, Lefore
a committee of the House of Assembly, in 1840, that the
'\vhale fishery was carried on by the Alnerican8 to a great
extent in Hermitage Bay, Bay of Despair, and Fortune
Bay, during the years 1796, 1797, 1798, and 1799; that
during the three first years, twelve vessels were employed
by them, manned by fifteen men each; that all of the
vessels returned nearly loaded; that they carried on the
whale fishery in this part of the country until about the
year 1807, when it was discontinued, o'\ving to some dis-
pute arising between Great Britain and the United States;
that three years after this a schooner \vas fitted out by
the Americans, which arrived at Burin, but on account of
a nlan-of-\var being stationed there, the schooner pro-
ceeded to St. l\Iary's Bay, \vhere she relnained until the
month of August, and had nearly completed her load

A
D AS IT IS IN 1877.

185

when she \vas taken by a British sloop-of-war, and ordered
to St. John's; but the cre\v being too
trong for the prize-
Illaster, the schooner shaped her course for Alnerica, anù
arrive(l in safety at Cape Cod. \Vith this ended the Anl-
erican \yhale fishery on the \vestern shores of .N ewfound-
lan( 1.
Ir. Butler stated that a \vhale fishery cOllllllenceù
in Henuitage Bay, under the firm of Peter Leluc:ssuirer
&: Co., ,vhich continued for four years only, \vhen the part-
nership dissolved; that the natives of IIerll1Ïtage Bay,
having some idea of the fishery, began a \vhale fishery on
a very slnall
cale; that a person of the nalne of 1IcDon-
aId had rnade a large property by it; that the house of
N eWlnan & Co. being a \vare of these proceedings, I )ur-
chased the prelnise
that had Leen Peter Lenlessuirel' &
CO.'b, and Legan the \vhale fishery on a large scale. The
JoanneI' in \vhich these Illercantile estahlislllIleuts \Yere
conducted, throws one back upon the olden tinlês \vhen
N e\vfOUTHUand ,vas entirely under the aictulll of the 1\le1'-
cantocracy or "Codfish Aristocracy." These estaLlish-
Juents had their cook l'OOlllS, cooper's shop, sail loft, car-
penter's shop, Llacksu1Ïth's forge, &c. All the persons eln-
1 )10\.'e.1 ,yere sent ii.orn Euo-!anù and J"erse y and en(fa(fed
J' b , b

fur one, t\VO, Hnd three years. They ,yere fOUB( 1 in (liet
and sleeping apartIHeuts, and at the expiration of their
terul of servitu( It' \Yt're sent hOllLe if they desired it. In
traversing Fortunp Bay the mind will revert tu IrclaJl(l,
" Tll(
l110ther of tears." Newfoundland ha::; been chroni-
cled on tIle historic page:-; of tIle country as the" Trelalld
of ,A1l1eriea."
First, on account of its being an island and ahout the
saute s
e; secondly, the allaptatioll of the soil to tliC
b'Towth uf tlu' potato; thil"(lly, t1H' ah:-;euce of Vl'UellHHlS
reptiles of eVf'ry kind; and lastly, on account of its popu-
lation, half of ,vllieh are esseutially Irish. if, ho\\ e\'er,
Fortune Bay is not Hluch likE' ] relalHl 0'\ illg to the fe\v
Irish :;ettled along its shores, yet it is more like lreland
than any ot lIeI' part uf thp islaud, on neeount of its rich

186

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,
absentees, for all the 111erchants of this bay are absentees
living in England and Jersey, and their business here
carried on through agents. These establishments, however,
give inlportance to the bay, and are of considerable aù-
vantage to the population in affording them facilities for
obtaining a livelihood. The late agent of NeW1nan & Co.,
Andre,v Ellis, Esq., is a highly inteHigent Englishlnan,
no,v regiding near London, Ontario. The agents of the
lnercantile establishments have been brought up in them
from -their boyhood, and have consequently iUlbibed those
narrow and contracted views ,vhich have always been
inculcated by the Inerchants of Newfoundland in days of
yore. A cOIn pact was entered into between the houses of
Ne,vrnan & Co. and Nicoll, that they woulð not sell any
article of merchandise to the dealers of their respective
establiBhluents, that is, Messrs. Nicoll ,vould not sell an
article to one who iH accuHt0l11ed to deal ,vith N eWluan &
Co., and vice versa" so neither would these establishments
sell goods to persons ,vho were accustomed to purchase in
St. John's, or any other place. By this systeln of des-
potism, they managed to monopolize nearly the whole
trade ùf the south-west coast. These establishments in
1848 prayed for license to the Government for the sale of
spirituous liquors. The miserable supplying systenl gives
great power and influence to the lnerchants of N ewfound-
land-it Jnakes hinl a despot and the poor fÌsherInan a
vassal.
One lnan, a supplying Inerchant, ,vho knows little, it
may be, about anything excepting pounds, shillings and
pence, ,viII direct the actions of thousands-in many in-
stances, nut one of his dealers will dare to exercise his
own judgnlent upon lnatters that deeply concern his own
welfare. There is not, and ('annot be, a IHore baneful,
sOllI-enslaving, despotic influence exerted in any country
than the systeul of suppJying on credit ,vhich pervades
this co un try.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

187

I have seen Inen ,vaiting, watching, ana scrutinizing
the motions anù features of their supplying n1erchants or
his agent, that they n1Ïght find hilIl in a good Inunour,
then hat in han<l pre
ent thenlselves to ask for a Larrel
of flour, a fc,v pounds of Lutter, or a few gallons of 1110-
lasses. Even the fonuer
laves and serfs of Russia ,\\rel'e
more to Le envieù than S0111e of the poor do,vn-trod<len
fishel'lncn of N e,vfoundlanJ, ,vho are thus compélled to
lllllllhle themselves Lofore their fellow-Iuan. Th
fornlel
are Letter clothed, Letter fod, and have less to do than he
,vho, it lllay Le, has a fan1Ïly lnore or less numerous to
provide for, anù ,vho, after toiling and s\voating anù en-
during the hardest hitings uf ,vind and ,veather, findR that
all his voyage will not pay his
ccount ancl lay in his
winter's stock of provisions. The ucean is, in a grcat
lllCaSUl'è, the hOIne of the N cwfoundland tishcl'lnan.
The Rev.
lr. Bre,vster, Wesleyan, I-ìays :-
" It is the fishermen, the hardy, stonn-beaten fishermen, who
have cause, if cause there really be, to complain. His life is daily
expu
t;d, ahove the ordinary and common exposure, to ùallgcr
and death. TIc draws his means of subsistence from the very
gulph of death. lIis wife and chilùren, in eating the Lreaù he
has earned, feel something as David felt when his three mighty
men cut through the host of the Philistines and ùrew him water
from tlw well of TIethleherll. He said, ' l\ly God forbi(l it me,
that 1 shoulù do this thing: Shall I drink the hlood of tlw
e
men that have put thí'ir lives in jeoparùy
for with jeopanly
of tll(.ir lives they brûught it.' 1 Chron., 11 : 19. Thp fish-
erman prepares his gear, and early in the morning he leaves
his family and home, anù commits himself to the Gotl of provi-
dence as he hoists the sails. The morning he and his COlnpan
iUIls hid u::; farewell, is fair and heautiful. They expect tu leave
us for a few {lays at least, awl we bid thelll Go(l sÍ)ced, anù
stand i(lling a minute or two on the beach to see thenl sail a.wa.y,
remarking, "Vhat a fine time away they have!' The day
pasHes, thc night COllWS, alHl with it signs of gathering storms.
A swift pas
illg cluud awl howling hla
t COBlC like h('ralùs or
an approaching foe. The howling wind increases in strl'lJgth,

188

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

and the night is darker. But the fisherman's wife is not yet
alarmed. A dreadful blast now strikes the cabin and every
timber shakes. 'Children,' she remarks, 'father will have to
lie to to-night, he \vill not be able to fish,' and this with great
calmness. But hark! A ùeep hollow noise is heard. 'Tis
not thunder; nor' the sound of abundance of rain,' as

, The rattling showers ri
e on the blast.'

'Vhat noise is that 1 'Tis the first growl of old ocean 1dw is at
length rou,sed frorn Ids slu'lì1-be'ling cal1n. Those hollo,v blasts
which swept singly and swiftly along at first were messengers
from the vast body of 'waters above the firmament; , and that
distant roar, booming in a, thousand caves, spoke of the oper-
at,ion of a law by which the two Inighty bodies sympathize and
move in unison. How speedily a clap of thunder followed!
As if each wing of the two invincible hosts fired royal salutes
on their meeting. Hark, again! 011, another hoon1Íng sounù
from the sea! N ow look at the fisherman's wife. Fear takes
hold upon her. Perhaps at that moment a little one has been
awoke from his sleep by the thunder, and he calls out' Father.'
She goes and takes him up, 'Thy father is gone child, and if
God be not very merciful this night thou wilt see him no more.'
She kneels; her children are around her on their knees. N o,v
the fierce elements rage. She hastens with her child to a neigh
bour's house. Other alarmed and terrified mothers are there,
equally anxious for the fate of them they love. All night the
storm rages, anù if for a moment the watcher is overcome with
anxiety and fatigue as to sleep a moment, in her visions she
sees her loved sons and husband struggling in the storm, or on
a broken spar, or hears the last call to God for help. l\iorning
comes, tllf' day passes, yet the storm rages as if it would

, Confound and swallow navigation up.'

But they come not. At length a solitary boat is seen plough-
ing its way round the breakers, another follows, and soon they
drop their anchor secure once more. She hastens down with
others to enquire the likelihood of the fate of those they have
left behind. Encouragement is held out; and she returns.
The night again passes, and morning comes, and the calm after
the storm. Yet they come not. 'Perhaps he has sheltered in

AKD AS IT IS IN 1877.

18D

some harbour.' Hope buoys her up; the week passes, and
yet they come not, and then the overwhelming conviction
strikes her to the ground-' THEY ARE LOST!' \Vho supports
the widow
'Vho provides for the fatherless babes
He who
has said 'Leave thy fatherless children, and 1 will preserve
them alive; and let thy widows trust in .L1Ie.' Our colonial
government is most humane in its character, and its efforts to
relieve the destitute are most prompt and amplc. Such a faint
picture as the above, leads you to the chief cause of Newfound-
land's misfortunes. 'Tis not its climate, the healthiest in the
world; 'tis not the barrenness of its soil, for the ' treasures of
the Jeep' greatly compensate. It is the risk and exposure of
its ocean sons to daily danger and premature death. Perhaps
the words of England's greatest bard would be too strong an
application to the above :--

, -----each new morn
, New willows howl, new Orphallg cry; new sorrows
, Strike heaven in the face.'

because when we consider this t1aily exposure the wonder is we
have not more shipwrecks and loss of crews. Our hays and
harbours are commodious and safe. But it is astonishing with
what a fearless and reckless spirit our fishermen launch out in-
to the deep. They often ren1ind Ine of the sailor who in
course uf conversation was asked by a gcntlcman, , 'Vhere did
yom father die
' 'At sea.' 'And where did your grand-
father die 1 ' 'At sea.' 'Then are yuu not afraid of going
to sea
' , No,' said Jack. 'Pray where did your father
die l' 'In bcd,' said the gentlmnan. 'And where did your
grandfather die 1 ' 'In bed.' 'Then are you not afraitl of
going to bed l' asked Jack. Such is the force of habit, and
when, as in many instances, it is founded on faith in GOlI, it
e)}a.hle
the hartly fishcnnan to sillg-

· It a storm should come and awake the deep,
What matter? I still call ride :uul sleep: ..

The followino'lli an extract of a letter which I ad(ll'cssf.tl
b
tu the lIon. Jallal's Cl"o'\\ (ly, the then Colonial Secretary,
in 184ð: Dated }i'ortuTlP Hay.
"The
tate of things which cxi
ts here, iH
uhversivo uf that

190

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

independence of mind which every man ought to possess. In
order to see the influence of the agents of the mercantile estab-
lishments, you must become a resident. Each is regarded as
the sovereign in his own territory, and when you take into ac-
count the lllanner in which these estaLlishluents are conducted,
and the extrenle ignorance of the mass of the people by which
they are surrounded, the power of these men seems to be almost
unbounded, added to which, is the power which the government
has thrown into their hands."

The Rev. A. Gifford, clergYInan of the Church of Eng-
land, writes from Portugal Cove, in 1861 :-
"It must be renlenlbered that the great bulk of the population
has arisen by very slow degrees under the auspices of a SIll all
knot of merchants, living in the capital, who have increase(l in
number and wealth at their own centre, by successfully nego-
tiating the coml11on product of th
people's labour in their
country's only staple; while the toiling fishernlen themselves,
scattered along the wild shores of their rock-bound coast, reap
but a mean subsistence, without the prospect of having their
lot sensibly affected by the prosperity of their employers.
Though at the present day of this colony's long and tedious his-
tory, a few larger groupings of fisherIllen have resulted in com-
munities of something like numerical importance, yet the original
character of the colony as a Dshing station, with St. John's as
its head-quarters, is unchanged by those marks of ad vancemellt
and civilization ,vhich are obvious in the progress of other coun-
tries. With the ïnultiplication of fishermen, and the extension of
the line of coast occupied by them, and even the increase of little
settlenlents, there has been no introduction of that powerful
elenlent in human society, so beneficial in many of its workings
-the admixture of class. If we have an aristocracy in the
merchants, they are local, and their influence rarely reaches
even the nearest of the dwellings of their poor operatives;
while the want of any variety of resource in the country calls
no middle class into existence; and the prevailing poverty of
the fishermen SeeIllS to forbid the hope of seeing more than one
in a hundred rise from their ranks to supply the want. Trades-
men there are but few out of the capital, and of shopkeepers, in

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

191

the English sense of the word, still fewer ; the populatioL get-
ting not only 'provisions' in food, but most of the necessary
manufactured articles, from the stores of the merchants against
their account ill fish. Shopkeepers, as a respectable class, are
only now gaining ground in St. John's; wlále ahnost the only
attempt elsewhere takes the form of a petty barter trade, car-
ricd on between the more successful fisherman and his poorer
ncighbours, in which the illicit sale of ardent spirits forn18 the
strong charactf'ristic. Farnlers and gardeners are at still greater
premium- perhaps I should not exaggerate if I were to say-
not n10re than fiye-and-twenty families in a circuit of ten miles
round 8t John's, and not 1110fP than fifty or sixty in the whole
island, being supported solely by agriculture. Add to these
features of Newfoundland society a few more of the peculiaritips
of the traJe of catching and curing fish, and of the winter life of
the fisherman, and a type of British cololligts, at once solitary
in its kind, and alone in its isolation from the sU1Tounding pro-
gress, is the result.
"Of such are the people of the
ettleInents of this r.Iission,
n1unbcring over cight hundred Church 111cmbcrs, not so luany
lloman Catholics, and a few Wesleyans."
The number of vessels which annually used to enter at
the custoln hou
e at Harhour Briton wa
hotween 30 and
40, besi{les ,vhich there were a nunlber of small coa
ting
craft. The iluports in lR47 amounte(l to ahout E2h,()()0,
or
l
to,OOO. The quantity of cod-fish yearly exported
was al)out 70,000 (luintaIH, and 140 tun
cod oil anti whale
oil, 800 cwt. salnlon, besides furs, berrie
, &c., to a consi-
dcralJle arnount. Fortune Bay paid to the colonial rev-
enue at the :-;ame time .f:2,.
00 or
12,;)00.
The seal fishery had never Leen prosecutecl from For-
tune Bay until 1846, when one vessel returnc(l -with 1,000
:-;eals. In 1 R..j.
..\lossrs. N èwman ò:. Co. sent two vessolH,
ancl P. Nleoll one vCHsol, to the seal fishery in the Gulf of
St. La\\rrence, which were sucee
sful. COIl-fish, tl1r1)ot,
hallibut, lJrett, (
c., are to 1e cauO"ht here in ahllost ever y
b .
IllOllth throughout the Yf\ar. 1.Iany boys front SIX to ten
ycar
old arc elnployeù in the fishery during the spring

192

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT \VAS,

and sun1mer months, some of whom catch fron1 20 to 50
quintals of cod-fish. A few won1en also fish during the
SUllllller n1onths, and not unfrequently catch from 20 to
30 quintals of fish. The hardships the III en endure fishing
during the \vinter 1110nths are very great. Many of then1
have the appearance of old men at thirty years of age.
In Hel'n1Ïtage Bay, the fishermen have a novel way of
securing the fish when it falls from the hook in drawing
it into the boat. A dog is kept on board who is the daily
cOlllpanion of the fishennen, and is so well trained, that
he immediately jU1l1pS into the water and secures the fish.
The \vinter fishery for the lnost part is prosecuted in
punts or skiffs-frequently you lllight see one lllan rowing
cross-handed in a punt (and if the breeze is favourable
his little sail assists binl), until he is reduced by distance
to a mere speck; he is now several miles froIH land, when
he lets go his grapnel, or lllore comnlonly his kellick, anrl
conlmences fishing in from 80 to 120 fatholns of ,vater,
regardless of the keen frost and furious snow stornl, while
the spray fronl the motion of the boat falling on hiln is
instantly converted into ice; he still works his lines until
the day is far spent and it is tiHle for him to " haul up."
All the fishermen I have conversed with inforrned me
that they never suffer any cold except when there is no
fish to be caught, but when there is any fish going they
are as warm and conlfortable as they wish, even in the
frostiest weather. The quantity of fish caught per lllan
for a year is frOlll 80 to 180, and sOlnetilnes 200 quintals.
Fortune Bay abounds in herring of a fine quality, and
which can be taken at all seasons, but are 1nore abundant
in the winter season. About 100,000 barrels are annually
taken. Harbour Briton is the residence of several public
functionaries. There is a.stipenclialY n1agistrate, who is
also the custom-house officer; a doctor, who is a meluber
of the Royal College of Surgeons, Lon f 1(>>.1; a clergYIUêtU,
and clerk of the peace.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

193

The making of roads has given an impetus to agricul-
tural pursuits hitherto unkno\vn in this part of the island,
and in some localitie
already has the spade garnished
the face of the country and given it a new anù inviting
appearance. One great dra,vback, ho\vever, on the roads
of this district, is the want of ferries, o\ving to the har-
bours and arms of the s(::a flowing such a distance into
the country; in some places it would be impracticable to
travel rounù theIn, and in other places the walk round
,vould be fi'om t\venty to fifty miles, but to cross in a
ferry ,vould be only from two to four miles. If, there...
fore, the Legislature would give a grant for the establish-
Illcnt of five or Rix ferry boats, it woulù render the_roads of
the di
trict what they are intended to be-a public bencfit.
O\ving to its great distance from the capital, the inhabitants
of this district are dcprived of the advantages arising fron1
the establishment of stealn cOlnmunication with the Ino-
the.. country-frequently letters ren1ain at the post-office
in St. John's six months, and sometilnes a year has
elapsed before they are received here. If a grant \vas
given by the Government for the establislunent of a
packet Loat bet\veen Harbour Briton and St. Pierre,
\vhich is between thirty and forty miles distant, a regular
luail cOlnInunication \vouid at once be opened bet,veen this
1Jay and St. John's, via Tlalifa
, and of coun3C every other
part of the world. The resident :French population is
not luore than 4,000, yet they have a regular packet
running between St. Pierre and Halifax, for carrying the
luails, &:c. A necessary appcnclage, ho\vever, to a IHail
COHl1l1unication bet\vecn St. Pierre and Harhour Briton,
,vouI(l he a local post-office; the letters and passengers,
pl'01,a,1,ly, \voul(1 pay the expense of the packet, &c. I
hope soon to bear of local post-offices being establi8hed in
every district in the islan(l-this \vonla he a
reat dcsi-
dcrattnn. In respect of postal cOllununication, Ne,vfoun(l-
lana stnnfl..., alone an1Ïd all the colonies of the British

l\1

19

XEWForXDL1XD, AS IT \\.AS,

Empirê in ha\in 6 but 01l
post-oTfic throughout the
countr,.
..At the head of Fortune Bay, during the winter season,
herds of deer are
een, numbering many thousands-
sometimes two or three are killed at one shot. A.. party
of ten or twelye persons kill from one hundred and twenty
to one hundred and fift,- deer during the winter. I have
seen the deer offered fòr
"lle at Ha
bour Briton at frolll
one to two cent
per pound.
Oats are cultivated in many parts of Fortune Bay, and
thc
e who ha,e
owed smallquantitie<\of wheat have found
it to ripen well. John Chrutt, at Belloram, when I \Y3.S
there, kept a number of cattle, made a considerable quan-
tity of butter, and during th
year 1\)46. manutàctured
neårly 300 chee5e, weigbIDgfro
four t{) t
n-pound
each;
I ha,e c::.een tobacco which grew in the garden of l\ewman

Co., at Harton Breton which 'Was ,-ery good.
-\.t
Frenchman's Ca,e, Stephen Chuett had a number of cat-
tle and a. small farm.
it this place I saw "What I observed
in no other part of Xemoundland-
ea beaches extend-
ing about a mile into the woods; these beaches have the
appearance of three or four waves cha
ing each other to-
wards the shore, and establishes the fact that
e\vfound-
land is 6ffidually ri
ing out of the sea; a remark fre-
quently made by my friend St. John.
The follo
Q" is an extract of a letter which I addre'
ed
to the SecretarY of the A.gricultural Society during the
time of ffi}- TIsit to Forttme Bay in 1
4S, but which had
reference to St. George's Bay, Bay of Islands, and the
whole west coa
tJ as well 8.8 Fortune Bay:-
,. On the western part of the country the deer congregate in
almost incredible numbers, and as they are identical with the
reindeer of Lapland, it is very probable that they could be
naturalized, and might become of considerable importance, to

... :;ince wri
the above, Ioca1poøt-offices have been e:,-tabllihed through-
OU
the com: ry, and small
teamt
employed for mails and pa.:::
enger:;.

ï> ... IT l:: IS I. I. .
th nnr. I bav h 1
A_ . cn1tmal . 1:" r
úftwo r r h
Bav b no 1d ....
J
dt n Is d
1 ... 00 , h_ B...-
rWlD_ b Pi
rat minor on -
r hKh llin_
::. A.
W'a,
. I I ku
.h 5 .J""
ID_r
r m
-
l- n 1D ] - ..
hi. .- Id
n ell ;;: 1 1D
liI:_ . ..
. '. d :-=...
r
0
of d I

_ on
'""d"Y , du ..
....
":: = = =
e
- ldred .
, -=. -
. ...... ,
. T'
W :=
--Q . . ,- . -
bevri=- 1
-YU....
. :I --
n - F
-
Ii :I ..... .
J hn"
. -
Ul: . I
T' -
I
I <X
. E
m .;;.
. X
. y -
c
...
. :c

_ : .
--- - - ., -

196

NEWFOUNDLAND, A
IT \V AS,

formed by the decomposing or gradual wearing away of the
neighbouring rocks, and as Mr. Juke's geological report don't
embrace Fortune Bay, perhaps a passing notice of its geological
structure may serve to show what kind of soil we might expect
to find here."
On approaching Harbour Briton, which is situate on
the north-west side of Fortune Bay, towering cliffs of
sienite, some hundreds of feet in altitude, appear in all
their ,vild Rublilnity, against which the ocean billows roB,
wrapping their base in sheets of spray and foam. This
primitive rock forms one of the heads at the entrance of
the harbour, then comes coarse granite, against this mass
of unstratified rock is seen resting limestone extending
about a quarter of a mile, flanked by beautiful white
granite, blocks of some of which are seen lying at the foot
of the cliff as exactly suited for building as if dressed by
the tools of masonry. The limestone is covered with a
Lloolning vegetation, whereas the sienite presents a naked
and ,vithered appearance. Wherever liInestone, soft sand-
stone, marl, shale, and gritstone are found; we have the
richest soil in Newfoundland; and if a similar system of
cultivation ,vas pursued, and the same amount of capital
employed as in Great Britain and Ireland, the land on the
western part of Newfoundland would probably be as
equaHy productive as in those countries. For we must
remen1 bel', that while the various countries of Europe, year
after year, were being upturned by the plough, and en-
riched with n1anure, until fifteen hundred years had rolled
away, Newfoundland slept in its primeval state, untrodden
by the foot of man, save the savage, and unknown to the
civilized world.
At Lagona Harbour, on the Island of Lagona, situate
nt the entrance of Harbour Briton, is a very extensive
and beautiful slate quarry.
Mr. Gordon 'had a slnal1 farn1 at Harbour Briton, on
which he rai
eù hay, oats, potatoes, and other vegetables.
Dr. Clinton had also a small farm, and was quite a prac-

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

tical fanner. In 1
49 N eWlnan & Co. COlnmenced the
culti vation of a large tract of land at the head uf Jlar-
1 )our Briton anH. Hay, potatues, and wheat were planted,
hu t I have not been infonued of the produce. Ncar
NC\VIHan & (Jo.'s brick store, in the lllÍddle of the road,
a stalnp of the foot produces the finest echo I ever heard.
Of course the weather and the tinle of day have a great
influence on an echo, dull ,veather deadens the
ound, and
sunshine renùer
the air thin; the finest echo is produced
on a de,vy night. Echu has been personified 1y the poets
and turned into IHany a fictitious tale. The 1110St popu-
luus place in Fortune Bay is Grand Bank, situated on th(\
south si(le of the bay, although not in the electoral dis-
trict uf Fortune Bay, it l)cing annexed to the (listrict of
Burin. . .
It aft()l'ds no security for shipping, the entrance being
harl'l
( I; Hillall vessels, ho\vever, <Ira,ving frunl six to eight
fe('t of water, can pass over the Lar at high tides. To the
west,val'll uf Gran(I Bank is Ship <Jove, "There there i:i
good anchorage for shipping in eight or ten fathonls
,vatcl', sheltel'c(1 froln the south, ,vest, an(1 nOl'th-,vestcrly
,vind
. l\ien-o'-war and uther large craft alwa.ys anchol'
there.
Gran(1 Banks (lerives ib-; nalnc froul thl\ cirCUlllstallcC
of its having the appearance of a beautiful greén Lank.
It has Leen inha1Jited aLout 180 years.
lr. J ollathan
llickman, the oldest inhabitant, died in lR4
, at the ad-
vanced age of 100 years. lIe piloted the cele1rated Cap-
tain Cooke along this part of the coast during the tÏ1ue he
surveyed the coa
t of Newfoundland 100 years ague For-
Inerly \Vnl. Evall
, Esq., the late stipendiary Inagistrate,
carried on lllercantile business to a considerable extent
here; lJut o,ving to the \vant of a harhour for shipping,
he ,vas obliged to send hi:-; ves
el:-) to load at St. J ac<ples,
on the opposite Hiùe of the bay. A Inercantile cstaLlish-
Juent is still carried on here Ly E(l wanl l
vanH & Co., SO)}

of 1\f L". Evans, one of \VhOIll is in the cùullllission uf the

l!i7

.

198

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,
peace, and the other a member of the House of Assenlbly.
Agriculture is nlore extensively pursued at Grand Bank
than in any other part of Fortune Bay. Some individuals
keep from 20 to 30 head of cattle. About 10 cwt. of but-
ter is Inanufactured annually here. There is a stipen-
diary Inagistrate, a constable, a lock-up house; a doctor
also resides here, and a Wesleyan missionary. There is
only one place of worship, which is Wesleyan. There is
one school under the direction of the Wesleyans, and a
small annual grant is given by the Government in aid of
its support.
According to the returns nlade to the Government in
1844, the population of Grand Bank was 392; acres of
land in possession, 123! ; barrels of potatoes raised, 1,308 ;
tons of hay, 102 ; neat cattle, 127; all bred in the island;
sheep, 53; pigs, 54; horses, 1. Number of schooners, 4 ;
fishing boats froln 4 to 15 quintals, 22; from 15 to 30
quintals, 18; 30 quintals and upwards, 21. Fortune is
about four lIlÎles distant from Grand Bank, and is a place
of considerable importance.
At a meeting of the Newfoundland Methodist lVIis
,ïon-
ary Society, held at the Rev. S. Bushby's house at Car-
bonear, the 15th of January, 1816, John GORse, Esq., in
the chair, it was resolved-

"That this 1tieeting having heard that there were about
5,000 inhabitants in Fortune Bay, nearly all Protestants, who
arc no\v, and ever have been, without a nlinister or preacher
of any denomination, it is the wish of this meeting that a mis
sionary should be sent there early in ensuing spring."
The first Wesleyan minister appointed to the place was
the Rev. Dr. Richard Knight, in the year 1816, after-
wards chainnan of the Nova Scotia and N e\v Brunswick
Districts for twenty-foul' years, and county delegate of
the Methodist Conference for Eastern British Anlerica.
The next person who succeeded Mr. Knight was the Rev.
John Haigh. The following isan extract of a letter frolll

AND AS IT IS IN IS77.

199

1 r. Haigh to the
Iissionary COD1mittee in Lonl1oll, datcl1
Green Dank, July 19th, 1819 :-
"There is one thing in this country which n1Ïlitates much
against the work of God generally, but it extends more parti-
cularly to this part of it; that is, the fishery. 'Vith us it conl-
Inences mnch sooner, and continues much later than in the
northern parts of the country, and consequently the people are
much longer from home. 'Ve have what is termed the spring
fishery, which comnlences in the latter part of l\,larch, or the
beginning of April, in which they are away for the space of
seven or eight weeks before they go to sea to the northward;
and we have the fall fishery, which is for about the same space
of tin1e, and does not close till near Christmas, so that we have
the fisherman at home but for the space of three or four months
in the year; besides their occasional visits with fish, and to take
a fresh stock of provisions and salt; so that if any impressions
are Hlade upon their minds during the winter recess, unless they
are deeply implanted, they \vear a,vay; for having no means of
grace, and perhaps exposed to much bad company, their con-
victions are liable to die away, and they relapse into their fonner
state of carelessness. But the principal cause arises frolll the
removal of many to England; there are several, who I believe,
have received good to their souls, who, when they have exper-
ienced it have ren10ved to England, where they could enjoy
greater privileges; three removed from this place last fall, so
that if our usefulness does not as fully appear now, we hope
that it \vill be found in the last day, that the labours of your
::\lissionaries have not been unsuccessful.
"There are two or three places across the Bay ,vhich Iocca-
sionally visit, three or four times a year, and remain two or
three weeks, where the Hlerchants' looms arc established; IIar-
lJQur Briton, Jersey Harbour, and Little Bay; but lllY labours
being only occasional, they are regulated according to the then
exist.ing circUIllstances; so that I can give you no regular plan;
and whilo here, we have an opportunity sonlotinlCs of preach-
ing to nw,ny persons who conle froll1 more distant parts, either
for provision or for the purpose of settling their accounts; so
that Ioany, who would not otherwise have an opportunity, hear
the gospol preached. I have it in contûluplation to pay a visit

200

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

to IIern1Ïtage Bay, a place where I supposo no gORpcl minister
ever yet visited."
]j'rom the year 1816, Grand Bank has been regularly
supplied with a Wesleyan Minister, who frequently visited
the various destitute parts of Fortune Bayand Hernlitage
Bay. I shall, therefore, make a few extracts from letters
written by them to the Wesleyan Missionary Society in
London, which will show the moral condition of the part
of the island at the time referred to. In 1827, the Rev.
Mr. NoaH says:-
" On my return to Gaultois, I found Captain MichelI, (as he
calls himself), the Chief of the gang of Indians from vVhite-
Bear-Bay. On seeing me he instantly dropped on one knee,
putting his right hand to his head. He was a very tall man,
and looked the savage if provoked. He addressed me in most
vociferating language, and gave me to. understand that he con-
sidered himself a Catholic. He said, 'I see minister, London,'
(it appears he had been in England,) ,
t. John's, Halifax; you
ministers and prie5t all one; all same God Almighty.' Refer-
ring to a circumstance that happened last Saturday night, he
said, , They dance two times, Saturday night, Sunday morn-
ing, that's bad; Sunday night, God burn their stage: ' a cir-
cumstance by which property to the amount of 100l. was de-
stroyed. In the evening I met Soolian again, and told him that
Christ is now in heaven, and that, if he prayed to Him, He
,voldd make him a good heart and take him there, and then
said, , You tell them;' pointing to some young men standing
by. He began talking to them in his own language, pressing
his breast, and then pointing to the sky, as I had done, while
one of the young Indians, in such an emphatic way as I shall
never forget, expressed his mingled emotions of astonishment
and pleasure. I am informed by those who know their habits
well, that the Indians belonging to .Bay Despair (of whom there
are eighteen families, and about a hundred persons) are still
under the bondage of the vilest habits; very indolent and false
in their dealings; and there is too much reason to fear that they
murder a great many of the Aborigines, or Red Indians, who
inhabit the interior. After all, I think them an interesting

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

201

face of men, and who, if they could be properly instructed,
might emerge from that darkness in which they are now en-
veloped. At present they arc only the dupes of those prif'RtR
by whom they have been baptized, but never instructed. Al-
though they are bound together by some social order, and have a
sort of cantonment, or rather rendezvous in Bay-Despair,yet they
enjoy very few of the comforts of civilized life. They spend
the summer chiefly in the woods, procuring fur; and, in the
winter, from want of economy, have sometimes to endure the
severity of hunger. It is inIpossible to calculate un the advan-
tages that might follo,v, could their conversion 1)e effected. It
would at once open a religious intercourse between much greatf'r
numbers at \Vhite-Bear-Bay ; anù is perhaps the only posRsible
way of gaining access to the Aborigines of this island, of whom,
notwithstanding what has been s:tid to the contrary, it apppars
great numbers still exist.
" There are some other places in this Bay (IIermitage nay)
which the inhabitants wish me to visit. Indeed, I received the
most pressing invitations to remain among thenl much longer;
but as I have now been So long from the people of nIY charge,
and am expecting to make another little voyage tû LanÚlin, in
l)lacentia Bay, soon after nIY return, I cannot possibly stay
longer. There arc about 100 persons in this Bay, altogether
destitute of Christian ordinances."

EÀtract of a letter froln the Rev. Adalll Nightingale in
1820:

" Aug. 23nl (Sufi(lay).-To-day 1 prea.ched two sermons at
Lamalin, with considerable liberty. The people heard the word
with deep attention. In the evening we had a profitahle sea
son in another house, where some were asscnloled. 'Vhcn I
was at this place last spring, the people engaged to build a place
in which they Inight worship Go<1, an<1 one person of respect-
ability told me that he would give ten pounds every year while
he lived towards supporting a n1Ïssionary, should oue be sent.
"Sept. 28th.-This day, Sir Thomas Cochrane, the governor
of the island, came on shore at Grand Bank, accompanied with
several gentlemen. A fter his Excellency had walked about
the place, and aske<l severalllucstioll3, he returned to his yacht,

202

NE'VFOUND:LAND, AS IT 'VAS,

leaving only on shore the Rev. Mr. B., of Trinity. This gen-
tleman preached in our chapel in the evening; and said after-
wards, that a clergyman would be sent shortly into the neigh-
boul'hood.
"Oct. 11th (Sunday).-I preached twice at Grand Bank,
and met the society. In the evening I preached at Fortune,
and met the society there, afterwards.
" Nov. 4th.- This morning, about three o'clock, I left Grand
Bank in a boat for Jersey Harbour, where I arrived in safety,
and preached in the evening to a tolerable congregation. The
next day I went to Harbour Briton, and preached in the even-
ing to a large congregation.
"6th.-My hearers this day were about seventy in number,
and seemed remarkably attentive and serious. Surely my
labour was not in vain.
"7th.-This nlorning I left Harbour Briton, with several
men, for Gaultois, in Hermitage Bay, where I safely arrived,
and was very kindly received by Mr. Creed. I preached in
the evening in a store, on the constraining love of Christ, our
great Master. My congregation, which consisted of fifty men,
heard with marked attention the word of God, with the excep-
tion of a poor drunken Englishman, who is the father of fifteen
children, and 'whose age is about sixty. Several Romal1ists
were. present; and one sailor was convinced of sin on the
occaSIon.
"8th.-This day I preached there timeB to good congrega-
tions. The people seemed to hear for eternity. 0 that the
seeù sown here may bring forth, some thirty, some sixty, and
some an hundred fold! The next day I went in a boat to
Round Harbour, according to request, where I preached to
about thirty persons, some of whom, I believe, never heard a
sermon before. The people were exceedingly glad of the op-
portunity, even those who had come several miles, to hear tho
,vord of life. I baptized one child. After this ,ve spent seve-
ral hours in a very profitable way, some of the company seemed
determined to seek the salvation of their souls. The Lord be
praised for his goodness to poor sinners!
"10th.-This morning I was rowed to Pickheart Harbour
where there are five families living. After preaching to about
twenty persons, who gave great attention to the word, I Lap-

AND AS rr IS IN 1877.

203

tized four children. This is the first time that this place was
ever visited by a Christian 1\Iissionary. I then returned in a
hoat to Gaultois, and from thence to Forbes' Cove, where I
preacheù from' God be merciful to me a sinner.' The number
assembled on the occasion was about sixty; some of whom, I
trust, will not soon forget this opportunity. I visited a sick
man, who, I was told, is the only person in the place that could
read. The number of persons who live here is about one hun-
dred. The moon shone very bright ,vhen we returned to Gaul-
tois, but 0, how un1ike the state of the people in this bay!
Lord, enlighten and save them, that they may shine!
" llth.-This morning I ,vas taken across the bay to Her-
mitage Cove, where there are about a hundred and forty souls.
H I3th.-To-day I preached at Great Habour, in Conainer
nay, and baptized two children. I then left in a boat for the
east side of the Bay, and before night, through ,the good hand
of God, though the ,valking was bad, we reached Harbour
Briton in safety. But ,vith respect to Hermitage Bay, permit.
me to observe that many of the people were truly thankful for
the privilege of hearing the Gospel in my visit to them. Their
entreaties to stay longer, or come again, were affecting. Their
cries for a missionary to teach them and their children the way
of life, are strong. Some of the most respectable told me, that
t.hey would do everything in their power to snpport one. 'The
harvest is great, but the labourers are few.' "
In 183G, the Rev. John Addy says:-
" On the 22nd July: I left Grand Bank in a small boat, in
01'<1(>1' to visit several fnnall harbours towards tho east. 'V 0
callea at Little narasway, and there founù SOHle adultH who
were living in a most ignorant and -wretched state. I spoke to
thmn on the nece
sity of personal religion, distributed several
tracts, and prayed with thenl. \Ve thf'Il proceeded to Grand
Rf'ach, w]wrü are two families, with whmn I read the scriptures
and prayeù, and iiJ "'n sailed to Frenchnlan's Cove. I preached
there in the evening to about twenty persons, frolll I. Pet. iii.
] 2. They WCl'(' very attentive, and I trust profitctl by what
they hf'ard.
"On tho 24th, I walke'] to Garnish, where I preached in the
evening, and b
l'tiz('d two chi]rlrpll.

204

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

"125th.-1 preached three times to attentive congregations.
There are about forty adults at Garnish, and they and their
children are in an ignorant and destitute condition, whole fami-
lies not being able to read; yet they feel their condition, and
complained in the nlost affecting nutnner of their want of spi-
ritual instruction, and of some person to teach their children.
At neither of the two last harbours had they been visited by a
Minister for three years. \Vhen I left them, they entreatell 111e,
with tears, to COUle again.
" 28th.-I left hOlne for Harbour Briton, and was received
with great courtesy by
Ir. Ellis.
" On the 30th, I preached at Grole in a house full of people;
after which I read the funeral service over the remains of a
young DUl,n, and while at the grave side I addressed the per-
sons present, on the importance of preparing for death alHl
judgnlent, and distrihuted tracts amongst them. I pl'pachc(l
again in the evening.
"31st.-1 preached this Inorning at eight o'clock to a crowcleù
congregation, as lllany persons had come frolll various harbours
to hear the wonl. I felt that God was with us. The congre-
gation was nluch affected; and after service, lilany expressed
their sorrow at their destitution of religious ordinances. On
Iny devarture they earnestly entreated 111e to come again. On
our way to Galtois, we called at a sIlU111 harbour, whcre we
found the people very ignorant. In one house, I found thCIll
all sitting in indifference, as though the hours of the sacred
Sabbath had been a burden. On inquiry, I found that none of
the inmates of one house at which I called could read; and in
another house that I entered, I asked the lllother if she could
read, and she answered, 'N 0.' I then asked her if she knew
she was a sinner; to which she replied in the negative. I inter-
rogated her as to her responsibility to God; to which she an-
swered, she had never been instructed in those things. I then
endeavoured to point out to her, in as siraple a manner as I pos-
sibly could, the way of salvation. l\lay the Bbrd enlighten her
m
d! ·
"August 2nd.-I proceeded westward of the bay; and re-
mained that evening at Long Island Harbour. There are
eighteen adults here, who can all read, and they spend their
Sabbaths in reading, prayer, and singing psalms. I preached

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

205

and conversed on religious subjects until midnight. They re-
quested me to preach in the morning, which I did, and they
received the word with gladness.
" 4th.-This forenoon I arrived at Pasture, and preached to
about forty persons, and afterwards baptized three children.
On nlY departure, tears ran down the cheeks of the people, \vhile
they expressed their sorrow that they were not permitted more
frequently to hear the word. 'Ve sailed to Round Harbour, and
on our way, told a man who was fishing that we were going to
hold divine service ; he put up a signal to his cOlnpanions, who
ceased fishing, and came to hear the word of 1ife. After preach-
ing, I baptized a child, and proceeded to Galtois, and preached
twice. I preached in another harbour on l\Ionday. In Hermi-
tage Bay, thpre are upwards of six hundred inhabitants arrived
at years of maturity in the most deplorable ignorance. They
seldom hear the Gospel preached. I found in some harbours in
this ßay that the inhabitants had not heard a sermon for nearly
a year, and in othf'rs, not since the venerable Archdeacon \Vix
visited it, and others not at all, that they could remenlber.
Here are hundreds perishing for lack of knowledge. They nei-
ther fold nor feeder have; may God provide for them! "
In addressing the \Vesleyan !Methodist Auxiliary
Iis-
sionary Society for Newfoundland, in 1840, the late Rev.
'Vllliam 1\Iarshall says :-
"During the past year, fifty-two harbours and coves have
been visited; in many of them the people are deeply sunk in
ignorance, .superstition and depravity. The Sabbath is awfully
profaned-drunkenness abounds in several places, and many of
the settlers on this part of the coast were never before visited
by any minister in the memory of the olùest inhabitant. Along
the whole -western shore, comprising an extent of n1any n1iles,
there is a lamentable destitution of religious instruction-not
even a school of any description, except one at Hermitage Cove
established by your missionary during the past year. There
are harbours where there is not a single individual that can
read at all, and where a copy of the sacred Scriptures cannot be
found -and these are Protestants, chiefly the descendants (Jf
English parents. The people gencrally llw,uifest a great desire

206

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

to be favoured with religious instruction; they welcome the
Missionary of the Cross among them, and count it an honour
to receive him into their houses; and though we cannot boast
of having seen sinners converted to Christ, there is abundant
reason to thank God and take courage. Much prejudice has
been removed, and if breathless attention and tear-washed
cheeks under the 'V ord, be any evidence of the work of the
Spirit on the mind, with these we have been favoured, and in
one or two instances the agonizing inquiry has been heard-
, Sirs, what must I do to be saved
' It is truly affecting to
listen to the requests of the people for missionaries; their gen-
eral inquiry on our leaving them is,-Oh, when sJlall we see
another minister
They are crying from every place like the
men of Macedonia-Come over and help us.
"Two visiting missionaries might be very usefully employed
on this shore; one for Hermitage Bay, where he could visit
regularly thirty harbours, containing a population of 1700 souls;
the second for Burgeo and 'Vestward. From Burgeo he could
visit regularly from eighteen to twenty-one places, containing a
population of near 1,OQO souls; he might also during the sum-
mer visit Bay St. George and Bay of Islands, where there is a
loud call for missionaries, and in everyone of the places they
,vould be gladly received."
Respecting the school at Hermitage Cove, Mr. l\Iarshall
also vvrites :---
" The school was commenced in January last; there are 33
children who attend every Sabbath, and also on the week-days
when the missionary is in the harbour. The improvement they
make in learning is very satisfactory; many of them who did
not know a letter in the alphabet when the school was opened,
are now able to read portions of the Holy Scripture, and have
committed to memory the First Conference Catechisms, also
several of our Hymns. We have reason to expect that this
school will prove an extensive blessing to the rising generation
in the neigh bourhood. There is one person who assists in the
school, and reads the Liturgy of the Church of England, with
a sermon on the Sabbath, in the absence of the missionary."
During the year Mr. Marshall baptized 156 children

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

207

and travelled near 2,000 miles. The Rev.
Iessrs. Peach
and Ingham succeeded
Ir.
Iarshan at Hern1Ïtage Bay,
but o\ving to the scattered population and the want of
funds, the
Iethodist
lission at this part of the country
was discontinued until 1857, when the Rev. ]'Ir. COlnben
was sent.
The Church of Eno-Iand at Harbour Grace was built
o
in 1841. It is a neat wooden structure, 45 feet by
5,
and \vill Heat 250 people. I t is the Cathedral Church of
lfortune Bay, and is quite an ornalnent to the village in
which it is situated. It \vas opened for divine \vorship
in 1845, since which it has only been occasionally visited
by a clergynlan, until 1847. In the church is a beautiful
marble font, presented by ThoInas Ne\V1l1an, Esq., son of
the late RoLert N e\Vll1an, Bart. The Right Rev. Ed\vard
Field, ])'D., Lord Bishop of the Diocese of N e\vfoundland,
has lnacle four visitations to the district of Fortune Bay.
The first clel'gYlnan of the Church of England appointed
to reside here was in 1837, who remained but a short
tÏ1ne; in 1841 another clergynlan was appointed, who
also relnained but a few nlonths. In June, 1847, the
Rev. 11r. Appleby \vas appointed here, \vho \vas succeeded
in the Autullln of the S
Ulle year by the Rev. J. G.
Ioun-
tain,
r.A., who \vas the Rural Dean of the district
and
at that tinle the follo\ving clergymen \vere un( ler his
superintendence: At Harhour Briton, Rev. S. Aldington;
Belloralu, Rev
John Marshall; the Burgeos, Rev. J. Cun-
ninghaln; La Poèle, Rev. T. Appleby; St. George's Bay,
Rev. 'V.
leek. There \vere two schools in the district
under the" Church of England School Society;" hesides
\vhich there \vere four colonial bchools. In addressing
the " Church of England t;chool Society," and referring
to this district, the Superintendent, Archdeacon Bridge
says :-
" There are several settlmncrrts in Hermitage Bay, as Gaul-
tois, Hermitage Cove, Furbey's Cove, with entirely church
populations, but wholly destitute of schools. And further to

208

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

the westward, along a line of coast 100 miles or more in ex-
tent, and with a totally church population of about 2,000
souls, there is but one school maintained by the colony. I
accompanied the Bishop last year in his visitation of these
parts of the island, and I saw his Lordship entreated, with
tears, to send among them good and pious men to teach them
and their children. In submitting to you the above statement,
I must observe, that it is not to be regarded as a full and
detailed account of the wants of Newfoundland; but for the
reason I have given, I could, without the slightest colouring to
dress up a case, draw a much sadder picture. Let me hope,
however, that even this rough and hurried sketch may fix
some Christian eyes upon it, and open some Christian hearts
and hands to relieve its dark and gloomy shades with the light
of a sound education in the blessed trut.hs of the Gospel, ac-
cording to the principles of the Church of England. Accord.
ing to the cenSUR of 1845, the numher of Episcopalians, ex-
tending from Garnish to Boone Bay, was 2,545, and from
Boone Bay to Cape Ray, was 2,085, making a total of 4,640
for the district of Fortune Bay."
In IH54 a handsome brick church was erected in Her

mitage Bay, at the cost of T. A. Hunt, Esq., of the firln
of Ne,vlnan & Co. The Rev. W. K. White, ,vho suc-
ceeded the Rev. Mr. Mountain, in 1855, at Harbour Bri-
ton, says:
" My cook-room school has begun famously; I pray God it
may go on well. A few of myoId scholars are here this winter
and they seem determined to have more order and discipline
than I was able to effect last winter. I have seventeen in all.
I took a Bible and wrote these words in it, 'For the use of the
Cook-Room,' &c., desiring that it might always be at hand for
family prayer-and thus far it has been brought me at the con-
clusion of my lessons, and I have read a chapter and had family
prayer.
"My Sunday evening class improves; I had sixteen in the
nursery last night."
Again, in 1856, Mr. White says :-
"I found in some settlements, IJeople living together un-

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

209

nlarried, chilùrcn not baptized, and the dead buried anywhere
and anyhow. The constant excuse is, "Ve see no luinister, and
therefore get some one who can read to baptize, and bury, and
l11arry.' This is a deplorable state of things; but I do not
know how one clergynutn could red1edy it. If a regular system
of visiting were established, there is no doubt the people would
gladly avail themselves of the Missionary's services; but I
scarcely expect that they would as gladly pay all expenses.
N either do I believe that a nlarried missionary, with a family,
without private means, could visit them properly without debt
and difficulty. As far as my visits are concerned, I cannot COlU-
plain of the beha.viour of the people. They seeIlled glad to see
me, and readily attended the services."
In 1858, the Rev. E. Colley, ,vho was stationed at Her-
nlitage Cove, writes ;-
" J\[y evenings are spent in instructing :fifteen young nlen in
reading, writing, arithmetic and singing. At Orole, we had full
service on Friday; morning prayer, litany and holy com-
ulunion, and I baptized two children. This is SOllie proof that
the people in this B.ty value the services of the church. In tho
hcight of the fishery, at the call of their minister, they leave
their lines, and nets and boats, and come to the House of
Prayer. And in like lilanner, I have counted nearly every
fine Sunday this snlllmer, eight or nine skiff loads of persons
coming into Ilarbour for the purpose of attending l\forDing
Service at St. Saviour's, Hermitage Cove; although the church
is far from fit to receive thenl on account of the repairs which
are going on. At present the congregation sit upon planks laid
on fish-barrels." -IF * 11-
" One of the families in this place, Cape la Rune, haù re-
cently a heavy aftiiction in the loss of their eldest son, a
young ma.n about twenty years old, from falling through the
ice. The father and two sons were returnil1g to their winter
house in the bay, and had brought their punt to the edge of the
ice. Having cross sed it the evening hefore, they concluded it
was safe, but after taking a few steps forward the old man fell
in, and the deceased endeavouring to save his father, fûll in
also; and both ,vould have been drowned but for the' younger
N

210

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

boy, who, luckily had not left the punt, and by means of a rope
got his father out. In the IneantÏ1ne the elder had sunk to rise
no more. I endeavoured, both in my conversation and in my
discourse in the service, to lead them to the only true and solid
source of conlfort and support under their bereavement, and
urged them to profit by the warning they had just received, lest
death should come upon them unawares, as it did upon this
young fellow, and find them unprepared."
The following is a copy of a letter which I addressed
to a friend now in England, during my visit to Fortune
Bay, in 1857:-
" The lone majesty of nature here predominates; yet in the
midst of this solitude there is a sublimity, for you can scarcely
conceive of any thing more gI"ètnd than the long range of
lofty and precipitous cliffs immediately in front of where I live,
whose tops are at this Inoment covered with snow, and where
nought is heard to disturb the solitude save now and then the
notes of the ptarmigan, while sometimes the timid hare might
be seen bounding along the rugged steep; all else is shrouded in
primeval silence. But while I admire this sublimity of solitude,
I feel pained when I think of the moral gloom which prevails
-the living death-hundreds living without life, without light,
and passing to the eternal world without the renewing and
sanctifying influences of God 7 s Spirit. The stillness of the Sab-
bath morning is frequently broken by the sound of the hatchet
and the hammer, and many heads of families pursue their ordi-
nary avocations on the Sabbath, as on any other day of the
week, because, as they say, they have no time to do it on the
week days.

, Hail Sabbath ! Thee I hail, the poor man's day,

fhe pale mechanic now has time to breathe

fhe morning air pure from the City's smoke,
'Vhile wandering slowly up the riverside,
He meditates of Him whose power he marks
In each green tree, that proudly spreads the bough.
As in the tiny dew, bent flowers that bloom,
Around the roots ; and while he thus surveys
With elevated joy each rural charm ;
He hopes (yet fears presumption in the hope)
To reach those realms where Sabbath never enrls.'

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

ll

The population of this place and Jersey Harbour (which is a
branch of Harbour Breton) is about 500. A neat little church has
Leen erected IJCre through the exertions of the merchants and the
magistrate; it belongs to the Episcopalians; they are expecting
a lllinister, but no person has yet been appointed. When I first
came here there was an ordained schooI-Iuaster, belonging to
the 'N ewfoundland School Society,' living at a place called
Belloralu, distant from this about thirty n1Ïles : he has since
gone to England on account of ill health and no successor has
yet been appointed to supply his place. There is also another
ordained school-master, belonging to the same society, residing
at Grole, in Herluitage Bay, about thirty miles distant from this
place. The population of the electoral district of Fortune Bay
is about 5,00U ; this does not include Grand Bank and Fortune;
which are on the opposite side of the Bay, and where a 'Ves-
leyan l\Iission has been established for many years. 'Vhen I
arrived here last l\lay, seeing the spiritual destitution of the
place, I immediately commenced holding religious service on
the Sabbath and sonletimes during the week evenings, in a
private dwelling; the congrega.tion has been small, averaging
from two to twenty, hesides the family of the house, who are
ten in number. There is a great scarcity of the word of God
here; I have, however, gratuitously supplied many families
with this illestinulble treasure. The 13ihle, then, is travelling ill
, its solitary grandeur' in the' far west' of Newfoundland, dissi-
pating the clouds of darkness, and pouring a flood of light on its
nlOral atmosphere. The BiLle is the great nlora] light-house of
the world, pouring refulgent corruscations on the surrounding
gloom, the 'heaven-lent geography of the skies to nlan.' I am
circulating tracts in every direction, aud many of these silent
InesBengers of luercy are finding their way into gloomy solitudeB,
w hose fastne
ses never echoed with the sound of the gospel
trumpet. Oh! think of those who are living where there are
no Dleans of grace, where all is å moral wilderness. There are
lllany harbours along the shores of this bay, where only from
one to three fan1Ìlies reside, who are entirely ignorant of spirit-
ual things; nlost of them are the children of English en1igrants ;
nlany of them renlember hearing their parents speak of the
parish church of the land of their fathers, with JittIe more
knowledge of a place of worship than this; and, when asked-
to what religion do yon belong 1 they reply the 'English reli-

212

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

gion,' meaning the Protestant. I am exerting myself for tho
benefit of sailors. On Monday evening, for the first time
within the menlory of man, was the Bethel flag seen at the main
royal' Inast of the St. George, fluttering in the breeze amid the
hills of the western shores of N ewfoundlanJ, the well known
signal for divine worship among sailors. Since I have received
the flag, I have held two Bethel meetings, and sent two loan
libraries to sea, each containing about 30 bound volumes, besides
a number of tracts and magazines. Since my arrival here in
May last, I have held 124 religious services afloat and on shore;
distributed 763 tracts (50 of which were French) ; 466 religious
books; 25 bibles ; and 42 testaments. I think great good might
be done amongst the maritime population of this country, and
that efforts might be made to establish a sailors' cause in St.
John's. The moral claims of seamen are beginning to enlist
the syn1pathies and efforts of all classes of the community in
England. Of course you saw the account of Prince Albert's
laying the foundation stone of the 'Sailors' Home' last snmmer,
at Liverpool. And not long since Her Majesty transn1Ïtted a
noble sum to aid the 'British and Foreign Sailors' Society' on
behalf of the young Prince of Wales. The President of the
British and Foreign Sailors' Society, the Right Honourable
Lord l\fountsandford, died in October last. It is rather re.
markable that the first president of this society, Admiral Lord
Gambier, was Governor of this island in the years 1802-3."
In 1848 the Right Rev. Dr. Mullock,Roman Catholic Bis-
hop, visited Fortune Bay and the west coast, where he held
several confirmations, and baptized anum ber of persons.
. _ The Roman Catholics had no place of worship in the
District of Fortune Bay at that time-they talk, how-
ever, of erecting a chapel at Harbour Breton. A Catholic
clergynlan from Burin annually visited the District of
Fortune Bay. According to the census of 1845, there
were in Fortune Bay-
4,640 Episcopalians.
392 Roman Catholics.
68 Wesleyans.
5,100 Total population.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

213

'1(,' , r .
C'" .."?""
( ....' ' :: 11111111 I'"'' 1\ '" '1,1' III,' \Ill' 11111

'.
I
-- .. ...,
":..\
' 11 1\ I ' I I "
r
-

...,.... '
'f ' I .. 11

t f'J . :7
'i _

:
; ;'..
111: \\d,r
.; ....'\,,'h.
.. _,
/1".::. ..
,.
-.
t. .S.,\ '
I 11'1
i, I

':
f' .
.
" 'iii, I
I! "II']' i \ \\ I,:
ð t t J,). ).;'
',
r '" - I '
'_ I' I, , I I

o 1 :4) Jt
I',1 - ,
=L..tdl. -, '- ---=..- -!o- 1 ',
t-C ,
.....:, --':::- ____ --' j ',,! "
o f.t.....
' , -
\ ---
0;: 11 11
E:1 l I",t\-
'\
...I' --
---
..-,

. II
>- 'J "F , k
, !tò':' . - = _
- \
=="'=' '
;\,' II1I
t-C ,
\
'f" L . =_
_
t::1 l · '. --.. J-" -
- - \

(:,
i;

:;:: ' )i
r

:
: 'I II
or.,"
..,

: :::
t.
=!
--- ='
.... I . " . _:. 1\\
..... f' :::t:'E"F =- -coo
:-,,'
.j ':r'.
-u-
I I "W( I
;; .....

'f:-:,.
I . -: __ ,"'/1' i_ III
E I ':
l

t..; ' ;;;' 1 :. õ :
" i;
æ'iJ[ " / 1: 11 I
!,..4 , ....-,

-r-t'"1"<- !II-' II
t;i . ,
.I fl. /. I:- - ." r - I I I II
:.r. ,,'.'
t J' "

..
. "I -
"
i3 ','; /
. \ 1 ' r -- 1 ______Q1n ,';i ,;\ I"'_-
_'II!
g .1." 'r I-=-- "1õ- d' -v-- \

: :": 1"
' I ' I! Illf

_--,-
J :1'

JIII" .:: 'I", ' 1111 "

\"''::1 'I' I ' J I - -. -
I It \ ; I
:

1' II\tl I ' I '
/ - ,
"

'
." ;1 1 1 / lil'J'. III --
ãïiii8
=- =--__.. ;\\;i'l ," 11 1'1i1,11
1 1 ""
;
! l I
I'/
I I 1 12 ' - i \ \ J Ilq,.I!;
n ,I ! I II '
-

- - jl f
' \/1 1 1 ..

i " r Il
.9f.-::;: .. . =--, -
Ii rr "I

\I '
< f j , -- ..; , /'11'1 1 1 'I"
Ó / ',.,1"
1
' I
d r
J, " , I , . . -- I 1 I, iI'

III'
Ë. I J J I ,I I> t ' . I:/--. '-. I
: II ? L

" "f
., ,_ J , "" , , . I I II : ,\ Irlll:1

I j, . " I II'
"' r. . .m.... Jill I 11\

Itl
'
,;

.,;. 1) 11 11 ,,1 \ ,\',
f
1 \ ...: :'.':,
...,
{, ..
'1.;
'
I
, f,'.tJ ·

. .. 1 .
' ,I
, '..h
'
'

".. .'! r

-
,:,
!I.. 1
,
' Ëst, ' J' ,

' --/
....

g!
_" -
. ,.;;,.:
I III

''''1111
II

"

III
II

I,
i\, \ ;,
......... ., I I
,
, r 'n'
t "

I'
'
\\I . '

I
. ",11 \"
:.J''':\\IIIII:' .,' ,
III I
III ..'111,\1 1 11
/'1 ..' j\l!!
\1 \I
ii!!:111 ,I

'11
1;1 III

I;)\

t IJ

III;
lil
1 II
111"- I

,I] j
I
..I 1
""1' ;
",I
Iinlulllllhl;
I 1,.1 . 'I -r"'"

II "

214

NE'VFOUNDLAND,
\S IT ,V AS,

Seventy l\Iiclnac and Mountaineer Indians reside in
Bay DeRpair, they subsist by hunting {luring the winter;
they also spear eels and saln10n, n1ake hooks, &c. There
are 4 Churches of Enghtnd, 10 sehools and P126 thvclling-
houses.
According to the census in 1857, the population of
Fortune Bay was as follows :-
In 18fi7.
2,787 Church of England
G47 Church of Rome
30 Wesleyan
29 Other DenOlninations

In IH74.
4,391
1,387
9

3,493 Total. 'S,787 Tot:.t!.
Burgeo and La Poêle which belonged to the district-
In 1845. In 1874.
3,172 Church of England ... 4,216
189 Church of ROIne 125
282 Wesleyans ... 731
2 Kirk of Scotland 15

3,545 Total.

5,087 Total.

In the district of Fortune Bay there were 518 d\velling
houses, 10 schools ana 2,"59 pupils, 3 Churches of England.
317 acres of land were cultivaten, producing 254 tons of
hay, 6,628 bushels of potatoes, and 75 bushels of turnips.
Of live stock there were 344 neat cattle, 157 Inilch cows,
5 horses, G10 sheep, and 133 swine and goats. The quan-
tity
of butter n1anufactured was 1,570 pounds. The num-
ber of vessels engaged in the fisherie
, 14; boats carrying
froln 4 to 30 quintals of green fish and upwards, 72G;
nets and seines, 1,542. Quantity of cured :-58,4154
quintals cod-flRh, 91 tierces of salmon, 58,9:'58 barrels of
herring. Oillnanufactured, 2D,220 gallons.
The returns of Burgeo and La PoÛle ,vere-555 dwell-
ing-houses, 5 schools anù 197 pupils, 4 Churches of Eng-
land and 1 Wesleyan. 161 acres of land were cultivated, pro-

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

215

ducing annually 53 tons of hay, 4,590 bushels of potatoes,
and 125 bushels of turnips. Of live stock there Were 46
neat cattle, 31 milch co,vs, 2 horses, 74 sheep, and 6
s\vinc and goats. The nUlllber of vessels engagBd in the
fisheries, 15; boats carrying from 4 to 30 quintals and
upwardg of green fish, G07; nets and seines, 1,717. Quin-
tals of fish cured-G7,H33 of cod fish, 614 tierces of sal-
mon, :31,077 barrels of herring. Gallons of oil manufac-
tured, 33,8GG.
The Islands of St. Pierre and
liquelon are situate at
the entrance of Fortune Bay, seven miles from the main
land. These islands ,vere ceded to France by the treaty
of Utrecht, and are the only possessions of the French in
Alllel'ica. By the tenus of the treaty they are not al-
lo,ved to make any fortifications, nor to have more than
fifty soldiers at a time.
St. Peter is a 111as:-; of unstra.tified rock of a reddish
colour, Dlostly covered ,,,,ith a fe,v shrubby fir and alder
trees. A lighthouse ,vas erected by the FreDch Govern-
Inent in 1
4.j. It is built on Galantry Head, near Cape
Noir. It is a substantial edifice, built of brick, and cost
SO,327 francs. The light is a fixed one, and burns at an
elevation of about 210 feet above the level of the sea. It
Juay 1m
een (in passing by the S.) frolll'V.N.'V. to N.N.E.
at the distance of 2:5 lniles in clear ,veather. In passing
by the N., it is shut in by high land from N.N.E. to
'V.N.'V. A small light is also situated on the Gun point
,vithin the Roads, at the entrance of St. Pierre's Harbour.
St. Pierre is a place of considerable trade. According to
the official returns made to the
-'rench Governlnent in
1
47, the pupulation of St. Pierre ,vas-
Resillent................. ...... .............] !)OO
Floating. . . . . .. . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .... 520
Total.. .... . . . . . . . .. . . . ... . .. 2,030
The population of St. Peter's ,vhen the lla,nker,-; arl'
there is 10,000. The nUlnbcr of vcs:-;els fitted out for t1ll'

216

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT W A
,

Grand Banks and other banks is between 300 and 400,
averaging from 50 to 300 tons. The quantity of cod-fish
taken is estÏ1nated at 400,000 quintals. But this docs
not include the Northern French fishery on the north
coast of Newfoundland.
T,vo Roman Catholic Churches (one of which is on
Dog Island), two priests, four monks, nine nuns, and two
schools. The population of Miquelon was 625. There
was also one Roman Catholic Church, one priest, and t,vo
schools. Last year a very elegant hospital was erected
at St. Pierre; it is built of brick, and is the only good
building on the island, save the lighthouse. It is 150
feet long and 60 feet broad. It has sixteen spacious
rooms in it, besides a number of smaller ones. It will
accommodate upwards of 100 sick persons. The Govern-
ment House is a very plain old-fashioned wooden build-
ing, with a slllall garden surrounding it. All the houses
that compose the town are built of ,vood, and, for the
Inost part, small and ill-constructed. The streets are
very narrow, short and dirty. Altogether the place has
the appearance of a large fishing establishment. A Gov-
ernor resides here, Commissary or Minister of Marine,
harbour master, two doctors, and several other public
functionaries; there are also about thirty gensdarn1es. A
slnall armed brig, called the guard ship, is stationed at
the entrance of the harbour. There are also three small
arn1ed schooners which occasionally visit the west coast.
A sloop of ,val' and also a schooner frequently call here.
A sailing vessel is employed in carrying the n1ail once a
fortnight between St. Pierre and Halifax.
The quantity of fish exported to Guadeloupe and Mar-
tinique, two of the French West India Islands, in the
under-mentioned years, was as follows:-
Quintals.
In 1840 ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56,954
1841 ........................71,785
1842 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50,549
1843 .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72,873

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

217

(For;' a mor(J detcI,;ilfd aCCO'll"nt of French Fislwl'ie,'1, 8(J(J
" Fisher;'ies.")
At
liquelon and Langley there are a nunlber of farnls,
where all kinds of vegetableR are raise<l. There are a
great number of cattle and sheep kept, froin ,vhence the
lllarket at St. Peter's is supplied. There ,vas once a pas-
sage for ships between l\liquelon and Langley, ,vhich are
no,v connected by lo,v flat sands, for the BlOst part cov-
ered ,vith coarse grass, and ,vhich is the scene of a great
nlunber of ship,vrecks, principally tinlber vessels frOlll the
St. La,vrence to England. The ,vhole coast is frequently
I'5tre,vn ,vith tÜnber for a distance of three miles.
When I \vas at Sydney, C.B" in Septelnber, 18.18, two
French ,val' stealners ,vere plying from St. Peter's, carry-
ing coals there, and lllaking a depot of it for their lnen-
of-,var. St. Peter's is to the western part of the is]and
,vhat St. John'f; is to the northern part, viz., the great
outlet or lnarket for every production of the island.
Du1Ïng the time of my visit to St. Peter's, I saw yesselB
there fro III Nova Scotia, Prince Ecl\\rard Island, Cape
Breton, the U ni ted States, and various parts of Europe.
It is a nlost thriving place, and rapidly increasing in
trade and population. The inhabitants of Fortune Bay
and the south-,vest coast have for years been supplying
St. Peter's with herring, caplin, and bquids (used for bait
in catching cod-fi:sh), amounting in value annually to
about
(j.5,OOO, hesi(les fire,vood, \.
c. The land of these
islant1s is nlo:-;tly composed of variegated slate rocks and
reddish :-;an(lstone, scinite and goit stones. St. Pierre iH
about five Iniles long, and
Iiquelon and Langley about
t,,"enty n1Ïlc's long.
An English man-of-,var is annually employed on the
N e,vfonn( Hanel coast for the protection of the fisheries.
Captain Bennett, of TIer
TajestY'H Ship Rninbo1.v, in
addres
ing Captain Prescott (the then Governor), in 18
G
an(11837, :-,ays:-
" I have reason to Lclicvc there nover has heen <L )Tcar in

218

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

which the bait has been so well preserved, or the French so
completely kept over upon their coast; for no instance has come
to my knowledge of a single French boat having succeeded in
taking bait on the South coast of Newfoundland, except in one,
as a rewar'd for having saved the lives of five of the Rainbow's
officers. I had given pern1Ïssion to a person belonging to St.
Pierre's, nanled Leon Coste, to take as lIlllCh caplin as would
serve hiulself for two trips to the Great Dank, but in Iny ab-
sence, F'renchman-like, he filled his vessel and sold thCln to great
advantage at St. Pierre's; but in his second attempt to do so he
was captured by one of the Rainbow's boats. Latterly sonie of
t.he boatH from St. Pierre's have endeavoured to encroach beyond
the IÌ1nits; one was taken after a harà chase, and she is now in
possession of my officer at Lamelin, and used as a tender.
" I have had a variety of correspondence and some interviews
with the Governor of St. Pierre's, and I really believe that he
means well; but from the very great number of bankers which
now yearly come out from Europe to the fishery, I believe this
year they exceed three hundred, it is impossible for them to be
supplied with bait froln the French islands, and of course during
the caplin season, very large prices are held out to our fisher-
men to bring them over, and I believe they have not succeeded
in carrying much this year, yet they very candidly say that next
year they intend to enter into that trade, and if they escape
with one cargo out of three their profit will be handsome} and
as the run across is so short it is next to impossible to prevent
them, except by the employment of a coast guard. I am sorry
to say that many respectable persons about Fortune Bay, who
were extremely active in getting up the petition which I be-
lieve to have caused the passing of the late Local Act, were
themselves deeply engaged in the caplin trade to St. Pierre's,
and therefore some part of that Act is as unexpected by, as un-
palatable to, them.
" I have now to call the attention of your Excellency to the
smuggling trade with St. Pierre's, which is carried on by the
inhahitants of nearly the whole of the
uuth coast, where they
aro out of l
each of the officers of the Custonls, and I am satis-
fied that it is of very great nlagnitude. \Vhen I arrived at
St. Pierre's in April, there were eleven boats from different
parts of Newfoundland there, which had brought over wood,

\ND AH IT IH IN lk77.

219

gallH', and other things, and in exchange they returned with
tea, sugar, brandy, different articles of clothing, &c., &c. In-
deed, they did not attenlpt to disguise the fact. As I before
relllarked, the distanco across is so very short, that it is next to
impossible to capture them, an hour's run taking them al)ovo
the LanlClin shelves.
" Another nlode in which the colonial revenue suffers i
by
vessels couling fronl IIalifax, Quebec, and other places, and
going into different unfrequented small harbours, exchange their
cargoes of spirits, flour, bread, clothing, &c., for fish. I have
heard that this has been done on the west coast by American
vessels, who have got rid of entire cargoes; and when I was at
St. George's harbour, a person from llalifax was residing there,
retailing the cargoes which he had brought there, and which of
course had paid no colonial duties.
"At Ingarachoix there are resident some five or six hundred
French, from whom the colony derives no benefit. If they are
permitted to act so far contrary to the treaties as to reside there
entirely, they ought certainly to be amenable to the taxes laid
upon the inhaùitants of Newfoundland. This is the place most
frelluented by the French, and I regret that bad ,veather pre-
vented TIle fronl going in there, because I believe that they not
only cut and export wood for constructing vessels, as well as for
fuel, but that they actually build vessels of oonsiderable size
there.
"I have already (last year) pointed out to your Excellency
the manner in which the revenue is defrauded by articles of
every description bf'ing smuggled into the outports, not only
frOlll the French Islands of St. Pierre and )Iiquelon, but also
fronl Jlalifax, Queùec, and even front l\mf:'rica. This is in a
great measure the consequence of there being no collectors of the
revenue, or even perso11s authorized to demand or to receive
the colonia.l or custonl-house dues.
" Vessels aro constantly c01uiug over fr0111 the ahovc-n:uned
p]acl's exchanging brandy, rum, sugar, tobacco, tea, molasses,
clothing, furniture, &c., for fish; of course they confine their
voyages to places where they know thC'y are not likely tu 1)0
c.listurLe(1 by ships of war or a
cnts fronl the custOlu-ho\U;c, and
your

xccllellcy can have no idea to what an extent this traffic
is carried on, to the prej uelico of the English merchant, and the
serious loss to the colonial revenne.

220

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

"With l'éSpect to the smuggling from St. Pierre, I regrpt to
say that this year it has been q'ltfldr'llpled,. the ruinous systenl
of supplying caplin to the French fishermen at St. Pierre is pro-
ductive of serious diminution to the Newfoundland revenue,
and undoubted loss to the British merchant, and operates in
every possible Inanner to favour the French fishery, and to de-
press that of the English; in point of fact, nothing could be
conceived more likely to aid the French fishermen in their com-
petition with our own people.
"Last year the French bankers, in consequence of our vigi-
lance in preventing them from hauling caplin upon our coasts,
were constrained to lay for weeks at St, Pierre before they
could procure their necessary quantity of bait ; this year they
have had nothing to do but to purchase bait froll1 the English
boats in exchange for tea, tobacco, brandy, &c., and when com-
pleted with water, to proceed to the Bank in prosecution of their
voyage; in short, nothing could be devised more likely to for-
ward their views. I cannot unclerstand the policy of pcnnitting
this traffic, as it appears to me a sort of cornmercial suicide, put-
ting into the hands of our opponents the Ineans of successfully
competing with our fishery, already by far too much depressed."
In 1838, Captain Polkinghorn, of H.M.S. Crocodile,
says :-
"While laying at anchor at St. Pierre's, I was infonned by
an English fisherman belonging to Fortune, that a French fish-
ing boat was then hauling caplin in Danzick Cove, near Fortune;
on learning this I thought it most advisable to visit Fortune
Bay before I procecded ,vestward to the neighbourhood of the
Bourgeo Islands, and sailed accordingly on the 19th, to ascer-
tain the correctness of the complaint made to me. On passing
Danzick Cove, within two miles, I could not perceive any boat
or boats enlployed as reported; in the evening of the 19th I
anchored at Grand Bank Bay, and at daylight the following
morning sent an officer to Fortune to obtain information, while
I placed myself in communication with the most intelligent
persons I could find at Grand Bank, a considerable village, and
sin1Ílar in situation and population to Fortune. The ,two vil-
lages are ahout four miles distant from each other, and can nlUS-

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

221

tel' frOlIl 200 to 250 fishermen, a number fully equal to their
own protection from the encro::whulents of the French fishermen.
At these villages I heard not a conlplaint of any act of aggres-
sion on the part of their neighbours at St. Pierre's, on the COll-
trary I found there was too good an understanding between
theu1-all the fishermen at these villages acknowledged without
reserve that they caught caplin, and sold it to the French j ànd
this I have since discovered to be a general practice along the
whole coast opposite to St. Pierre's, from Grand Bank to Burin
Island. It appears that the French, at the conlmencenlent of
the caplin season, give a good price for this bait, but at a later
period the value is much Jess, and our fishermen get goods for
it, anù more frequently spirits. The Lad effects of this traffic
will, I think, soon he apparent-our fishery will be injured from
scarcity of hait, and our industrious fishermen demoralized
under the baneful influence of French spirits."
In consequence of the extensive supply of bait to the
French, the Local Government passed anAct inlPosing a
duty of 7.3 cents the cwt, upon pickled fish exported frolll
the colony. The passing of this Act tenùed to increase
the
nnuggling, for immediately the French werc Inade
acquainted with the duty on herring, the price was aù-
vanced to 45 francs per barrel, and sometin1es eight or
ten hogsheads of salt were given into the bargain.
The passing of the "Pickled Fish Act" amounted to a
probibition to vessels from the neighbouring colonies,
which, previous to its passing, used to visit Fortune Bay
and other parts of the coast and purchasc about 20,000
barrels of herring in bulk, giving in exchange flour, pork,
beef, butter, coal, lumber, &c., &c, This was severely felt
by the poorer clasH of the inhabitantft The Act, however,
only continued in operation three years. In 1
4G and
1847, the Local GovernIIlent elnployed a sllwll anllcù
schooner to collect duty under the provisionl'i of the above
mentioneù Act, as well as to prevent slnuggling generally.

Ir. Okú, the Coullllandcr, in his Report in 184ü, says:-

222

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT \VAS,

" The first deInand for the caplin this season at St. Pierre
was on the 1st July, and then but two francs per barrel could
be obtained. But for our presence, and the use made of the
cruiser's boats, 1,500 or 1,600 barrels would on that day have
found their way to St. Peter's frOl11 Lowrey's Oove (near Point
May), we having at that place fell in with seventeen boats (be-
longing to Grand Bank and Fortune), the crews of which were
engaged in hauling caplin j ten had not cOlnmenced loading; two,
which had on board 150 barrels, and had not entered at the
Custom House, we detained. :From this period until the caplin
had disappeared, this traffic was, I believe, abandoned."

The following is the expenditure for the support of the
Revenue vessel during the operation of the Local Act, 8
Vie., cap. 5.
1
46. æ s. d.
July 20.-To the Collector of Her Majesty's
Customs, to defray the expenses
of the hired Schooner, Oaledonia 582 17 8

1847.
Aug. 25.- To Thomas and Henry Knight, for
hire of Schooner Caledonia.... 508 0 0
Aug.25.-To Robert Oke, Comlnander of
Ditto........ ...... ............... ... 52 3 10

fl, 143 1 6
Or. . . . ' . . . . .. $4,572 00

Amount of Revenue Oollected.
Year ending January 5th, 1847...............
"" " 1848...............

.t s. d
326 11 4
60 5 5

Æ386 16 9

Or............... $1,547 00

AND AS IT IS r
1877.

223

Sinnlltancously ,vith the eluploYlnent of a Revenue
ve:-'&úl, a CustOlll Honse Officer ,vas appointed to GaultoiH
in Herlllitage Bay, \vhel'c N C'VllUlll & Co. had a mercan-
tile estaLlishu1ent. Gaultois is aLout fourteen lnile

distant fronl Harbour Breton, and contains a population
of 320. Thc follo\ving is an extract froln the Report of
Captain Lock, of Her l\lajesty's Ship Alctrm, elllployed
for the protection of the Fisheries in 1848, addressed to
Earl Dundonald :-

" l\Iy Lord,-I sailed from Halifax in H.
I. sloop under my
command on the 14th June, and anchored in the harbour of
St. Pierre's the afternoon of the 17th. I found the outer roads
and the inner harbour filled with shipping. There ,vere one hun-
dred and thirty-three French vessels, ayeraging from one hun-
dred to three hundred and fifty and four hundred tons-one
hundred of these were bankers, chiefly brigs, lately returned
with cargoes. They had taken in their salt, and were waiting
for bait (caplin), which they told me would strike into the bays
of St. Pierre's and
1iquelon in a day or two. 'rhis prophecy
(whether likely to prove true or not) was TIlerely mentioned to
deceive TIle, as it is well known the supply afforded round their
own islands is insufficient to meet the great demand. The next
morning I observed boats discharging caplin into the bankers,
which I ascertained had been brought over frOl11 our own shores
during the night in English boats. The ba.it is sold in the har-
bour of St. Pierre's either by barter for piece goods, provisions,
or for money.
" In every way this transaction is illegal. First, by vessels
trading to foreign ports without a custom-house clearance, in
violation of Act 3 and 4 'Vrn. 4, chap. 5f). Secondly, by sail..
ing without registers; and thirdly, by defrauding the colony of
a 1,rallch of its revenue.
"Their only excuse is, that if they were not in self-defence
to sell their caplin, the French would take it as they formerly
used to do, in defiance of all reIllOnstrances and opposition. For
it is, they say, inlPossihle to guard every particular point ,vhere
the caplin may strike along so extensive a coast, so as to pre-
vent the robbery, or in most caSC8 even to see, the French fish.

224

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS.

ennen, in consequence of the frequent and dense fogs. This
traffic has now become so systemised and general, and so pro-
ductive to all parties engaged in it along the cQast, that it will
be a matter of great difficulty to put it down.
"I waited on the commandant, Monsieur Delecluse (Capitaine
de Corvette), and after mentioning the object of my visit, I
strongly urged him to aid me in the support of the existing
treaty.
"He said he would, and always had endeavoured to do so, in
conjunction with my predecessors, but it was an uvhill task,
owing to the proxin1ity of the island to the main, and the fre-
quent fogs which often enveloped all surrounding objects, some-
times for many days together.
" As a means of checking this great evil, I would propose
establishing one or two n1agistrates at central positions, say
Fortune, Lamaline, and Burin, and supplying four swift row
boats attached to a colonial tender, during the fishing season,
and swearing in their coxswains as special constables.
"Some of the local authorities entertain an idea that they
cannot exercise jlJ.risdiction over men embarked in boats, but in
this I ventured to assure them they are mistaken, and that
when boats are fishing in creeks, harbours, or along the coasts,
within three miles' distance of the land, the sanle law extends
to the persons of the individuals in them, as to a settler on the
shore, and that they would be fully borne out in exercising any
legitimate -authority they may possess, for an infringement of a
local or imperial law by parties so situated.
" The fishing season commenced in the beginning of June, and
will close the first week of October. They do not consider it
will be a favourable one-however, fishermen are as hard to
satisfy as farmers-their catch will probably average one million
quintals.
"The government bounty is eleven francs per quintal, a sum
equal to the value of the article itself. Owing to the embar-
rassed state of the French finances at home, and the failure of
aU their commercial establishments in the West Indies, there is
comparatively no sale for the bank fish this year. No accurate
calculation can be formed of the value of the whole quantity of
fish caught by the French, as many vessels carry their cargoes
to France green. The fish are dried and salted there, and ex-

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

225

ported thence to the West 'Indies, and sOln
to the Mediter-
ranean.
"I anl assured that three hundred and sixty vessels, from one
hundred to three hundred tons burthen, are engaged in the bank
fi..:hery, employing from sixteen to seventeen thousand seamen
(exclusive of the coast fishermen). All these vessels return to
France every winter. Their crews spend the money they make
there; buy the filments they require there, sell their cargoes for
the use of t11eÜ. countrymen at cheaper rates than the N ewfound-
landers can to the Colonists, anù are knit together in a body
by the regularity and system of their duties, and man their
country's navy if required.
" ThE" French annual Great Bank Fishery averages a catch of
a million, two hundred thousand quintals; and nearly the en-
tire quantity is sent to the West Indies. Guadeloupe and l\Iar-
tinique consume two-thirds, and the remainder is exported to
other islands.
"The islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon al'f
admirably
adapted for the purposes to which they are applied; no expense
to Governnlent--they offer the best possible centre for all com-
mercial opera.tions, a depot for their stores, secure harbours for
their shipping, aUfl at the same time, owing to their proximity
to the shores of Newfoundland, their inhabitants are equally
well supplied with bait, anù fish; as the British settlers thmn-
sf'lves in their vicinity.
" The French authorities, however, do not deny that the sole
ohject of their Government in supporting these fisheries at so
grea.t a cost, is to forDl seamen for their navy. :\Ionsieur
.Fillcau, the intelligent Commissary at St. Pierre's, candidly
told TIle this, and added that no private cOlnpanies could of
thcmselves support this COffilnerce, unless the market price of
the article rose to double it:d present amount.
" .Jlonsipur Delecluse, the Governor, had also the honesty to
Hilirm that the supply of caplin by tho Engli
h fronl their Ba.ys
and Coast alone enabled the Bankers to prosecute their fisLings,
anù he believed that to this traffic with his islands our poor
Rettlers were alone enabled to support their existence.
"It is obvious that bywitholdingfrom the
-'rench thc supply of
ùait fronl our own shores, their success upon the Grand .Dank
would sensihly diminish, and the advantages thc fish luerchants
()

22G

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

at present derive from their bounty, granted by their Govern-
luent, over other com petitors, could not increase the trade beyond
the limits controlled by the comparatively very scanty supply of
caplin afforded by their own coasts and islands.
" If, on the other hand, it is the large payment of bounty by
the Government that alone upholds the fisheries, and which has
advanced them to their flourishing condition, the present is
surely the period for our merchants to exert therllselves to re-
gain their lost ascendancy, while the French are paralysed by
the failure of the French West India markets, and general loss
of credit, consequent upon the emancipation of the blacks by the
Revolution of February.
"It is wonderful to observe the inhabitants of a nation, cer-
tainly not addicted to maritime pursuits, surpass a seafaring
people in the prosecution of an avocation natural to thelll, and
in which it is necessa.ry to display more science and perseve-
rance to be successful than in any other branch of a sailor's trade.
" In consequence of this anomaly, I cannot but believe there
Inust be some flagrant want, either of industry or skill, on the
part of the people of Newfoundland, admitting even that the
existence of the French Banker is entirely dependent upon the
bounty money.
" However this may be answered, the fact is very apparent
that the French had established and systemised a large fleet of
vessels, which now no unaided individual enterprise can success-
fully com pete with.
"The capital advanced by the French Government (at the
COIDlllenCelnent of the competition with the English Bank
Fishermen) at once lowered the market price of fish to alnlost
the cost attendant upon the sailing of the English vessel, which
the French bounty alone was, and is still, equal to defray.
" A French vessel of three hundred tons has a crew of at least
forty men (worse fed and paid than Englishmen), and is found
with from seven to nine heavy anchors, and upwards of eight
hundred fathoms of hemp cables. She would also have from
four to five large boats, capable of standing heavy weather, and
numerous nets and fishing tackle made in France, at one-third
the expensp. our Colonists can procure theirs.
"The boats above-mentioned are capable of laying out from
five to six thousand fathoms of line, to which hooks and weights

A]\J) AR IT IS IN 1877.

227

ttre attached at Cf'rt:.ân Ilistances aUll secured by allcllOrs. Thps

are termed Bultows, aud are generally shot on each bow and
quartf'r. They are enabled, with the number of hands belonging
to each vessel, to lift those lines and take the fish off freq nen tl y.
both during day and night; while the smaller En!ðish vessels,
manned by a weaker crew (consequent lll-'on the g)>eaterexpense),
and only possessing COlnmon ancllors and cables, are under the
neces
;Ïty of using the orùinary trawl line. Not only are the
fish attracted away from the latter by the nliles of bait spread
over the bottOln by their rivals, but when heavy weather occurs
they are obli
ed to weigh, while the French relnain securely at
anchor, with two hundred fathofils of cable on end, and ready to
resume their employnlent imnlediately the weather will permit
theIne
" \Vhile we yield to the French the advantages of independ-
ent ports and unnlolested fisheries, we are on the other hand
hampered by circumsta,nces unfelt by them. For example. their
fishernlen arrive from the parent state, ours belong to a thinly-
peopled and dependent colony; they have their drying-grounds
cluse to the fi
heries, as we have, on the shores of this very co-
lony, deriving every advantage from it, and untranuuelled by
any expenses or local taxes, to which our people have to contri-
bute in addition to tbe aforesaid disa,lvantages.
"The distance from France is of no moment; instead of
adding to, it is the means of dinlinishing, the expense attendant
on the conveyance of fish to Europe, for a great portion of the
season's catch not sent to the \Vest Indies is carried away by
the large fleet of steamers upon their return home for the win-
tel'; while our fish merchants have to collect the l'raducf' of tlw
sea.son fronl nunlerous stations, distrihuted over a. great rant;e of
coast, and then again to tranship it into larger vessels to cross
the Atlantic.
"It Juay ah;o be
aid that our people are working for exis-
tence; the Frt'nch are sent forth by capitalists, and supported
by large hountif's paid fronl their Government. Hence (as I ha.ve
endea.voured to show), the great reason of their SUcce
:s oYer
our colonists in their expensive I Ilm!r. of fishin
on the Lanks.
" It is not surl'rising, then, that they have heen thrown back
upon the coast of the l
lanù, and have aba.ndoned their v
ssels for

228

NEWFOU
DLAND, AS IT WAS,

tnnalJ boats, only adavted to fish close to the shore, and in the
creeks and harbours.
"Fortunately, the cod-the staple wealth of these seas--...
seems inexhaustible, so that a large revenue is still made, but
the nursery for seanlen has ceased to exist,-while our rivals
number 16,000 well-trained men belonging to the Bankers, ex-
clusivE:' of 12,000 others attached to their fishing stations on
the coasts granted to them by Treaty."
The Hon. C. F. Bennett, in his examination before a
COlnmittee of Her Majesty's Council, in 1849, says :-
" I received a lett.er yesterday stating that French :fish had
been offered to be sent and delivered in Valencia at six shil-
lings per quintal, which offer had caused the refusal by the
dealers to purchase a cargo of English :fish then then
, and the
English vessel was forwarded to Leghorn. The usual freight
of :fish from this to Valencia is 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. sterling, per
q uin tal."
In 1849, that part of the Pickled Fish Act iInposing
duty on fish exported to the British Colonies was repealed,
but the duty on fish exported to the French continued as
before.
The repeal of the Navigation Laws and Free Trade
policy of Great Britain, I presume, now enable the French
to purchase bait theInselves at any of the ports of New-
foundland, by paying the duty.
The inhabitants, from Cape La Hune to Cape Ray
(about 2,000), did not vote in 1849, and consequently
they were not represented in the Legislature of N ew-
foundland, although they paid their proportion of taxa-
tion. There is a Oustom House officer, who is also an
honorary Magistrate and a Justice of the Peace. Burge 0,
La Poêle and Port-aux-Basques are the three principal

ettlements, froIn Hennitage Bay to Cape Ray, where
there is a telegraph station. The coasts about these
places are mostly composed of granite, mica. slate and
gneis
, all primary or igneous rocks, and very barren.
Captain Polkingham, of H.M.S. Orocodile, visited this part

'\.ND AS IT IS IN 1877.

22D

of the coast in 1838, and, in addre
sing Captain Prescott,
the then Governor, he says :-
" On the 21st I sailed for the nei
hbourhood of Bourgeo
Islands, but on arriving off them, on the 23rd, I found the
Pilot ignorant of the anchorage, and from the report of the
native!:; of their small, narrow harbour, I deemed it advisable
to proceeq to La Poêle Bay, a central situation between the
13ourgeo's and Cape Ray; I anchored in La Poêle Great Har-
bour on the 24th, and found there
lr. Reid, a Collector of
Customs, also a
lr. Antoine, a merchant from Jersey, carrying
on a large fishing establishment, from both these gentlemen I
obtained the best information; it appears that neither the
Bourgeo Islands or their neighbourhood have been molested
by the French fishermen during the last two years; anù our
fishermen at Hourgeo and near it are now become so numerous,
that they would not suffer any encroachments similar to those
complained of in former years; I therefore canle to the con-
clusion that an officer and boat's crew were quite unnecessary
on this part of the coast. At La Poêle I learnt that many
French fishing boats did, in April and
iay last, touch at Port-
aux-Basques, in the neighbourhood of Cape Ray, and to the
great annoyance and injury of the inhabitants, haul herring
with very large nets, and in one or two instances, forcibly took
up the nets of our fishermen, aud appropriated their contents
to their own use; on this suhject I addressed a letter (Ko. 2)
to the Governor of St. Pierre's respecting the suggestion of
Commander Hope, of II.
i.S. llacer, that llis Excellency would
cause all his fishing boats out of St. Pierre's to be num1ered
on their sails; at La Poêle the cod fishery is general, and said
to be most successfuÌ in sunlmer and winter, SOlne salmon are
caught, but not in considerable numbers."
In 1849, Captain Loch, in hi:') report on tht; Fi
herics,
says:

"BURGEO ISLANDs.-J UNE 24.

". The fishing is carried on throughout thtj year. It was good
ÙUflUg the past winter, but indifferent ill the spring. On the
whole they have had a fair catch-G,OOO quintals
ince Octo-

230

NE\YFüUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

ber. The fish are not so plentiful as they were five years ago.
There are about 700 inhabitants residing on these islands-they
are illcrea
áng in nunlbers-fourteen years since there were
only two faulÍlies.
"The French do not interfere with their fishing, or appear on
their coasts. The caplin had not been at all plentiful, but were
beginning to strike into the harbours in great numbers, and
would, they expected, remain on the coast for several weeks.
" They trade principally with Spain and Portugal, sending
their largest fish to Cadiz, and generally commanding the early
luarkets of both those countries, in consequence of their ability
to prosecute their employnlent throughout the year.
" These enquiries were principally answered by :LVIr. Stephens,
Agent to 1\1essrs. Npwman, Hunt & Co. There was, besides
this establishment, a Jersey room, belonging to Mr. Nicolle, who
has another fishing station thirty leagues east, and one at La
Poêle. During my visit there were two vessels in the port. One
of thenl was receiving cargo for the Levant, and the other col-
lecting fish frOlll the different stations along the coast.
"l\lost of the fishernlen belonging to the settlement were
hired by one or other of the above-mentioned houses, and they
received 4s. 6d. for every hundred fish delivered; but unfortu-
nately they are dependent upon their employers for the supply,
not only of their boats, nets, clothes, and other articles, but
also for their food, so that by what I could ascertain I fear that
a very pernicious systenlof usury is prosecuted. If this should
continue the merchants lllay be enriched, but the settlers will
certainly never inlprove in civilization or prosperity.
" The inhabitants, with but few exception

, are alJ Protestants.
There are two churches, but, at the time of lny visit, no clergy-
man, the Rev.
lr. Blackmore having been removed to a better
living, and 1\11'. Cunniughanl, his successor, not having arrived.
The magistrate was a 1\1:1'. Cox, at present in England. There
is also a Sehool-house, to which the fishermen contribute a small
annual sum for the education of their children.
" The appearance of the settlement itself is, without excep-
tion (considering the reputed value of the fisheries), the most
disreputable and wretched I have hitherto seen. True, the
around is a bog, with granite boulders and rocks rising from its

entre, upon whicl. the huts and cabins can alone be planted,

AND AS IT IS IK 1877.

231

but yet no attenIpt seems to be made to drain the filth and bog
water away from their doors, or even to make pathways by which
to pass fronl house to house without having to waàe through
black mire. The only causeway in the settlement is one fornled
of deal boards from the Church to !\Ir. Stephens'residence, nev-
ertheless, to my surprise, I must own that the people seem happy
in their state of filth, and I heard no complaint of disturbance,
or of any crÏIne having been recently comn1Ïtted."
The following is froll1 an account of the visitation of
the Right Rev. Edward Field, D.D., Lord Bi
hop of N ew-
foundland, in 184!) :-
" On Sunday, July 8, the fog cleared, but on the vessel draw-
ing near the land the ,vind entirely failed, and it was necessary
to drop the anchor near a large rock, which afterwards proved
to be the Colombe of Rotie, wit.hin seven or eight n1Ïles of La
Poêle. Had the position been known before, the Church Ship
might easily have reached La Poêle on the Sunday morning,
and the Bishop and his companions might have given and
r{'ceived much con1fort by joining the Rev. 1\11'. Appleby and
his congregation in th
Church which his Lordship consecrated
last sunImer in that settlement. A boat, which was acciden-
talJy lying in the Bay of Rotie, came off in answer to a gun
fired from the Church Ship, and shewed among the rocks the
way to a safe harbour. The Church Services were celebrated
that day on board, and the friends who directed the ship into
the Bay of Rotie gladly accepted the invitation to attend in the
evening. There are no settled inhabitants in that. Bay.
" On },[onda!J, July 9, the Church Ship was safely moorcd at
h(1r 01<1 resting place (which she visitcd twice last year) in La
Poêle Bay. The Hi
hop was ,velcolned by the llev. Mr. Ap-
plt.by, by the nUlCh-respcctcd agent of l\lessrs. Nicolle &- Co.,
anù the other inha.bitants, with their accuston1ed kÏ1Hlness.
"Tuesday, July IO.-The Bishop cclebrate{l the IIoly Con1-
munion and preache<l. It was his Lordship's intention to have
proct'ecled from La PoNe direct to Port-aux-Basquc!5; but hea.r-
ing that the two Cemeteries at the Burgeos would be rear1y for
Consecration. he was induced to retrace his stepð.
H On Snndn!J, tlie Ifill, of .Jlll!J, the GraH..yar.1s were (luly COll-

232

NEW}'QUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

secrated,-that at Lower Burgeo in the morning, before the
Prayers in the Church; and, in the afternoon, after the ser-
vice, that on the Sandbank at Upper Burgeo. The H0ly Sac-
rament was arlministered at each Church. The enlarged Church
at Lower Burgeo was well filled; and the Schools both on the
Sunday and working days are numerously attended.
" ]l!londay, July 16th.-The Church Ship left Burgeo with a
flir wind. It was the Bishop's intention to call off La Poêle in
order to carry the Rev. Mr. Appleby to Port-aux-Basques, at
the southern extremity of his mission; but before reaching La
Poêle the weather became thick, with a strong breeze, and it
was necessary to stand off. La Poêle was passed in the
night; the next day, with some difficulty (the wind still blow-
ing strong), the Church Ship was piloted through Grandy's
Passage into Burnt Island's Bay. Here the Church Ship was
aetained three days, but every day services were performed on
shore to the great gratification of the inhabitants, who had
uever before enjoyed the privilege of their Bishop's presence.
..At Burnt Islands the settlers (chiefly froln Dorsetshire), are
numerous and thriving, and their chief want and chief desire
appear to be the means of instruction and religious ordinances.
"On Friday, Jidy 20, the Bishop was enabled to return to
Rose Blanche, where he was met by the Rev. Mr. Appleby.
On Saturday his Lordship visited on foot the neighbouring set-
tlement of Harbour Ie Cou.
"Saturday, July 22.-The services of the Church were cele-
brated at Rose Blanche in a store :-the Bishop preached at each
service. On the following day a piece of ground was marked
out and measured for a graveyard; and in the evening, after
Prayers in the store, the Bishop again addressed the people.
The great need of a resident teacher was felt and expressed
here, as in the Burnt Islands; and the Bishop was reminded of
a prolnise given four years ago to endeavour to supply that
need. It is feared that the prospect of the Bishop's being en-
abled to gratify their wishes and his own in this matter is still
very remote.
" On T
tesday, J'uly 24th, the Church Ship sailed to Port-aux-
Basques, and Wednesday (St. Matthew's day) the Bishop, at
the request of such of the inhabitants as were at home, cele-
brated the service in the building lately erected and furnished

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

233

at Channel for divine ,vorship; but which, in consequence of
the abs
nce of the principal settlers and planters, could not be
conveyed to the Bi
hop fur the purpose of Consecration. The
building erected and furnished by the inhabitants of the place,
is substantial and commodious, and fitted up in good style ac-
cording to the prevailing fashion in that part of the country.
It is greatly regretted that this populous settlement still de-
penås upon the l\Iissionary at La Poêle (30 miles off), for the
Church's ordinances and means of grace; and there is no other
l\Iillister of Religion within a much greater distance. The
population from La Poêle to Channel cannot be less (the latter
place included) than seven hundred souls."

234

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS 11" \V AS,

CH.A,PTER XII.

ST. GEORGE'S BAY, BAY OF I
LANDS, ETC.

HE French profess the right by Treaty, of catching

and drying fish frolll Cape Rayon the west through
the Straits of Belle Isle as far as Cape St. John
northward, though they are not allo'\ved to Inake any
fortifications, or any pernlanent erections, nor are they
pern1Îtted to relnain longer than the time necessary to
cure their fish. This line of coast is as follows :-
Froln Cape St. John to Cape Quirpon. . . . 100 miles.
" Cape Quirpon to Cape Norman. .... 15 "
" Cape N orlnan to Sandy Bay ........ 40 "
" Sandy Bay to Point Riche........... 45 "
" Point Riche to Cape Anguille . . ......180 "
" Cape Anguille to Cape Ray.... ........ 18 "
398 miles.
The whole line of shore in exclusive use of Great Bri-
tain, is 535 geographical miles.. The number of inhabi-
tants on the west coast is about 2,300, principally Acadians,
descendants of the French, froln Nova Scotia and the Is-
land of Cape Breton, interspersed with English, Irish,
Scotch and Canadians. The coast is fast settling. Hither-
to the Government of Newfoundland has exercised no
control over the inhabitants of this part of the country,
and of course they have not been represented in the
Legislature. In 1840, the Government appointed a gen-
tleman in the two-fold capacity of Stipendiary l\Iagistrate
and Collector of Custolns to reside at St. George's Bay,
but after a short residence there he relnoveù.

": Rf>tnrn8, lRiW.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

235

The principal places on the 'Vest-Coast are Cod-Bay,
St. Caspar's Bay, River Humber, Bonne Bay, and Port-
au-Port, St. George's Bay and the Bay of Island
, are
geologically interesting. All who have ever visited this
part of the country, describe its scenery as exceedingly
interesting and beautiful. It has aU the eleluents of
future greatne

. Here is a coal field thirty miles long
and ten broad, situated only eight n1Ïles froln the sea, and
twenty rnile:-; frOII1 St. George's Harùour, supposed to be
a continuation of the coal n1Ïnes of Cape Breton. There
is also n1arble of ahnost every variety and colour, some
masses of which are five hundred feet in height. There
are also soft sandstones, flagstones, gypsunl, &c. IIad this
part of the country been settled first, instead of the east-
ern portion, it would no\v have a population of some hun-
dreds of thousand
. In this portion of the country there
are all the elements to set in nlotion agriculture, manu-
factories, stealll, vessels, railroads, and architecture.
The amount of salt annually imported into N e,vfound-
lan(l is about 900,000 bushels, which is nlostly conslllned
by the fisheries. It was never n1anufactured in N ew-
foundland until 1850, when 1\11'. John H. 'Varren com-
menced to nlanufacture it on a slnall ::)cale, at St. John's,
froln sea ,vater, but discontinued it. There are several
salt sp1Ïngs at St. George's Bay, the brine of \vhich, if
Inanufacturcd, ,voulù proLaLly afford sufficient salt for
the convenience of tho country. The geological fOl'lna-
tions \\,hore these bprings exist are identical \vith those of
Englan( 1, Spain, and the United States.
The (luantity of coal
imported into N e\vfoundlan(l in
It)7.j \vas :!7,(;34 tons, principally froll1 Cape Breton.
The proùuce uf the Pictou coal Inincs in 185.') was H20
tons, valued at .f47,üÐ9 or ::;lDO,7UG. Anù of the Syùney
n1Íne
, 2G,H77 chalùl'uns, value(l at .1:20,274 or
H2,OOO.
FroDl Nova Scotia, ;)O,7
.j chalùrollR \\rcl'C eAportc(1 to
the Unite(l St.ates frotH Cape Hrpton, 10,12.") \Y('1'(, St'nt to
Nova, Hcotia, ü,() 17 to Utlll'J' Bri tish ("ulo)} ips, and 1 O,!).

236

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
to the United States. The importance of the coal fields
of St. George's Bay is very apparent, when ,v'e consider
its proximity to Canada East, where no coal is found, and
wood fuel is rapidly disappearing. Firewood is also
rapidly becoming very scarce along the sea board of the
eastern shores of Newfoundland, where there is a popu-
of 160,000. The following are the observations of C. J.
Brydges, . Esq., Managing Director of the Grand Trunk
Raihvay of Canada, in lS66 :-
"Whilst I was in Nova Scotia I visited Pictou and the coal
districts in its vicinity. The present railway system of Nova
Scotia consists of the railway system from Halifax to Truro,
with a branch to Windsor, at the head of l\Iinas Bay. The
N ova Scotia Government are now constructing, as a Govern-
ment work, an extension of the railway from Truro to Pictou,
which will be completed in about a year from this time. This
railway runs through the coal district. There are two principal
coal mining companies now at work-one, the General Mining
Association, has been in operation for a considerable time, and
has at present three mines in actual operation, and one more
which they are opening out. The shafts of these mines vary
from 200 to 600 feet in depth. The seam of coal which is be-
ing worked is 40 feet in thickness, of which about 36 feet is
solid coal. In these three mines there are at present employed
between 800 and 900 men and boys-the average pay of the col-
liers during the last year having been about 98. 4!d. currency a
day; ordinary labourers getting from 4s. to a dollar. The mines
are being worked very extensively with steam-engines and all
proper appliances. The General l'ilining Association have a rail-
way about seven miles in length, which has been in operation
for upwards of twenty years. The gauge of this railway is four
feet eight and a half inches, and they have upon it six engines
and five hundred and seventy trucks. These trucks are loaded
with the coal at the mouth of the pits, and are taken to a point
on the river where ships of the largest size can come alongside
the ,vharf. The quantity of coal which has been shipped by the
Mining Association for some years past has amounted to about
200,000 tons annually. The price of the steam coal at the

AND.AS IT IS IN 1871.

237

point of shipm('ut is about $2.50 per ton, and of snlall coal about

1. 50 per ton.
" Freight from Pictou to Boston ,vonld range from $2.50 to
$3 a tOll, the same rates, or thereabouts, being eharged to
l\lolltreal. This cOlllpany owns four square miles of coal land,
and they have also, in the vicinity, land containing very large
quantities of iron ore, as well as lime.
" The other mining company, which has lately be started, is
called the Acaflian 1Iining Conlpany. They have one seanl six
feet thick now opened, out of which they are getting coal, and
they have just opened another seam which they will begin im-
mediately to work, and which has a thickness of 20 feet. They
own a very large property in the neighbourhood of New Glas-
gow. They are about to make three miles of railway, to con-
nect their shafts with the rail way now being constructed from
Truro to Pictou. The quantity of coal appears to be inex-
haustible, and there seems to be no reason \vhy this coal, which
is of excellent quality for steam pllrpose.s, should not be deli-
vered in l\Iontreal for five dollars a ton. I was so satisfied
with the excellent quality of this coal, from the reports I heard
of it, that I or\lered several cargoes to be sent to Montreal for
the use of the Grand Trunk Company, so as to have it tho-
roughly tested for our purposes. There can be no doubt that
the coal which exists in Nova Scotia, in the neighbourhood of
Pictou, and also at Cape Breton, where large mining operations
are going on, will prove, when proper means of communication
are supplied, to be of great importance in the future history of
the Confederacy."
Profe:o,
or Se{lgwick, of the University of Cambrirlgc,
reCOllllllended J. B. Jukes, a graduate of that university,
a ffiè1nher of the Geoloo'ical
ociet y of En oO lau(l , an(1 after-
ö 0
,varùs a professor of Geology in Trinity College, ])uhlin,
and author of several '\vorks, as a cOlnpetent person to
lllake a geological survey of N c,vfonndland. 1\1 l'. Jukes
,vas accol'(lingly clnploycd Ly the Local Govel'lunent for
two years, 1
:3H an(118:39. He was 1)ut poorly provided
ho\vever for Inakiu(f the surve y he had no O'colo(fical P rol)e ,
o , b

and few iJ1stnlluents for horing, kc. J\[r. Jnkl's HH're1y

2:3k

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAR,

made a partial survey of the sea coast, and went no\vhere
into the interior, except a line frolfi Bay of Exploits to St.
George's Bay. His Geological Report, however, laid be-
fore the Legislature, is exceedingly interesting, and gives
more information respecting the geological structure of the
Island than was ever known before. Respecting the coal
fornlation of St. George's Bay
1\11". Jukes says :-
" This interesting and important group of rocks resembles in
its higher portions the coal formation of Europe, and consists of
alternations of shale and clunch, with various beds of gritstone
and here and there a bed of coal. Interstratified with those
rocks, however, there occur in Newfoundland beds of red marl ;
and as we descend to the lower parts of the formation, there
come in alternations of rtd and variegated marls with gypsum,
dark blue clays with selenite, dark brown conglomerate beds,
and soft red and white sandstones. This inferior portion of the -
Newfoundland coal formation so greatly resembles the new
red standstone of England (which in that country lies over the
coal forn1ation), that it was not till I got the clearest evidence
of the contrary that I could divest myself of the prepossession
of its being superior to the coal in this country also. That
nothing might be wanting to complete the resemblance, a brine
spring is known to rise in one spot on the south side of St.
George's Bay, through the beds of red marl and sandstone. It
is certain, however, that in Newfoundland the beds containing
are above these red marls and sandstones, with gypsum and salt
springs, the whole composing but one formation, which it is
impossible to subdivide by any but the Inost arbitrary line of
separation. The total thickness of this formation must be very
considerable. I by no means have any reason to suppose that
I have as yet seen its highest beds, while the thickness of those
which I have seen must amount altogether to at least one or
two thousand feet.
"The Humber Limestone.-This group of rocks lies below
the Port au Port shales and gritstones, and in the Bay of Is-
lands it is the one next inferior; as however their junction was
not exposed, I cannot say whether the one graduates into the
other, or whether other beds may not be interposed between

\
() AS IT TR I
Jb77.

:
!J

the two in other localities. The highest part of the Hun1-
ber Limestone which was visible, was a thin bedded mass, ahout
30 feet thick, of a hard, slaty limestone of a dark grey colour,
with brown concretions that, on a surface which had been some-
time exposed, stood out in relief. Below this are some thin
beds of hard subscrystalline limestone, the colours of which are
white or flesh-coloured with white veins. These would take a
good polish, and would make very ornamental marbles, and from
the thinness of the beds are especially adapted for marble slabs.
This series of beds has a thickness of about 200 feet. Below
these are a few feet of sin1Ïlar beds of black marble, which
rest on some grey compact limestone, with bands or thin beds
and irregular nodules of white chert; and these latter beds pass
down in a large mass of similar limestone, without chert, and in
very thick beds. This mass of rock forms hills four or five
hundred feet high, in nearly horizontal beds. Its upper part
continues to be regularly bedded, but in its lower portion all
distinction into beds is lost, and the limestone becomes perfect-
ly white and saccharine. This great mass of ,vhite marble is
frequently crossed by grey veins, so that I cannot say that I
saw any block pure enough for the statuary. There is little
doubt, however, that in so large a quantity, some portions
might be discovered fit for statuary marble, and for all other
purposes to which marble is applied, the store is inexhaustible.
" The hills about the head of St. George's Bay, though rarely
exceeùing one thousand feet in height, are of a nlOuntainous
character, rugged and precipitous; and this continues to be the
nature of rather a wide band of country, that runs frOln the
eaHt of St. George's Bay across the Humber River, at the head
of the Bay of Islands, and thence for a considerable distance
still farther north. About St. George's Bay this ridgo of hilJs
fonus the water-shed of the country; the brooks on one side run-
ning down into the Bay-those on the other emptying thenlselves
into the Grand Pond, a large lake in the interior. This lake
comnlence
at ahout fifteen Illiles in a straiuht line N.E. from
o
tho extrPllle point of St. George's Bay. In the first seven Iniles
the lake spreads out to a width of about two miles, and runs

bout E. S. E. ; at this point, however, it bends rounù, divides
lllto two branches, each fronl half a 111Ïle to a ntile wiùe, which
enclose an island about twenty-one miles long and five across in

240

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

the l,roadt'st part. In this part of its course the direction of the
lake is E. N. E. The renlainder of the lake, which is about
twenty-five miles long and four or five across, gradually tends
round to the N. E. and N. E. by N. The whole length of the
lake is about fifty-fout' miles. At its S. W. extrelnity it is en-
closed by lofty hins with precipitous banks, and is of great
depth, no bottom having been found with three fishing lines, or
about ninety fathoms. Its depth is further proved by the fact,
of the truth of which my Indian guide assured me, that its S.'V.
half is never frozen over in the hardest winters. Towards its
N. E. end it gradually becomes shallow, and the hills slope down
into a flat country which extends, as far as the eye can reach, to-
wards the N. and N. E. The lake receives on all sides nlany
brooks, and at its N. E. extremity a very considerable river,
fifty yards wide and several feet deep, comes in, which is called
the }\iain Brook. Three miles W. of the mouth of this river, an
equally considerable one runs out of the pond; this latter is
full of rapids for five or six miles, when it is joined by another
river of about the sanle size, which flows from the N orth- West.
These united rivers r:'ln towards the S. W. and in about six
miles enter Deer Pond, a lake about 15 miles long and 3 or 4
across, running in a direction about N. E. and S. 'V. The S.
W. end of this lake is again encircled by the hills, through
which the united waters force their way by a narrow and pre.
cipitous valley, forming the River I-Iumber, and running out into
the Bay of Islands. The part of the river between Deer Pond
and the sea is about twelve miles long, from about 50 to 100
yards across, and several feet deep; its navigation is, however,
impeded by two rapids, one about three miles from its mouth
and three quarters of a mile long, and another, shorter but
steeper and more dangerous, about half a mile below Deer Pond.
The river which, above Deer Pond, comes in from the north and
joins that running out of the Grand Pond, is likewise encum-
bered with rapids, our progress up each branch being stopped
half a mile from their junction by rapids utterly impracticable
with our boat. I afterwards interrogated the Indians respect-
ing the course of the river in those parts into which I was not
able to penetrate myself, and they informed that the north
branch, which I shall call the Humber, rises in the country
near Cow Head, passes down to the east through several lakes,

AXD AS IT I
IN 1877.

241

two of which are 8 or 10 miles long, and gradually bends round
to the S. or S. 'V., to the spot I have before described. The
main brook which runs into the N. E. end of the Grand Pond,
is navigable for a canoe for a distance of some miles above the
place where I turned back. It is there found to run out ot" a
lake 8 miles long; on the other side of the lake the river is again
met with, and pasßing up it three more lakes are crossed, each
above six miles long. The extremity of the last of the"ie is
about 18 miles from Hall's Bay, a branch of the Bay of Notre
Dame; and crossing half a mile of land another brook is n1et
with, do\vn which a canoe can proceed to the waters of that
Bay. It thus appears that the country drained by th9 Humber
i
upwartl
of one hUlldreù miles from N. to S., and fifty or sixty
frorTI E. to 'V., by far the most extensive system of drainage in
the Island; it approaches the sea on three points, namely, Cow
Hea.d, Hall's Bay, and St. George's Bay, and the united waters
force their way out at a. point nearly equidistant from each,
having either fornled for themselves or taken advantage of the
narrow pass between Deer Pond and the South branch of the
Bay uf Islands, called Humber Sounù. The Indians likewise in-
formeu Die that if they proceeded from the east side of the Grand
Pond, opposite the east end of the Island, a day's journey to the
east brought them to the South end of Red Indian Pond, a lake
betwt'en forty and fifty miles in length, and from that point
another day's march to the South-east brought them to tlH:

n1Íddle of another large pond of about the same size. Each of
th(;::ie ponds flmpties itself by a brook into the Bay of Exploits.
They each run about in a parallel direction with the Gra.nd
Pone, or about N. E. and S. \V., anù the S. 'V. end of the third
large pond is within a long day's walk of \Vhite Bear Bay. It
thus appears that there are two easy Inethods of crossing the
the country from north to south with a canoe. The first by
procf'cding from St. George's Bay, through the Grand Pond to
11a11's Bay; the second from \Vhite Bear Bay, through the third
IJond to the Bay of Exploits.
,,; In the cliffs nea.r Cotlroy Island is lunch red and green
luar!, with handH of white flagstone. The white flagstone ancl
the greenish umrl contain many veins of white fiLruus gypStllll,
and intol'
tratifiecl with these and the red llla.rls art> some thick
ht'tls of whife and gl.ey gypSU1U, of a singular character. rht-'St.
p

242

NE'V:F'OUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

gypsunl beds are not hard, conlpact sulphate of liuw, but are
cOlllposed of white flakes of that substance, rf'gularly laminated,
and interspersed with small flakes and specks, or sometimes
thin partings of a black substance, apparently bitun1Ínous shale.
The whole mass is soft and powdery, thick bedded, and in con-
siderable abundance, and it lllight be carried away in boats -with
great facility.
" I was informed by some Indians of Great Codroy River
that they had seen a bed of coal two feet thick, and of a con-
siderable extent, some distance up the cou
try. Their account
of the distance, however, varied from ten to thirty miles; and
I could not induce any of them to guide me to the spot. I pro-
ceeded up the river about twelve n1Ïles from the sea, and some
distance beyond the part navigable for a boat, without seeing
anything but beds of brown sandstone and conglomerate, inter-
Htratified with red marls and sandstones, gradually becoming
more horizontal and dipping towards the S. E. I believe, how-
ever, that a bed of coal had been seen by an Indian on the hank
of a brook running into Codroy River, about tl1Ïrty miles froDl
its 1110Uth, but that the person who saw it was not in the neigh-
hourhood at the time of my visit.
.. About the middle of the south side of St. George's Bay, in
the vicinity of Crabb'g River, the lower part of the coal forma-
tion, consisting of alternations of red marl and sandstone, strikes
along the coast, the beds dipping to the N.W. at an angle some-
times of 45 degrees. About three n1Ìles from the coast, how-
ever, an anticlinal line occurs, preserving the same strike as the
beds, or about N.E. and S.vV., and causing those to the south uf
it to dip to the S.E. Thus the rocks which fonn the country
along the coast, to the width of three nJÏ]es, with a N.W. dip,
again occur to the same or a greater width, according to the
angle of their inclination, with a dip to the S.E. before we can
expect to find any higher beds than those in the sea cliffs; so
that at least six lIliles of coulltry forlned of the lower beds
must be crossed directly from the coast, before we arrive at the
higher beds in which the coal is situa.ted.
"In ascending the brook next above Crabb's River I found
on the sea coast beds of soft red sandstone and red lnad, and,
half a mile up the brook, red and whitish sandstones, inter-
stratified with beds of marl, chiefly red, but also occasionally

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

243

whitish, green, or blue; beyond that were beds of marl, contain-
ing lnassive grey gypsum, sin1ilar to that at Codroy, and a
bed of blue clay, c9ntaining crystals of selenite. Similar
rocks, with now and the:n a bed of brown or yellow sand-
stone, occurre(l throughout the first two or three miles, all
dipping :N. \V. at various angles of inclination. Beyond
thi
point the dip was invariably S. or S.E., and for two
or three n1Ïles further the character of the rocks was precisply
sin1Ïlar to those I had already passed. As, however, the hanks
of the brook were occasionally low, the section observed was of
course not perfectly continuous, and beds which were hidden on
one side of the anticlinal line, fornled cliffs, and were thus ex-
hibited on the other side. Thus, as I continued to ascend the
brook, I came on a cliff of red 11larl, fifty feet thick, with some
thin grey soft lnicaceous sandstone, beyond which were some
beds of grey hardish rock, with nodules of sub-crystalline lime-
stone, the banks of the river being likewise covered with a.
crust, a foot thick, of tufa. Some distance above tbis the red
sandstones become more scarce, the colour being generally brown
or yellowish; grey clunch, too, with bituminous laluinæ, was
frequent.
" In one bank of brown sandstone, a nest of coal with a sand-
stone nucleus was seen. The shape was irregular and was about
two feet long. It most probably wa
a. vegetable remain squeezPfl
out of all senlblance of its fornwr shape. Over this mass of
sandstone there was again a good thickness of grey cluncll, and
brown or yellow sandstone and conglomerate intel"stratifie(l with
red awl brown Iliarl, all dipping gently to the S. E. Over thl'se
were SOlne thin beds of red sandstone with red l11arl, and a little
beyond some hard light hrown or greyish yellow sandstone with
small quartz pebbles. Thib rock forllled ledges stretching acrm
s
the river, pruducing a fall of two 01' three feet.
" A bout one hundred and fifty yards aùove this, on the wpst
Lank of tho brook, was SOll1e grey clunch and shale, on which
rested a bed uf hard grey sandstone, eight feet thick, covered by
twu or three feet of clunch and irunstone IJalls, and two feet. uf
Hoft hrown sands tOlle, with ferruginuus stains, on which rel,oseJ
a IJcd of coal three feet thick. The dip of thc
e rocks was \t'ry
Hlight towards the
outh, in which directioll the hauk bCCillllf'
low, as it was also un the oppusite sid.. of tho rivCt. J whieh prp-

244

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

vented my tracing the coal further; neither was the bank above
the coal high enough to bring in any of the beds over it and
thus give its total thickness, since it is evident the portion here
seen may be only the lower part of a bed instead of the whole.
The quality of the portion thus exposed was good, being a bright
caking coal. The distance frOlll the sea shore is about eight
n1Ïles ; the only harbour, however, is that of St. George, which
is about twenty miles from this spot. A few very rude and im-
perfect vegetable Ï1npressions were all I could see in any of these
rocks. l\Iany of the grits tones in this section might turn out
good freestones. In the next brook to the east of the one I as-
cended, was formerly a salt spring, which, however, I was
assured, had lately become quite dry; but several of the little
rills ,vhich I tasted in the neighbourhood were brackish. As
regards the extent of country occupied by this bed of coal, or
others which may lie above it, the data on vvhich to found any
calculation are but few. If, however, the upper rocks follow
the course of the lower, without the intervention of faults and
irregularities, the tract so occupied ,vould probably be an oval,
fonning the centre of the country, bounded by the sea coast on
the north and the riùge of primary hills on the south. From
the top of the highland at Crabb"s River, this ridge bounded
the horizon at the distance apparently of about twenty nÚles.
Allowing half of this width to be occupied by the lower beds,
the tract yielding coal would probably be twenty or thirty miles
long by ten miles wide. Gypsum again appears once or twice
in the cliff between Crabb's River and St. Georgè's Harbour.
The northside of St. George's Bay, between Cape St. George and
Indian Head, is occupied entirely by beds of the magnesian
IÌlllestone mentioned before, all dipping at a slight angle to the
N.N. 'V., and thus passing under the great Inass of shales and
grits tones which forms the country about Port au Port.
" As regards the external character of the district now unrler
consideration, I have already spoken of its physical geography,
and have only to add a few words on its agricultural capabili-
ties. The coal fornlation, on account of its alternate beds of
marl and sanùstone, and its low and undulating surface, is
everywhere admirably adapted for cultivation. On the south
side of St. George's Bay, along the sea cJiffs, on the banks of
the rivers, or wherever the surface is drained and cleared of

t\KD AS IT 1;-; IN 1
77.

24;)

trees, it is covered with beautiful grass; and the fcw straggling
settlers scattered along that shore pxist aln10st l'ntirely on tlw
produce of their live stock. The aspect of their honses put fi1e
In mind of the cottages of small farmers in son1e parts of En}!-
land. There is every reason to believe that the same fertility
would be characteristic of the country round the X. E. of t}w
Grand Pond. The whole of the (listrict, even thf' prÏ1nary hills.
is covered ,vith woofl of a far finer description than the gt'n....r-
alitv of that un the east side of the island. GIoves of tin0 birch
and w juniper are scattered among the fir, and pines are nlet with
here and there in the interior of the country. On the bank of
a brook between St. George's Bay and the Granu Pond, my
Inùian guide pointed out severa] fine ash trees. The Bay of
IsIanùs, has, I believe, long been celebrateù in K cwfoundlalHl for
its timber .; and 1 can
afely assert, that the Danks of the
IIumber, as far as I ascended it, did not deteriorate in that
respect-every portion of the country }wing tlensely coverell
with fine wood."

Alexan(ler !\Iurray, Esq., in his Report of the Geologica]
Survey of N c,vfoundland, in 18üG an(l IHG7, says :-
" The coal formation is probably the most recent gronp of
rocks exhihited in Newfoundland (exceptin
always the SUPf'l'-
ficial dpposits of very mOflern date, which are largely made up
of the ruins), and there may have been a time in the earth's
history when it t;pread over the greater part of the land which
now forms the Island; but a vast denudation has sWt'pt awnr
nn1Ch of the original accumulation, and left thp remainder in
detached patches, filling up the hollows and vallpys an10ng the
harder and nlore en(lurahle rocks of older date, on which it wa

unconformably deposited. One of the most important of these
detached troughs or basins of coal measures is in Bay St. George,
where the forma.tion occupie
nearly all the lower and more leypl
tract of country betwf>cn the 111uuntaills and the shorps of the
Bay; anù another lies in a sOlnewlJat elongated l'asin frum 1)1'-
twef>n the nlore northern end
of the Grand and Deer Ponds,
and 'Vhite Bay; the eastern outcrop running through Sa.lHly
Pond. while the western sidf' probably comes out in th
vallpy
of tIle IIulllber HiveI', near tIle ('astern flank of the long range

246

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS rr 'VAS,

of nlOuntains. There i
reason also to suspect the presence of a
smaller trough of the same rocks, between Port-a-Port and Bear
Head towards the Bay of Islands, the greater part of which.
however, is probably in the sea; and from local information I
received frOll1 the Indians, as well as some residents at the Bay
St. George, I think it not improbable that another trough of the
formation may occur in the region of the Bay of Islands."
Oaptain Loch in his report to the Vice Adu1iral, the
RiglJt Honourable the Earl of Dundonald, in 1849, speak-
ing of St. George's Bay, says :-
"There are two hundred resident planters in this B
y, who
receive assistance in hands during the fishing season from Cape
Breton and its adjacent shores. Their fishing usually com-
mences a month or six weeks earlier than that on the coast of
Labrador. This year they began the 27th ApriJ. They
fish herring, saln10n, trout, and eel, besides the cod. Up to
the present date (17th August) the catch has been 10,000 bar-
rels of herring, 200 barrels of salmon, and but a sm_all quan-
tity of cod. They en1ploy about 200 boats and 800 hands, and
send their fish to the Halifax and Quebec markets during the
summer and fall. The fishings end about the 1st of October,
with the exception of the eels, which are caught in great quan-
tities and afford subsistence during the winter. They have
bait without intermission during the entire fishing, and use
caplin, herring, squid, and clams. The climate is usually dry
and mild., and if their society was under proper control, St.
George's Bay would offer many inducements to the industrious
settler. The harbour is occasionally blocked np by ice, but for
no length of time, and is always open by the n1Íddle of April.
'fhe inhabitants consist of English, a few lri8h, and a numher
of lawless adventurers-the very outcasts of society from Cape
Breton and Canada; and it is very distressing to perceive a
con1munity, comprising nearly 1000 inhabitants. settled in an
English colony under no law or ,restraint, and having no one
to control them, if ,ve except what may be exercised through
the influence shown by the single clergymen of the Established
Church, who is the only person of authority in the settlement.
I am told the reason why magistrates are not appointed, is in

AND1AS IT IS IN 1877.

247

ohedience to direct orders from the home government-it being
helieved against the spirit of thp treaty ,vith France. Under
the:;e circumstances I would rpcommend, either that a vessel-of-
war should be appointpd to ren1ain stationary in the harbour,
or that the society should be forcibly broken up and removed,
for violent anrl law less characters are rapidly increasing, and
neither the lives nor property of any substantial or well-dis-
posed settler are safe, Four cases of violent assault were
brought to my notice as having recently been cornmitterl upon
parties-some of whom were injured for life, and others nearly
murdered; and I was sorry to underRtand the culprits had suc-
ceeded in escaping into the woods upon the appearance of her
1\fajesty's ship.
"The cultivation of grain has been commenced with con-
siderable success. 'Yheat, barley, and oats ripen well; and
turnips grow particularly fine. Potatoes and garden stuffs are
cultivaterl also to a considerable extent. A large quantity of
fur is collected, but the trappers suffer great losses by the fre-
quent robbery of both traps and their contents."
Fronl Cape St. John north to Cape Rayon the ,vest,
the distance is
!)R geographical miles. On this line of
coast, the French possess the right by treaty, of catching
and drying fish, but are not allo"red to make any penna-
nent erections, nor to renlain longer than t.he tillle neces-
sary to cure their fish. Of course, all the residents are
British suhjects. Accor(ling to the returns in 18.57, the
population was as follows, on the west coast principally:
1,647 Church of England.
1,;")86 Church of Rome.
85 'Vesleyans.
IG Free Church of Scotland.

S,:J:J4 Total.
Therp \vere :>4 dwelling-houses, 1 Church of England,
anel I H,olllan Catholic. L,508 aeres of land cultivated,
yie1eling annually 1,20
tons hay; -to hU:::3hcl
of \vheat
:tnel harl('
y, :t
hn
llels (Jf oats, 21,112 hnsheb of potatoec::

4H

KE\VFúUKDLAXD, AS t1' \VAS,

and 1,17;"') bushels of turnip:;;. Of live stock, there were
87:3 neat cattle, 4U3 milch cows, 25 horses, 1,lü7 sheep,
and 316 swine and goa,ts. Butter, 5242 lbs., cheese, 112
lbs., 453 yard:-; of coarse cloth manufactured, 25 vessels
engaged in the fisheries, 845 boats, carrying from 4 to 30
quintals; nets and seines, 2,354; codfish cured, 25,592
quintals; 437 tierces of salmon, 17,908 barrels of herring,
] 3,669 seals, 1,391 seal nets, 16,896 gallons of oil.
Regarding the moral condition of the inhabitants of
St. George's Bay, the reader will be able to gather some
information fron1 the follo'\ving extract of a letter fronl
the Rev.
lr. lVleek, Church of England Missionary, \vrit-
ten in 1846 :-

" I came to the place five years since, as confessedly one of
the most ohscure, most neglected, and most unpromising places
in the island; and, though I have received in it many blessings,
and though both myself and family are, and have been, in the
enjoyment of constant health, and though I have seen at times
cause for hope that I n1Ïght be permitted with acceptance and
success, though less than the least of those who have been en-
trusted with the commission, to 'preach the Gospel to every
creature,' to fulfil this blessed trust in this remote and unculti-
vated spot, yet I find that I undertook no light or unanxious
engagemen t; and I confess that the last year and a half has
been to me a season of painful trial, as standing alone in the
midst of surrounding evil, which, not by power, nor by might,
but by God's spirit alone, can be met or overcome; and I have
been ready, like another Jonah, to flee from proclaiming what
is very unwelcome truth.
"Owing to the peculiar circumstances of the place, which, by

reaty with the French, has engaged to have no settlement in
it, there neither is, nor can be, any law or authority exercised;
consequently it is now become the rendezvous of such as have
no fear of God, and are glad to escape from the control of man.
You have, perhaps, heard of the wreck which occurred here last
fall, and some of the painful circumstances connected with it :
the parties concerned have, however, thus far escaped, and are
here; and I should feel little trouble on their account, were it

\xn AR IT r8. IX 1877.

249

not that, in COllllexiull \\ ith others of likp nlind, they a.re lead-
ing the too-easily-led people into such constant habits of drunk-
enness, revelling, fighting, &c., that it must be manifest to you
how painful is that duty which constrains n1e to declare in such
a place, that they who do such things shall not inherit the
kingdom of God; yet this is my situation; and often with the
sound of the midnight revel in our ears do ,ve lie sleepJess, and
mentally saying, ,"Toe is me that I sojourn in Mesech, that I
d well in the tents of Kedar! '
" I am happy to say that, after a good deal of trouble, the
church is at length nearly completed. It is one of the neatest
outharhour churches in the island, antI is in general, especially
in the winter, well attendecl; and, though I ha.ve much to try
and discourage, I have still much pleasure in declaring, even to
the worst, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sin-
ners.
"The school continues much as usual; it cannot be large
till the settlement enlarges. About 40 children are usually 1-'re-
sent in the summer, anù 50 in the winter. Of cour

there is
considerable improvement in the ability to rf'ad and write,
whpre no ll1eans were ever afforùeù for pnabling any to do so ;
but I regret that the constant bad examples around, and the
want of parental control, are far from being productive of good
on the young."
In IH48, l\Ir. l.f eek again ,,"rites:
" 'Ve passed, in many respects, a trying v7inter: our neigh-
bours were as poor as ourselves. There were no stores or ships
to go to ; the poor AcaJian
were living entirely upon eels, ob-
tained through the ice, without bread or flour, or anything else,
and there were many things to (h'\pr('
s and di
courage; but to
school and to church we, without interruption, went, and, [
trust, have been thus far enabled to continue the unvarying tes-
timony, that' Neither is there salvation in anv other, for there
is none oth{'r llmnp under heaven given H.IllOI{g lIlen, Rave that
of Jesus Christ alono, whereby they n1ust be saved.' Yet lwre,
alas, too, we have much to discourage-an insC'TIsibility, a.n apa-
thy, an ahnost oppoRition in Inany. Of one, ind('{'d, the chief
fiddler hithprto at the danc
s, we have pleasing hope that th{,l"e

250

NE\\ FOUNDLAND, AS IT ,V AR,

i
sOlne good thin
toward the Lord God of Israel. He has
long b('en a rf'gnlar and serious worshipper in our congregation,
but now he has, and that in spite of urgent solicitation and
offers of some value, renounced for ever his former employment,
and, as far as he knows it, detenl1Ïned to pursue the narrow way;
but, in general, it is uphill work.
" You would be greatly surprised at the peculiar circumstan-
ces of this strange place: they are unlike every other even in
Newfoundland. Therp is a great deal of abject poverty, mixed
up with a fondness for dress and appearance, that is very pain-
fuL 'Vhite veils and parasols adorn females who are seen at
the herring pickling; indeed, there is scarcely an idea of any
distinction in society, and it is almost impossible to impress the
folly and absurdity of such contradiction to all that is becoming
on thpm. Yet these ladies are found at the bans, to which they
are so nutCh attached, mixed up with Indians, Acadians, French,
little children, and an indiscriminate collection of all sorts and
conditions. Oh, how we are often pained and tried! but never
so much, T think, as on last New Year's Day, when, after Thad
preached the most solemn and pointed sermon I could write (and
I would send you the 1\1.8. but for the expense of postage). the
congregation went out of church to a dance, which continued
till twelve at night, when, being Saturday, it was discontinued.
Surely I slept not that night, and went to church next day with
a heavy heart, and a cry, 'Woe is me, that I am constrained to
dwell with M esech !'
" We are greatly indebted to Miss Haydon, of Guilford, for
a box of clothing, partly for the poor, and partly to relieve the
wants of my own fmnily, in consequence of last sUlnnler's catas-
trophe. It serves to reassure and help us on in our solitary
course, that friends so far off renlember an,::1 syn1pathise with us ;
and we hope that, upheld by their prayers, we shall be enabled
to hold on our way, and witness a good confession, and that still
we shall continue in church and school to teach and preach Jesus
Christ.
"It will be a long time before we can hear from you again,
or from anybody: remember how nUlCh we need your prayers
when we sit down alone in this solitude, surrounded by so many
who know not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ. The cold we can hear, the snow we can wade through,

AND AS IT I
IX 1877.

251

hut tJ)(' (lrp ldfnl apathy an(1 insensibility arounrl freezes up thf>
HOul. Alas, how different is the Inissionary's life to what the
youthfullistpner in a London public meeting imagines! and no-
where, J think, is it more tried than in Newfoundland. But I
mnst COllllnend mYEelf, )[rs. ::\1., our five children and our charge,
oncf' more to your prayers and sympathies. I have been more
than nineteen years at ,vork here and am forty-seven yearn of
age; I feel that the ni
ht cometh, that I have a trust to fulfil,
and an ace-ount to give, but He that has helped me hitherto will
help m
all my journey throng}}."
The Rev.
rr. l\Ieek removed fron1 St. George's Bay to
Prince Ed,vanl Island, and ,vas succeeded in the
Iission
by the Rev. Tholuas Boland.
"In
Iarch, 1856, he went to visit a parishioner a short dis-
tance from SanlIy Point, the place of hi3 residence; and, not
returning when expected, search was made for him, and he was
found dead within a mile of his own house. It is presumed,
that having incautiously gone alone, he had lost his way in a
drift; and, yi{'lding to cold and fatigue, had sunk into that fatal
sleep in which the vital powers are soon extinct.
"The Rev. Thomas Boland had, before his ordination, been
for several years a Scripture Reader in the Parish of 'Vhite-
chapel, and was highly commended to the Society by
evf'ral
clergymf'n to whom he hael been favourahly known in that part
of the town. The Rev. 'V. 'V. Champneys, in particular, tes-
tified to 'his genuine piety, decided ahility, and the soundness
of his views.' lIe went to Newfoundland in 1 R4-!). The ol)itu-
ary notice charactprises hiln as a person of mnch learning, abil-
ity, and zf>al ; and adds, tha this ministry appeared to be much
bh'ssed in the remote bùttlements-first of Channel, antI after-
wards of St. Gporge's Ray, to which he was spnt as the Society's
1\lissionary hy the prf'spnt Bishop of Newfoundland, by whOIn
Jw W:--1.3 ordained hath deacon and priest."
The Rev. R. Lin(l snccee(]c(] )11'. Boland in the :.Mi"..,ion
of St. George's Bay. The follo\ving incident i
related by

h. TJin(l:
" An Indian mountaineer had bet)n hunting, and ha(l kilh-a a
dècr, thp skin of which he ha.(l wrapped ahout hi
pf.'l'son, when

2.')2

NE\YFOUKDLAND, AR IT ,V AS,

a bt'al'mp{ him, and, no doubt, tempted by the smell of bloud,
knocked him down, anrl would have torn him to pieces, when
his daughter, seeing the danger of her father, crept quietly to
him, and, at the risk of her own life, took his hunting-knife frOln
his belt, and plunged it into the body of t.he infuriaterl bpast.,
which fell dead at her feet, and thus liberated her pa.rent."*
In 1849, Bishop Field made an episcopal visit to this
part of the Coast. The following is an extract fron1 an
aCCOUI1t of the Bishop's visit :-
"Leaving Port-aux-Basques the same evening, the Church
Ship was anchored in Codroy RoadH early on Thursday morn-
ing, July 26th. Here two services were held in the house of a
respectable planter; and in the evening service (at 6 o'clock)
several children were admitted into the Church. These people
had s
en no Clergymen among them since the Bishop's visit
four years ago. Between the services the Bishop, with two of
his Clergy, went over to the great Codroy River, (six miles)
and there baptized three children. The Bishop then returned
to hold the promised service at Cod roy, but the Clergy pro-
ceeded six miles further to the Little River. Fifteen years ago
Archdeacon \Vix visited these settlements, and baptized there;
but no Clergyman has been seen, no service of our Church per-
formed tbere since. The worldly circumstances of the inhabi-
tants are in direct contraRt to their spiritual and religious con-
dition, for they enjoy the produce of the land as well as of the
sea in abundance. They have numerous flocks of fine cattle,
and grow various kinds of corn with a little labour, and a large
return.
" The wind being fair it was thought prudent to proceed the
same night to Sandy Point (lVlr. l\feek's mission), at the head
of St. George's Bay. At the time of the Bishop's visit to this
mission last year, Mr. Meek had unfortunately just sailed for
St. John's. On this occasion he was prepared for and anxiously
expecting his Lordship.
"The Church Ship remained in this Harbour three days, and
on Sunday the Bishop celebrated the Holy Communion in the
morning, and gave Confirmation in the afternoon service

;: Vide Report S. P. G.

AXD AS I'!' IS IN 1t;77.

2.")3

Four long years had elap
ed since either of those Holy Servi.
ces had been celebratt>d in this settlement, and years of peCu-
liar trial to the
lissionary and his flock. During the Bishop's
stay, the Wellesley, Flag Ship, with the Admiral, Earl Dundon-
aId, on board, arrived, and rema.ined two days in the harbour.
" On Tuesday, July 3 L;t, the Church Ship sailed for the Bay
of Islands, which was reached and entered in safety early the
following day. Here is the place, and here the people whose
condition, as reported by Archdeacon 'Vix fifteen years ago,
excited so lnuch commiseration. It 11lay readily be suppu
eù
that a::; no l\Iiuister of Heligion, and no teacher of any HatTIe or
persuasion, ha.d visited them in the long interval, their moral
state can only have become more wretched and deöraded. The
people are settled in mo
t picturesque awl fertile spots on either
side of the Humber Sound, which for heauty of scenery, size
and variety of timber, and richness of soil, is perhaps the most
favoured locality in Newfoundland. The condition of the in-
habitants in moral and social circumstances
tands in strong
and unhappy contra
t; and they do not generally appear to
know even how to turn to account their natural ad vantages.
Several fan1Ïlies were found in a
tate of deplurable ùe
titution.
Other
, Inore prosperous or lllore careful, were not le8::; ignorant
and unn1Ïndful of any concerns or interests beyond the provi-
sion for this life. The Church Ship remained the rest of the
week, four days, in the Ba.y j and every day wa.s fuHy occupied
in visiting the people from house to hou:se, baptizing and ad-
mitting into the Church the chihlren uuder fifteen y
ars of age,
and giving to yúung and old such exhortation and advice as

eemed bf'st suited to their unhappy
tatt-'.
" It was a melancholy thing to leave theIn to their fonner
darklle
s and (lestitution, but thpl'e was too luuch rea.
on to ex-
pect tha.t other8 would be fouud in a similar condition, along
the shore.
"The Church Ship left the Bay of Islands at lniJnight, on

aturday, Augu
t 4th, and at 9 o'clock the next murning called
off a st'ttlemellt at Trout River, were, without conlÎng to a.n-
chor, the Bi
llOp awl his Clt-'rgy celebrated I)ivine
ervi(;e on
shure. l\Iorllillg Service was celebrated on board after the
Bi::;hop's J"t>tnrn. By four o'clock the Church Ship was an-
chored in Hocky Ilarhuur, at the lllouth of Bonne Bay, and, af

254

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
ter holding Evening Service on board, the Bishop and Clergy
went on shore, and baptized and received into the Church a
large number of interesting children :-and thus four full Ser-
vices were celebrated on that Sunday, two on board, and two
on shore. No Clergyman of our Church had ever before visi-
ted these settlements: but in each of them the patriarch, or
head of the settlement, was an Englishman, and could read,
and had brought and used both his Bible and Prayer-book, and
the difference, in their favour, between them and their lleigh-
bours at the Bay of Islands, '\-vas very perceptible.
" l\ionday, August 6.-.The Church Ship reached Cow Cove,
another settlement never before visited by a clergyman, and too
llluch resenlbling in moral misery and degradation the Bay of
Islands. On the Tuesday such religious services \vere performed
as were required, and could properly be allowed under the cir-
cumstances of the people. The settlements of Cow Harbonr

Bonne Bay, Trout Cove, and Bay of Islands, wonld together
afford abundant occupation for a diligent and devoted l\lis-
sionary. They number at least three hundred Rouls.
" Wednesday morning, August 8.- The shores of LabratÌOl'
came in sight, and the same evening the Bay of Forteau again
saw and received the Church Ship, according to promise given
last year.
"Thursday, August 9th.-The Bishop with his whole party
visited L' Anse Amour and L' Anse à Loup, and on the follow-
ing day consecrated a grave-yard in the first named settlmllent.
Here the Rev. Mr. Gifford was introduced to his mission, and
was 1110st kindly welcomed by
Ir. Davies, and provided imme-
diately with a comfortable lodging. It was the Bishop's wi
h,
however, that he should visit some other chief settlelnents in
his mission in the Church Ship, to have the benefit of a proper
introduction.
" Saturday, August IL-The Church Ship sailed to Blanc
Sablon, where the 1\lessrs. De Quetetville, of Jersey, h:nye a
large establishment. Here a smalll'iver divides the depeuden-
cies of N ewfoundlalld on this coast frolll Canada, and: of cùurse,
limits the Bishop's Diocese. It was said to be the first liu1Ït or
end of his Diocese his lordship ever saw. In a store kinùly fur-
nished by the agent (who seemed desirous to pron1ote in every
way the objects of the Bishop's visit), divine service was cele-

.A
D ,AS IT IS IN IH77.

:!55

brated twice on Sunday, August 12. The Holy COffillllu1Ïon
was administered. The Bishop preached in the morning, and
1\11'. Giflord in the afternoon. The congregation. was large on
each occasion, and consisted almost entirely of the wen con-
nected with the establislunellt, and eluployed ou tile rOO1n."

Recapitulation of the Population of the Districts,
1
49 :-
No. l.-Dil.)trict of St. John'H ...........
" 2.- " "Conception Bay......
" :3.- " "Trinity Bay ..........
" 4.- " "Bonavista Bay.... 0 .
" ;).- " ":b'ogo ........... ........
" ü.- " u Ferryland. ......... .
" 7.- " "Placen tia and St.
l\Iarys'.... . . . ... G,4ï1
" 8.- " "Burin ................. 4,357
" 9.- " "Fortune Bay......... 5,100
Cape Hay, St. George's Bay, BaJ of Islands,
&c. ... . . . ... ..........0................... :2 ,200

25,1 Dü
28,02G

,b01
7

7
,.-1 .-I
6,744
4,.")81

Total of Population.... . . . . ... 9
,703
Population of the DistrictH in 1t)57 :-

No. I.-Saint John's East. . . . . . ......

2. -" " W es t .. ......... 0
3.-Harbour
Iaine ..................
4.-Port-(le-Gravc . . .... . . ... . . . .
5.-Harbour Grace. . .. ...........
6.-Carbonear .. ...0 . . . . ... . . . . .. ..
7.-Bay-de-'Terds ...... .... ......
t).- Trinity Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9.-Bonavi
ta. . . ... . . . _ . . . . . . .
" lO.-l\villingate and Foga . . . . . .
" 11.- Ferry land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
" 12.-Placcntia ane} St. l\[ary':o;. . . .
h ] :3.- Durin. . . . 0.. . . . . . . ..:... ... . .

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

l7,3:"52) St J I '
1:3,121 r . 0 111

5,3Hü î
(),4
(j I Concep-
10,Oü7 >-- tion
r: r.)o) oJ I B .
:),.-1 0 ),) c.t,y.
G,
21 J
lO,7:{G
H,8 t jO
0,717
.),22

H,:

.'),5
!)

:2.3 ()

NE\V:FÜUN])L.\.ND, .\8 IT 'V A::;,

No. 14.-Fortune Bav .............. 3,493
" 15.-Burgeoand "'La Poêle ....... ;),54:5

TotaL... ..... . . . . . . 119,394

French Shore .... . .......... ..... . 3,5
5
Labrador. ........ ................... 1,650
Grand Total.........124,499
The following was the number engaged in the various
professions, in N e,vfoundland, in 1857 :
Clergymen or Ivlinisters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Doctors and La wyers. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Farmers.. . .. . . . . . . . . , . . . . ..................... 1,552
1\Iechanics.. ....... . . . . . . ....... . . . . . . . . .. . . 1,970
lVlerchants and Tràders..........,........... 689
Persons catching and curing fish ......... 3
,578
Able-bodied Sealnen and Fishermen...... 20,311
Persons engaged lumbering. . . ............. 334
School Teachers .... . ... . . ..... . .. .. . .. . . . . 310
In 1874 the population of the Electoral Districts:-
St. Johns, East. ......... ... ........... ...... 17,811
St. Johns, 'Vest................ ........... ... 12,7ö:3
S (Southern Division.... .................. 7,174

>. I POl't-(le-Grave............ .. .............. 7,918

Harbour Grace. ....... . . . . . . ............ 13,055
5 I Carbonear. ........... ...................... ;),488
:.) l Bay De Vercls ... . . . . . . . . . .. .... ... ... . . 7, i34
Trinity..... ........ ...... .................... 1.'5,f)67
BonHNista. .... ................ ............... 13,008
Twillingate and Fago. . .... . .... . .... . .. 13,643
Ferryland.............. ......... ............ 6,419
Placentia and St. l\lary's ................ 9,974
Burin. . . . . . . ... . . . . . .. . .. . . .. .. . . . . . .. . . . .
. . .. 7,678
Fortune Bay...................... ........ .... 5,788
Burgeo and La Poêlp........... ......... 5,098

Total........, .....148,919

AND A
IT IS IN 1877.

2.
7

Frencll
llore...... ....................... . . .
Labrador. . .. .. . ... ..........................
Twillingate and Fogo undertaken. .... . .

8,651
2,416
1,430

Grand TotaL....... .lGI,436
The cen
us taken in 1869, sho,v the follo,ving returns:
Population, 14G,3
G, consisting of, Catholics, 61,040;
Church of England, :>5,184; Congregationalists, 338;
'" esleyans, 28,900; Pre
byterian
, 974; other (lenolnina-
tions, 10. The nunlber of churches was 235. No less
than 13(),:378 of the population are returned as born in
the Colony. Of the children, 16,249 are reported as at-
tending school, and 18,813 a
non-attendants, but this
would include many of very tender years. The census
also sho,rs :l7,259 to be engaged in the fisheries, 20,617
as
e(tlnen, and 1,784 as fal1ners, ,vhile 99 are clergy-
Blen, 24 are la'vyer
, 591 rnerchants, and 2,019 Inechan-
ics. The land under culture aillounted to 41,715 acres;
the growth of turnips to 17,100 bushels; of potatoes, to
308,:3.)7 Lu
hels; of other roots, to 9,847 bushels; of hay,
to iO,458 tons; and of butter, to 162,508 Ib::;. The ve8
els
nurnhered 98G, ,vith a tonnage of 47,413 tons; boats, 14,-
755; nets an(l seines, 2G,523: Heal nets, 4,761; persons
engaged in the fisheries, :37,259 ; and seamen, 20,647. The
horses nUlulJereù 3,7U4; horned cattle, 13,721; sheep, 23,-
044; goats, 6,417; an( 1 swine, 19,081. The product of the
fisheries was given in the census of 18ü9 a
follo\vs :-Uocl,
1,087,781 quintals;
ahlLon (cured), ;l:3,1
9 tierce
; her-
rings 97,03.) barrels; other fish (cured), 10,363 barrels;
fish oil, 840,30-J. gallons; and seals, :
:
3,05(j. The luanu-
factures, un the other hand, amounted only to
7-2,ô7'J in
value.

258

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

CHAPTER XIII.

LABRADOR.

FTER the Treaty of Paris, in 1763, Labrador was

annexed to the Government of Newfoundland, in-
cluding "all the coast of Labrador, fi'oni the en-
trance of Hudson's Straits to the River St. John's, opposite
the west end of the Island of Anticosti, including that
island, ,vith any other small islands on the Baid coast of
Labrador; also the Island of
ladeleine, in the Gulf of
St. Lawrence, and of all forts and gan'isons erected or es-
tablished, or that shan be erected or established, in the
said island, or on the coast of Labrador, within the lirnits
aforesaid." Shortly after which, Captain Hugh Palliser
was appointed Governor of Newfoundland, who was a
man of great energy and enterprise. He encouraged the
fishery on the Labrador coast, which was then in the
hands of a few monopolists, who had oLtained grants ille-
gally froln the Government of Canada. Captain Pallis
r
annulled the exclusive claim of these parties, and ejected
then1, which led to the separation of Labrador again fron1
the Government of N e,vfoundland, and its annexation to
the Province of Quebec by the Act of George III., Statute
14!, cap. 3, in 1774.
In 1817, Labrador was re-annexed to the Government
of Newfoundland with Anticosti, but since then Anticosti
has been re-annexed to the Governnient of Canada. In
1811, an Act of Parliarnent was passed, authoriHing thc
holding of Surrogate Courts at Labrador. SuLsequently,
a Circuit Court was established there, but ,vas abolished
in 1833. Since then a judge visits there annually, and
revenue officers during the SUInmer season. (For statistics
of the fishery see "Fisheries.") Captain Loch, in 1849,
gives the following very interesting account of Labrador:

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

i!)

"BELLE rSLE NORTH.

"The fisheries round thi::; island are very valuable, and I
grieve to say are principally gathered by the French. During
the afternoon, night, and next morning, I was off this i
land,
I only saw two vessels, and those were English Jacks; but
nevertheless, I ascertained that the French had been fishing
round its shores the entire season, and had only departed on
the visit of the man-of-war being reported by their luok-outs.
I do not see how these fisheries can effectually be protected
while the FrPllch possess the facilities of numerous and con-
venient ports in its vicinity, with only the opposing influence
of two Jersey establishments in Chateau Bay to contend again::;t
them. The mo::;t effectual protection would be the constant
presence of a small cruiser during the entire season, to act in
conjunction with the small government schooner the French
themselves employ for this service. If it were practicahlp to
fornl establishments on the island itself, this eXI) Il
e, perhaps,
might be saveù, but owing to the total absence of safe beach or
boat harbours, this would be almost impossible.
" These fisheries are capable of yielding 40,000 quintals in
the season, and I atU tolù the French take upon the avprage
30,000.
-, I could not visit the establishnlents at Chateau, owing to
the bay being blocked up by icebergs-83 were counted betwepn
Belle Isle and the coast of Labrador. "

"RED DAY

"Is a beautiful little harbour, perfectly sheltered from every
wind, and is capable of admitting ships of the largest class. It
is formed by Sad(lle Island laying off the entrance of a round
basin with a narrow neck; there is gooù anchorage behiwl the
island, which form8 what may be called the out('r harbour, the
hins of the Inaill are IH'arly 500 feet ill height, somewhat higher
tha.n thost\ directly to the north-east and south-west of the port.
" The hills are close to the shore, formed of reddish granit('
and covereJ with moss,
onw stunted spruce, birch, and juniper
bushes.

260

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

"Three small rivulets enter the basin, but water cannot
easily be procured for ships, owing to sandbars extending across
their n1ouths.
"The port is not very easy to make, as the features and in-
dentation of this portion of the coast are very similar, one of
the best marks is a small flat island a little to the eastward of
Saddle Island, named" Oil" Island in the book of sailing di-
rections, and vVhite Island by the fishermen.
" There are thirteen rooms at this station, all belonging to
separate planters, small proprietors, employing altogether 50
fishermen (exclusive of the shore-men), the principal person
among then1 is a 1\11'. \Villiam Penny, of Conception Bay. He
comes to this port in his schooner eve
y spring, and arrived
this year on the 17th of June, with 95 people on board-forty
men, the rest women and children. During the season there
are about 100 inhabitants-40 reside for the purpose of seal-
fishing during the winter. They commenced cod-fishing this
year 5th June. They use both seines and lines, and have 25
boats of diflerent sizes, employing two to three hands each, and
capable of containing from five to ten quintals. They send
their fish to St. J ahn's, Carbonear, and Halifax. They dispatch
it twice in the season if the fishing is moderately good. '1 heir
catch to the present date (30th July), has been 3,500 quintals,
which is the greatest amount of fish they have taken so early
for the last three years. They expect to average before the
close 100 quintals a man. They would not be contented with
less than 70. (The French consider 50 quintals per n1an a
paying season.) The fishing generally ends about the 5th Sep-
tember, when the ice begins again to form, and the bait strikes
off into deep water. The bait they use is caplin, herring and
lance in rotation. Although the latter may be procured
throughout the season, they use the caplin when it can be had.
which is frequentJy from June until the end of August. They
can place no reliance upon the strike of the herring. They con-
sider the climate during the summer and autumn months dryer
and of more equaJ temperature than upon the north-east coast
of N ewfonndland.
" They say that they are much disturbed by the French and
An1ericans. The former coming over from the other side in
squadrons of batteaux, sweeping all their best fishing grounds

AKD AS IT IS IN 1877.

261

-while the latter enter their harbours in schooners of about
60 tons, catching their fish, and drying them close to their own
stages, which they boldly assert they have a right to do by
treaty.
" I examined several of the planters separately, and all agreed
that there are about 600 Frenchmen employed in fishing vessels
of different sizes, between FOl'teau and Red Bays alone. There
is no agriculture, if we except. a fe,v cabbages and turnips
planted round the door of their huts, which they use with their
common diet of fish and salt pork. The fishermt-:n are paid
principally in bills of exchange given by the merchants, and re-
ceive from 1:18 to æ25 currency a year. Tbose enlP]oyed for
the sunlmer season only
generally receive half their catch.
"The planters of the harbour expressed so much dissatisfac-
tion at the encroachment of the French, who, they assert, are
encouraged ill their depredations by SOlne of the principal Eng-
lish inhabitants residing in the bays to the westward, that I
have thought it advisable to give the evidence of the three prin-
cipal parties I have examined at length:
" 'Yhat arc your nanles 1
"ROBERT ASH, of Carbon ear, and FRANCIB 'V ATT
. 'Ye
have been fishing eleven years out of this harbour. 'Yatts has
resiùed on the coast of T.Aabrador fúr the last two years, and
wou]t! continue to do so if not so nlnch interferpd with by t}w
French.

" BENJA:\UN COOl\lEH came straight from Eugland. Has b
en
residing between Black and TIed Bays, and 011 the coast of La-
brador, for twenty-five years, cod-fishing and sealing on his
own account. They all asserted that their fishing is very much
injured by the encroachment of the French-fishing on tIH'>
coast to the we:stward in Black Bay and Forteau Bay, &c.,
which prevented the fish fronl pa
sillg down the coast, hut nlorp
particularly are they injured by the French swepping all the
caplin uff the ground, which otlH'rwi
e would remain a mODth
longer if thpy wpre not so disturhed awl clt'ared by them. To
give an i(lea how Inuch we Ruffer by thl'S(' cllcroaclulll'nts, and
how Jnuch the French benefit by then}, there art' parties t'm-
ployed purposely to ca.tch and cure caplin to Rupply tht> Great
Rank fishing vessels.
"(l.-\Vho are the principal pt'oph. in Black Bay 't
" A.-One family, ß'Ir. Odell's.

262

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

" Q.- Do they agree to the _French going there 1
" A.-Yes, they encourage them, and lend and build stages
for their accommodation, and receive the livers of the fish in
payment,
"Q.-\Vhat may this be worth to them

"A.-A quintal of fish produces a gallon of oil, which sells
for 2s. per gallon.
" Q.-Have you ever remonstrated with the English residents
at the bays to the westward, and stated how prejudicial their
encouragement of the French was to your interests

" ll..- Yes, and they are well acquainted that the French
fishing must inj ure ours.
" Q.- What do you suppose is the reason why the French
are enabled to surpass our fishermen in cheap fishing on our
own coast 1
" A.-Their fit-out is in the first place much cheaper- not
one-fourth the prime cost of ours. Secondly, they receive a
large bounty from government. Thirdly, the wages are not
one- half those we pay onr fishermen.
" Q.- How many Frenchmp.n do you suppose are fishing be-
tween Red Bay and Forteau 1
"A.-From 1,000 to 1,500 men.
" Q.-In how many boats or vessels

" _ll..-A tout 200, large and small.
" Q.-Do you think the Government of Newfoundland could
n1ake any arrangement that would effectually prevent the en-
croachluent of the French on the coast of Labrador 1
" A.-Yes, a cruiser stationed in the straits from the 1st July
to the last of A.ugust; or resident magistrates, say at Black
Bay or Forteau, and perhaps Chateau.
" Q.- 'V ould the planters 00 the coast of Labrador think it
worth their ,vhile to pay Æ300 a year in support of the salaries
of magistrates to clear the coast of the French

" A.- vV e think we pay taxes enough, and we imagine that
the Government of Newfoundland ought to defray such a charge
for the benefit of its subjects and its own commerce.
" Q. --Are you aware if there are individuals residing be-
tween Red Bay and Forteau Bay who have made SUlns of
money by their encouragement of
'rench fishing

" A.-Yes, Samuel Toms, formerly residing at Great St. Mo-

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

263

deste. Last year he went to Quebec, haying cleared .tl,OOO in
the last few years by the sale of oil from the cod livers.
"Q.-Do the residents of Labrador receive any assistance
from the Governn1cnt of Newfoundland during the winter

" A.-No, none. Last year, for thf- eight months, which is
the usual length of the winter, we were hard put to it in conse-
quence of the French having deprived us of our means of living
by plundering our coasts. lVlany of the poorer inhabitants were
alone supported by the charitable assiEtance of those in better
circumstances.
" Q.- You say that certain parties have had to give up trade
in vessels in consequence of the French encroachments-state
who these were

"A.-Francis and Claudius 'Vitts, 'Yilliam Udel, and r.lr.
Pike. These parties had to give up their vessels, finding that
the catch of fish was so much reduced from what used to be be-
fore the French came in such numbers, that none of the parties
could procure even half cargoes by the close of the season.
" Q.-How do you know that the :French fishing interferes
with yours

"A.-Because on the l\londay our catch is double what it is
any other day of the week, owing to the French not fishing on
the Sunday, thereby permitting the fish to pass up the coast.

"CAHROLL COVE.
" This is a small fishing station, five miles west of Red Bay,
where there are only two rooms belonging to a 1\11'. Lardragan.
He employs thirty men, six of these reside there during the
winter to trap seals. They catch them in franle nets, which are
laiù down tlw 20th November, and taken up the last of Decem-
her; then again put down the 1st of June, and taken up the
middle of July. 300 seals a year is the average catch.
" They bend their cod to a Jersey house in Blanc Sablon.
" There are thrpc spal fisheries between Chateau Bay aUf I Car-
roll Cove, fished by men from l{ed Ðay, who abandon them in
summer for the cod fishery. Their average catch is 350 seals.
" BLACK BAY, OR Pr
'v ARE,
Is a wild open roaùstead, but a good fishing station, and cap-
lin are always to be found in great abundance during the sea

264

NEWFOUNDI..AND, AS IT 'VAS,

son inside the bar formed by the river at its head, and which
the French are said entirely to appropriate, by dropping nets
across the channels, an(l placing watch-boats to guard them.
This intelligence caused me to despatch an officer in the barge
from Red Bay, who Inight be enabled to take any intruders by
surprise and give me accurate information. He counted twen-
ty fishing boats at anchor under Ledge Island, and boarded
sixteen vessels at anchor inside Little St. Modeste belonging
to Nova Scotia, one American, and three French from St.
Pierre's.
,
These latter had been fishing on the Labrador shores, and
according to nlY directions he took away their registers.
"At 'Ship broad/ on the western side of Black Bay, he
boarded the French brig 'Novelle St. Pierre,' of St. l\Ilalo,
wind-bound from 'Quirpon,' bound to 'Port-au-Choix,' laden
with salt and a small quantity of fish, which apparently had
not been taken on this coast. He also boarded two French
boats fishing for vessels at 'Port-au-Choix,' which he ordered
away. He observed twelve or thirteen French boats off Cape
Diable to windward of hiIn but these he could not reach as it
blew too strong."

"FoRTEAU BAY

Is almost an open roadste::td to the south and south-east, but
safe even with winds from those quarters, owing to its depth
and the protection it receives from the opposite coast of N ew-
foundland.
" It is surrounded by table lands of sand stone covered with
the usual moss, the dwarf spruce, birch bush and some moun-
tain ash. A salmon river of some size enters the sea at the
head of the bay. Seals, salmon, cod, and remarkably fine her-
rings are very plentiful. The fishings are carried on with con-
siderable profit by five establishments, four connected with J er-
sey, Poole and St. John's, are in the bay, and the fifth is planted
upon the eastern point, belongs to a !Ir. Grange, a wealthy
colonist from Anchor Point, Newfoundland. Upwards of four
hundred people are employed by these various planters, but
their catch this year has not been (in proportion) so good as
that of their rivals of Red Bay.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

265

" The resident agents and partners are Messrsø Ellis, em-
ployed by Mr. Bird of Poole, and Leroux, a Jersey merchant,
and agent for 1\11'. De Quetteville the most extensive planter on
the coast of Labrador. He has besides this, other establishments
(one of Blanc Sablon) and supplies most of the \vinter rooms
and resident fishermen with goods, clothes, and stores much
to his own profit. l\lessrs. Young and J aneaut, and George
Du Heaume and David J anners are the remainder.
" There are nine fishing stations between Red Bay and For-
teau-namely, Carroll Cove-East St. l\Iodeste-Black Bay-
'Yest St.
lodeste-Captain Island-Lance Dialla-River head
of Lance à Loup and Lance Amour. Except at Lance à Loup
where a .1\11'. Crockwell, of Torquay, has a roonl,all these Rtations
art' fished by colonial fishermen, who send their produce to St.
John's hy vessels from that port, and to the Jersey houses in
Forteau Bay and Blanc Sablon.
" These small stations enlploy about two hundred and twenty
men, and ayerage a catch of twenty-five thousand quintals
throughout the year.
" Cabbages and Turnips are grown at every station for the
sumnler consumption of tbe inhabitants.
" Those who reside upon the coast during the winter shoot
deer, partridges, ducks, geese, curlew and other wild fowl,
amply sufficient for their support. They havp, nevertheless,
stores of pork, flour, tea and molasses snpplied by traders
from Quebec, Halifax and St. .J ohn's.
"1\Iuch of my time was occupied during the ship's stay at For-
teau in settling innumerable disputes between the ri\yal firms
and fishermen, and in trying an action brought by Philip Lau-
dragan, of Caroll Cove against J\Iessrs. George du Reaume a.nd
Daniel Janvers for having taken a schooner belonging to the
former, under pretence of purchasing her, and having used her
for nine months; and in consl'quence of the collector of cus-
toms of
t. John's declaring the register to be incorrect rc-
turning her to the plaintiff who accepted a bill of thirty pountls
as an equivalent for her use, and for having boarded her after
tlt.'livering her ovpr anù taking out gear helonging to the
vessel.
cc A case of a much graver Jescription was brought befor

tHe by a. man nanled Charles DickpI'. a planter, resident on

266

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT W A::;,

Grant Point, three miles west of Blanc Sablon, and a settler
of twenty-four years, who, upon hearing a man-of-war was at
Forteau, walked across the country to lay a charge against a
stronger party for having torn up his seal and salmon nets, as
he asserted they prevented his own catch being so great as it
otherwise would be. The poor man was thus deprived of his
season's profit, and probably his winter's subsistence. I was
enabled fortunately, to succeed in restoring his rights to him.

"BLANC SABLON

Is seven miles west of the Western Point of Forteau Bay.
It is open to the eastward, nevertheless the westerly winds are
those most feared, as they throw in heavy cross swells between
Wood and Greenly Islands, and vessels are not unfrequently
driven on shore by them.
" It is the principal fishing station on the Labrador coast.
There are four Jersey establishments-two belonging to Messrs.
Philip de Quetteville (under the charge of Thomas Leroux),and
the other to Philip Bray-and Leroux-there are upwards of
three hundred inhabitants during the season, and only four
families reside there during the winter. They all arrived this
year in June, and commenced fishing on the 18th, and found
both cod and caplin very abundant-they had never seen fish
so early before and greatly regretted not having arrived sooner.
Besides the cod, they fish seal and herring, the latter they use
for bait when caplin is scarce. They commonly find the caplin
on the coast by the middle of J nne, and it generally remains
till the end of July.
"'De Quetteville's establishments both at Forteau and this Bay,
cure and export caplin. They also extract oil from the herring
as well as from the cod liver. Twelve Jersey vessels and
eighty boats were in use, employing altogether three hundred
hands. .Bray trades to twelve different ports in the Mediter-
ranean and occasionally to their own island, Jersey.
" The fish is sent away as fast as they can load the vessels;
the first sailed this year, 7th July, and another will sail to-day
(9th August), and four in September. There were sixteen
vessels at anchor in Blanc Sablon harbour, namely-one barque,
three brigantines, and twelve schooners. They were all waiting
for cargoes,

AN D AS IT IS IN 1877.

267

" Notwithstanding the abundance of fish at the commence-
ment, they consider they have only had a fair catch-15,000
quintals-owing to their late arrival, and the fish leaving early;
they consider from 15 to 16,000 quintals a good season. Last
year their fishing did not terminate until the end of August.
This year it closed 25th of July.
,
The fogs lay longer against this portion of the coast than
further to the eastward, owing to its being at the entrance of
the straits, and more exposed to the southerly winds which
drive them out of the estuary of the St. Lawrence. Blanc
Sablon is sometimes enveloped for a week at a time, while a few
miles beyond the sky is clear and dry. This is much against
the planter's interests. Americans occasionally spread their
nets, and fish early in the season, on their way through the
straits towards Cape Charles; but they do not disturb the
settlers. There were about ten this year-they used to appear
in greater numbers. Four French brigs had been fishing off
Green ls!and for three weeks or a month-they left the day
before yesterday, when they heard we were on the coast. They
fish along the Labrador coast throughout the season, and only
retire upon the appearance of the man-of-war. All the small
planters complain grievously of this intrusion; while the more
wealthy encourage it, for (as I have already stated), the liver
oil they receive for stage room. The Americans carry the fish
away green.
" The people are supported, as at the other stations, by sup-
plies from Jersey, Halifax and Quebec, and all the large estab-
lishments pay the men!:2 sterling a month, instead of giving
them half the catch.
" There are no resident fishermen in this particular harbour,
but a few along the coast to the westward at Grand Point, Hra-
dore, and Esquimaux IIarbollrs, but no regular rooms arc main-
tained.
"The rivpl' running into this port separates the dependency
of Newfoundland froin Lower Canada. The harbour is always
completely blocked up by ice fronl November until June, oc-
casionally to the end of the latter lllonth. At this station all
the fishcnnen are Protestants, and from .r crspy.
"The fishery is much what it has been for the last fifteen
years; but people arc comnlencillg to pa!:'8 up the coast, and

26

\VFOUNDLAND, A
IT \VAS,

they anticipate a gradual supply of permanent settlers from the
south of Newfoundland and Canada.
" 'Vhen on the point of sailing, the son of Mr. Grange, of
Anchor Point, Newfoundland, came on board to complain that
the French had stopped his father fishing a sahnon river that
has been in his fanÜly for upwards of a century; that after
much opposition on his father's part, he had to yield to the
French one-half, and afterwards two-thirds of the produce of
the river. This year they had taken it from him altogether.
"As I could find no definite instructions relative to the as-
sumed right of the French over the river, as well as the sea
fishings, and as this question bears so gravely upon the interests
of so many settlers, and dignity of Her Majesty's coloflY; and
feeling that any inquiry on my part, after ascertaining the state-
ment to be true, without forcibly expelling the French from
property which has been in possession of English colonists for
so long a period, would be ineffectual, I advised Mr. Grange to
draw up a memorial for th0 consideration of the Colonial Gov-
ernment, and promised to lay the facts of the case before His
Excellency the Governor.
" The inhabitants of any particular.bay or station along the
coast of Labrador have not the right or power, in my opinion,
to permit the French to layout their nets along the coasts or
in their harbours, for by so doing the rights of other fishings
are naturally interfered with, by stopping the passage of the fish
along the coast, and after fair warning, I think they should be
subject to the same punishment for 'aiding and abetting,' as
the intruders are themselves.
" In my opinion it would be most advisable, nay, absolutely
necessary for the prosperity of the British subjects that magis-
trates should be appointed from St. John's, to administer justice
and control t.he society resident at the valious fishing stations
in the Straits of Belle Isle during the season.
"This extensive coast, commencing from the estuary of the
St. Lawrence, and stretching far north to the regions uf per-
petual snow, is one of the most barren and desolate in thp
world; and it seems that nature has removed the means of sup-
porting human life from its surface to the waters which surround
it, the abundant production of which offer the inducements, and
reward the industry and perseverance of thousands of adven-
turers who resort to it from both Europe and America.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

269

" The portion forming the northern houndary of the Straits
of Belle Isle is not so well marked or grand in feature a.;; where
it recedes from the Island of Newfoundland, either to the north
or south. From the sea the country has a green and alluvial
appearance, and it is not until close to it that this is lost, and
nothing is seen but bare granite rocks, partially covered with
moss and stunted shrubs; juniper, birch, and poplar trees grow
in valleys where the soil is of sandy clay, the temperature much
higher, and the fog less frequent than upon the coast. Here
deer, bears, wolves, foxes, martens, otters, beavers, and a great
variety of wild fowl take up their abode until driven to the
coast by the snow-drifts of approaching winter. The ice does
not usually leave the bay free for vessels to enter before June,
and it begins to form again in the shallow bays and pools in the
beginning of September."
About a hundred years ago, the
loravian n1i
sionaries
extended their Inission froIll Greenland to the Labrador
Coast, where they no,v have several flourishing settle-
lllents. The principal one is c
lled N ain. A very inter-
esting vohllue has been pulJlished, giving an account of
the l\loravian
Iissions at Greenland and Labrador. In
1
24, the Rev. Tholnas Hickson, one of the \Vesleyan

[issionaries at Newfoundland, was appointed to H$certain
the state of the Esquilna-ux on the Labrador Coast, in
order to establish a Iniss ion alHong them. The follo,ving
is an extract froIn Hickson's J ouì-nal :-
"Visited the only resident family in the place, an English-
man, who has been united with an Esquimaux, by whonl he
had three chil(lren. She died about three years ago. 1 spoke
to hiln on the all important concerns of his soul. 'Ve bowed
our knees to the Father of our Lurd Jesus Christ, and the poor
man expre
8ed hi
warmest thanks; having been so long with
the natives, he possessed much information respecting them.
tIe said, he helieved they had but very confused notions of a
Suprmne Being, if they had any; they had some notion of the
existence of' the devil, whom they suppose to be the author of
all pain; and that in cases of dangerous illness, believing him
to be the cause of it, and also supposing him to be present, the

270

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,
oldest person in the place hangs all the pot-crooks, or old hoops,
or any such articles about him, and taking a poker, he turns
over all the skins in the wigwam, intending to drive him away.
I am also informed that they frequently strive to appease him
by sitting in profound silence, insomuch that a child is not
allowed to go quick across the floor. When this is ineffectual,
they have recourse to sacrifice, which is generally that of killing
their best dog. I have only heard of one instance of their
having recourse to human sacrifice. About three years ago, an
Indian man, supposing himself to be in dying circumstances,
but believing that the devil would spare his life could he only
accomplish the death of another, fixed upon a neighbour's wife
who was pregnant, and he imposed the bloody task on his own
wife; she showed some reluctance, but he enforced his com-
niands by seizing a hatchet and threatening to take away her
life. She then prevailed upon another female to assist her, by
whose help
he hung up the poor unfortunate woman. But this
did not prevent the death of her deluded partner, and she her-
self has been almost frantic ever since.
" 'Vhen an Esq uimaux .departs this life, his remains are
carried away immediately, wrapped up in skins, and laid upon
the surface of the ground, and a large pile of stones is raised
over it; with the corpse they bury the canoe, darts, kettles, &c.,
supposing that the deceased will have need of theIne
"The Esquimaux are generally low in stature, their complexion
of a dusky yellow, with broad foreheads, high cheek bones,
small eyes, wide mouth, teeth white and regular. The chin,
the cheek bones from the nose to the temples, and the fore-
heads, of the elder females were many of them tattooed.
"This is performed by pricking through the skin with a
small sharp instrument and rubbing sonle dark substance into
the wounds. This, it appears, is a custom only in use among
those of riper years, as none of them in early life bear the marks.
Their cassock, or upper garment for the summer, is made of
swan-skin, which they procure from the merchants for seal-
skins, &c. They are curiously wrought, and trimmed with
different colours of thread and cloth. The females have a
larger hood, in which they carry their children, &c. In the
front, that part of it which serves as a very small apron is
trimmed with pewter, cast in a small mould for that purpose.

AND AR IT IS'-IN lR71.

271

Behind, they have long hair reaching to the ground. They
also, as well as the men, wear small clothes, made of the same
materials as their upper garment. They make their own bo
ts
of seal skin, after they have taken off the hair and dre
sed It.
In the winter, their dress is principally of seal-skin, which they
nlake in a manner which shows them to be possessed of con-
siderable ingenuity.
" The nlorning and evening examinations of the candiJates
for baptism were seasons of much consolation; and the im-
provement they make far exceeds my most sanguine expecta-
tions. I nlal'l'ied six couple
, and the ,deep seriouslwss of the
poor Indians on these occasions would have reflected honour on
long experienced Christians.
" 24th.-I haJ a good congregation in the morning when I
expoundeJ a purtion of God's word, and questioned the candi-
dates for baptism. ..A few other families carne from di
tant
parts of the Bay; among them were three Englishnlen, who
had families by Esquimaux ,vomen, and who desired to be mar-
ried. They afterwards got so much intoxicated that r fear
their shameful conduct will prove very injurious to the natives,
as they are in danger of supposing all to be Christians who
come fronl Christian countrips.
" 25th-This has been a day much to bf' renlelll uered. ,A.t
the morning prayer we were much crowded; deep seriousness
rested on every countenance, and I believe all were in a state
for receiving good, excepting a few drunken Englislnnen. Our
house wa!; t
lr too small for our forenoon congregation. I first
preached to as nlany as were able to understand me, and a1l1ong
these were English, Irish, Canadians, and Labradorians, who
heard with attention. I had then to renlOve the Europeans to
nlake rOOlll for the poor .Esquimaux, to whonl 1 preached
through the interpreter. Their cheeks were soon bedewed with
t.ears, and I was nUlCh interrupted by their expressions of ap-
Ploval. Some having CUllle with expectatiuns of bping baptized,
I e...xplaine(l to them the nature and obligationH of that ordin-
ance. On eXalnination I found that two of them, father and
son, haJ each of them tno concubines. It was not difficult to
convince them of the evil of their doings; and though it WaS
genprally
upposed that the senior adulterer wuuld have parted
with his life rather than give up either úf his concubines, the

272

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

Lord applied what was spoken to his conscience, which caused
him to tremble excef'dingly, and he expressed a wiHingness to
act in any way that I should direct. This person was taken by
Captain Pal1iser to England, about. forty-five years ago, with
his mother, who had a gown presented to her by the Queen.
This gown, richly trimmed with gold, and very fresh, was worn
by one of the wonlen. The man bears the name of the above-
mentioned Captain who .took him. I had much comfort and
enlargement in preaching to the same mixed crowd in the after":
noon. After much deliberation, I admitted a few of the adults
to baptism, whose n1Ïnds I judged to be in a prepared state,
with their chilùren. It was truly pleasing to witness not only
the adults, but the elder children, conducting themselves with
so much propriety. Many of the Indians joined us again about
9 o'clock p.m., at our family altar, with some Europeans. May
the good resulting from the Sabbath's labours be seen after
many days!
" 26th.-Preached to an attentive congregation in one of the
wigwams. The gratitude of the natives was very great, and
expressed in the most feeling manner. When I questioned.
them whether they continued the use of family prayer, they an-
swered in the affirmative. The Lord teach them to pray the
effectual prayer!
" 28th.-A few of them assisted me to ascertain the probable
number of the inhabitants of the Bay, which is as follows:
Real Esq uimaux adults . 100
Real Esq uimaux children 60
Half E::;quimaux . 60
European settlers . 90
Canadian settlers . 16

Total number
exclusive of any other part of the coast. 326
" The connection between the English and Moravian Church
has been remarkable from the beginning of the Reformation.
Huss was the founder of the latter, and vVickliffe of the former.
It was from 'Vickliffe's writings that Huss derived his know-
ledge of the true faith, and vVickliffe's protest against the sen-
tence of burning pronounced upon the Hussites by the Arch-
bishop of Prague first excited persecution against himself.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

273

Hence, it is not strange tbat a strong sympathy should be felt
ana n1anifested by these Christian bodies towards each other,
alHI it is delightful to observe the noble liberality which the
prosperons Church of England has shown to her afflicted yet
taithful sister at various periods of t-heir history. This is one
of many aspects in which our mother church has proved her.
self to he the protectress of the 'Protestant religion,' and en-
titled herself to the love and gratitude of the Protestant wo
'ld.
" This suhjpct has been briefly alluded to on a former occasion,
but it is believed that the facts are worthy of being more fully
set forth.
" A volume is still extant which contains 'the Acts of the
British Parliament touching the 1\1oravian Brethren, A.D.
174-9.' The occasion of these 'Acts' was a petition of Depu-
ties from the United Brethren, for the Sanction and EncouraO'e-
ment of Parliament to their Settling in His
Iajesty's Colonies
in An1erica, especially in Georgia. Before leave was given them,
the character and claims of the Brethren and their church un-
derwent a severe investigation. Among other grounds of con-
fidence which the deputies alleged, was, that the said church
had been already countenanced by the I\:ing and State of E ng-
land. To support this assertion, the deputies produced twelve
vouchers, among \V hich was a document containing an Account
of the Distressed State of the Ancient Church of the Fraternal
Unity, addressed to the Church of England, given in the Syno-
dal Convention of Lyssa in Great Poland, Feh. 10, 1683-
which account was recommendpd by Archbishop San croft, and
Bishop Compton, of London, to ' the consideration of all pious
and conlpassionate Christians.'
"In this addn'ss it ,vas Sf't forth (among other things), 'that
the Bohemian Church had been free from her infancy, for al-
most seven hundred years, from the encroachments of the
ltomish See; but that crushed at last by its prevailing power,
it was sinking apace with death and ruin; when heing ready to
expire, she brought forth a Benoni, a progeny which, growinO'
up in the several parts of Bohemia, anima.ted and acted by on

spirit, obtaillhl the name uf Fraternal Unity.'
" 'That this church, the heiress of the truly ancient fa.ith,
,vatercd and cnriched by the blood of lIuss, and .J erom(l of
Prague, taking ,lccp root in Bohemia, spread its houghs as 1:'tr a

H.

274

NE'VFOUNDJ.JAND, AS IT WAS,

Poland, renouncing the growing errors of Popery, and pre-
served the succession of .Episcopal orders.
"That King Frederick of Bohemia being routed and dispos-
sessed of his realm, this church shared the same fate.
U , That this church in Poland continued for many years pros-
perous, under several privileges granted and confirmed of
diverse kings and princes, but nothing able to contend with the
more potent strength of the Roman Ca tlw lies, she was bereft
of her former protection, languishing ever since under the rage
and fury of those who violate all faith.
" , That it was through the bounty of the English {;hurch they
were fO'ì'merly saved from a fatal ruin, but that after so great
suffering they have scarce recovered their spirits.' The depu-
ties also produced an account of the sufferings of the Episcopal
Reformed Churches, and an address to the Church of England,
by thè encouragement of George the First, and the solicitation
of Archbishop 'Valker and Bishop Hobinson, of London, A.D.
1715-6.
"So that on four different occasions, viz., at the dates of
those two documents, 1683 and 1715, at the ; former' period
here referred to 1736, and again on occasion of this very appli-
cation, 1749, substantial aid was given to the Moravian Bre,.
thren by the Anglican Church, together with the highest
testimony to the validity of their claims, and again at the date
of this very application, A.D. 1749.
;,
l, cir petition, on this last occasion, was presented and
strongly supported by General Oglethorpe. It ,vas under con-
sideration from Fehr
,alY to May; in lVlarch it passed the
House of Conlnlons unanimously, and in the House of Lords,
after a speech by the Earl of Halifax, and one "by the Bishop of
Worcester, in which he declared the approbation of the whole
Episcopal Church, the Bill passed nem. con. The Venerable
Bishop Sherlock, of London, at first objected, but after full
consideration withdrew his opposition, and ever after became a
a firm friend of the Brethren.
" Again great calamities were experienced in their Continen-
tal settlements during the campaigns of 1803 and 1812-13, at
which times large sums were remitted from England for their
relief. Another fact is worthy of notice in this connection.
Archbishop Potter, the well-known writer on Church policy,

AND AH rl' IS IN 1877.

275

,vas waited on by a committee appointed by the Board of Con-
trol for the Colony, to desire his opinion concerning the
l\loravian Brethren, to know whether anything in their doings
were so far repugnant to those of the Church of Englanrl as to
make it improper to employ some of the brethren in instruct-
ing the negroes in Christianity. On this occasion the ...-\.rch-
bishop \Vas pleased to declare:
" , That he had been long acquainted, by books, with the
church of the l\Ioravian Brethren, and they were Apostolical
ancl Episcopal, not containing any doctrines repugnant to the
Thirty-nine Articles, and that he was confirnIed in this opinion
hy the conferences he ha(llately had with Count Zinzendorf.'
"The Archbishop addressed to Count Zinzendorf, on the
occasion of his election to the úffice of Bishop in the
loravian
Church, a congratulatory Latin epistle, of which the following
i8 a translation :
" 'John, by Divine Providence, Archbishop of Canterbury,
to the Right Rev. Count Nicholas Lewis, Bishop of the 1\lo1'a-
vian Church, sendeth greeting:
" , l\Iost sincerely and cordially do I congratulate you upon
your having been lately raised to the sacred and justly celebrated
episcopal chair of the :Moravian Church (by whatever clouds it
may be now obscured) by the gr(we of Divine Providence and
the plaudits of the heavenly host; for the opinion we have
conceived of you does not suffer us to doubt it. It is the bur-
den of my ardent prayer, that this honour conferred, and which
your merit so justly entitles you to, may prove no less benefi-
cial to the church, than at all times acceptable to you and
yours. For insufficient as I am, I should be entirely unworthy
of the high statÍon in which Uivine Providence has placed me,
were I not to show myself ever ready to use every exertion in
my power for the assi
tanc(A of the uni\tpf:;al church of God;
anù especially to love and embrace your church, united with us
in the closest bond of love, and which ha.s hitherto, as we have
heen informed, invariably maintainecl both a pure faith and
prilnitive (liscipline, neitlwr intimidatecl by dangers, nor seduced
by the manifold tenlptations of Satan. I reqnest, in return, tIll'
support of your prayers, anù that you will
alute, in my name,
your brother Bishop, as well as the whole Christian tIock OVP].
which Christ ha
macle you an overseer. _Farewell.
'" Given at \Vestminster, July 10, 1737.' "

76

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
In 1825, another of the Wesleyan l\fissionaries at N ew-
founclland, the Rev. Richard Knight. visited Labrador.
The follo,ving is an extract from his letter, addressed to
the \Vesleyan l\Iissionary Society in London :-
" \Ve sailed from Brigus on the 6th of July, in the schooner
8urprise, belonging to C. Cousins, Esq., who himself formed one
of our company: which I hailed as a most favourable circum-
stance. 11 tho By noon we arrived abreast of Cape Charles, the
south extrelnity of the coast of Labrador. \Ve had designed to
anchor in Battle Harbour for the night, in order to get some
instructions respecting the coast, as all on board were strangers
to it, and the numerous islands make the navigation very dan-
gerous; but we could not effect our purpose. The wind came
ahead and blew so violently, that we were obliged to bear
away for Cape Charles Harbour. To this place, the Indians
some years ago resorted much; at present, however, there is
but one female there. I hoped to be able to gather the few
Protestants in this harbour for Divine service, but found it im-
practicable. 12th.- Visited Battle Harbour. This place has
derived its name froln a battle which was once fought here,
between some Europeans and the natives. Tradition reports
that the Indians were at that time numerous on these parts of
Labrador. \Ve coulù only stay here a few hours. During this
tinle we distributed some tracts, these were much wanted, and
I trust by the blessing of God, will be of use to those who have
received them. 17th. By noon we arrived at the Seal IslanJs.
Here we diù not intend to tarry, our object being to proceed
to Batteau Harbour, where many of the inhabitants of N ew-
foundland prosecute the fishery: and at which place ,ve had
contemplated holding divine service. I was luuch pleased to
find them resting on the Sabbath-day, as most of them arp, nlY
stated hearers when in Newfoundland. I went on shore, and
in the evening preached to about fifty persons, who heard Ine
with much attention, aud with few exceptions manifested by
their presence, that they were glad to embrace an opportunity
of hearing the word of God, on the desolate shores of Labra-
dor. After the puhlic service J baptized a child of European

* Afterwards Co-Delegate of the Eastern British American Conference.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

277

parents. Batteau is a fine harbou'f well adapted for fishing,
and abounding with excellent sea-fowl. The land is barren,
and though an island, it abounds with hares, wild geese, foxes
and deer. On l\Ionday morning, I visited Black Tickle. To
this place I was under the necessity of going for my boat, which
had been taken thither by 1\11'. Nathaniell\Iunden, of Brigus,
our own schooner being too small to take it on her deck. At
this place I fell in with the first Indian family I had seen, con-
sisting of the Indian, his wife and a fine boy, they were about
to leave the harbour when I first saw them; but anxious to
hold an interview I ran and called to them. The Indian could
speak a little English. The wife and child either knew
nothing of this language, or would hold no conversation ill it,
for I could get no reply to several questions I put to tçem.
The Indian had been informed who I was, and was very glarl to
see me. Before my return to Batteau, I visited a place called
IJon1Ïno. Ifere is a mercantile establishnlent, but no settlers.
I found 1\11'. Smith, the agent of this establishment, exceedingly
kind. The Indian above-mentioned is well known to this gen-
tleman. He supplied him the last fishing season with every-
thing necessary for the fishery, and in the fall, at the tÏ1nc for
adjusting the accounts, it was found that the Indian had a
balance ill his favour. :\11'. Smith showed me his account, and
I am happy in being able to sa.y that no advantage had
been taken of the Indian's ignorance of the transactions
of trade. He was charged fair prices for all he had taken,
and credited in current price for all he had remitted. Such
merchants ..would be a blessing to the poor Indians of Lab-
rador. The case of this Indian nlay be viewed as a fair
specimen of what the ESfJ.uiInaux (to say the least), are capa-
ble of being brought to. Here is a fa.mily purely Indian, who
by dint of tllt-'ir own industry, support thell1selves without
the savage desultory IHode of living which characterises their
tribe in geIlt'ral.
"
4th.- Left Batteau Harbour, and had a safe anti speeLly
passage to Sandwich Bay. 'Y e arrive
l at half-past three o'clock
at a plat;c called Handy-Harbour. Vne of the people resitling
here came on hoard, and 1 proposed preaching to them in tlH'
evening. A bout forty were present, partly English and partly
Amprican, all of whom manifested much attention. In Ifandy-

278

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

Harbour are no Indians, nor any settlers; it is merely visited
by some fishermen from Newfoundland and America. I was
pleased to find that the former were so far regarding the Sab-
bath as to rest from labour. On returning from this place we
saw the Aurora Borealis, .and entered into the beauty of the
description by.Thomson :

, Silent from the north
A blaze of meteors shoots: ensweeping first
The lower skies, they all at once converge
High to the cro'\\'''Il of Heaven, and all at once
Relapsing quick, as quickly re-ascend,
Anù mix and thwart, extinguish and renew
All ether coursing in a maze of light.'

" vVithout seeing those lights under similar circumstances,
no one can propel\ly appreciate the descriptive excellence of
these lines.
"29th.-'Ve put out for Esquimaux-Bay, but the wind soon
came a-head, and we were obliged to put into Partridge-Hal"
bour. Here are no Indians or settlers, but several fan1Ï1ies
visit this place from Brigus. All was hurry: the people being
engaged in what is called the heart of the fishery; I could not
therefore publicly perfonll divine service. I visited and prayed,
however, with some of the families. They were very desirous
for me to stay with thp,m the ensuing Sabbath, which I should
gladly have done had not my passage been already so long,
and the necessity of my being in Esquimaux-Bay so urgent.
"ROth.-Put out from Partridge-Harbour. Soon after the
wind came against us; but the weather promising to continue
fine, and the tide not running very strong against us, we deter-
mined on staying out all night.
" 3Ist.-This nlorning we had the entrance of Esquimaux-
Bay in full view; but it took up the greatest part of the day
to get as far as Tub-Island, at the entrance of the bay. \Ve
arrived here about three o'clock p.m., and soon after I was
visited by Mr. Craze, from whom ]\tIr. Hickson received much
kindness during his visit to this bay last summer. I found him
equally kind to me. He appears to take much interest in the
projected mission, and will, I am fully persuaded, render all
the aid he can to the l\lissionary who may be appointed. I re-
quested the favour of holding service in his house, a proposal

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

27!'

to which he most readily acceded. About six o'clock I repaired
thither, with Mr. Cousins, and as lnany of the crew as could be
exempted froUl duty. vVe had a congregation sOOP.. collected,
amounting to about seventy, half of whom were Indians. On
seeing the latter crowd into the house, th
ir strang
attirt,
brown complexion, and method of huddling themselves to-
gether in one corner of the room, as if conscious that they could
not presume on n1Íxing with Europeans-and, more especially
on reflecting upon their moral destitution, feeling
were excited
within nle which altogether elude description. Their attention
was at once fixed on me, while I addressed the congregation
from, 'God so loved the world,' &c. But though I felt much
comfort in speaking to those of Iny audience who could urder-
stand nle; yet when I reflected, that, to one-half of my heare1 s
I was as a barbarian, and they as harbarians unto mp, my mind
was pained. I could give them no instruction from the want
of some one to interpret. I found that the Indians had been
anxiously expecting me; yet that some of them had left the
harbuur under the impr
ssion that I sþould not come. Some
were present who were not in the bay last summer; these had
lately arrived frolti the north, having heard that a missionary
was coming to reside in Esquimaux-Bay Two of them could
read the Esquimaux language, and could sing some of the 1\10-
ravian hymns. I gave them to understand that I would visit
thenl next lnorning.
"A,ug. Ist.-According to promise, I went with
Ir. Cousins
to the Indians, who had erected their wigwams on the opposit,p
side of the harbour. They were in anxious expectation of lny
coming. I entered the fir:-;t wigwalll I came to, which I had
no sooner dune, than the Illtlians flocked in. The place was
excessively warm, and the effiu via of the seal skins was very
offensive. I Inado a sign to them to lift the coverings of their
wigwanl!:: at th(' bottom for the circulation of the air; they
saw at once what I wished, and readily complied. [had an
Indian with me who knew a little English, and, for the wa.nt
of a hetter, I en1ploye.t hin1 as lny intl'rpreter. Having bCt-'n
infúrlllcd the preceding evening that SOllle of this group of 1n-
(lians were gooù singers, I requested that they should sing a
hymn. They replied that they could not sing in my tOllgnp. I
told t hem I did not expect that. The few who could rend then

280

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

took their books, handed one to me, and made a sign for me to
come and sit down among them. This I did, and they then
burst forth with one sweet accord in praising God. This con-
stituted an event in my life which I shall never forget. I have
heard singing scientifically performed, but this exceeded aU.
Such melody I never before heard; from the most aged to the
child of four or five years old all moved in the sweetest unison.
I have often heard tunes, the harmonies of which were delight-
ful-here, was one solemn tune which quite overcame me; the
air was most affectingly plaintive. They sung ten verses, and
I am compelled to say, that I thought it the best singing I had
ever heard-of this I am sure, it was to me the most affecting.
"In this opinion I am not singular, for Crantz, in his his-
tory of Greenland, says, he was so pleased with some of the
Esquimaux singers in that country, that he thought they ex-
celleà. some of the congregations in the civilized parts of the
wùrld. He describes, with the greatest accuracy, in that ac-
count, the manner of the singing he heard. Like the Green-
landers, the voices of th
men are low, and rather hoarse; the
women's soft and clear; and they sing so regularly and har-
moniously, that at a distance the whole seemed as if it were
but one voice. I felt desirous of ascertaining how they had
thus learned to praise God; and found, on enquiry, that two
of the fenlales had been at the Moravian settlement; these
had learned to read the Esquimaux language, and had books
given them by their teachers. These females had married two
Indians further to the southward, and had taught their hus-
bands and children some of the hymns, and the tunes to which
they are set. Brown, in his 'Propagation of Christianity
among the Heathen,' observes, relative to the Labrador lUis-
sion established by the Moravians, that the missionaries com-
plained, 'A number of the baptized, particularly from Hope-
dale, were seduced to the south, where they purchased fire-arms,
associated with the Heathen, and plunged themselves, not only
into spiritual, but into temporal ruin.' This, to the minds of
those holy men of God, must haye been exceedingly grievous;
but the circumstance I have mentioned ,vould, in a great
measure afford them consolation were it known to them. The
Indians aUuded to above ,vere not baptized by them; yet the
books they gave are used, the hymns they taught are sung, and

AKD AS IT IS IN 1877.

281

the excellent nnuÚc to which these hYIllns are set vibrates its
luelodious sounds in those wild wastes of Labrador to which
their pious labours have not extended.
"1 conversed with the Indians as well as I could through
my inlperfect interpreter, and, as I knew that, though
they could not fully understand me, God would hea.r prayer on
their behalf, we bent our knees, and supplicated the throne of
Inercy. In short, on parting, I feel no hesitancy in saying, I
could reflect on the past hour as one of the nlost happy and in-
teresting of nlY life. But this group of Indians must not be
taken as a sample of what they are in general in Esquilnaux-
Bay. These are an exempt company, and are indebted to tlH

l\Ioravians for what they know above the rest. I went on the
evening of the same day to Cuff Harbour, where I found Indians
and half Indians, eighteen in number, but could say nothing to
them for want of an interpreter. Onf' of them, an old female
was sick. I was told that she knew a little English, but could
not prevail on her to converse. Fronl her husband I learned
she was born near the l\Ioravian establishlnent at Hopedale,
and was the first scholar that went to the school in that place.
J received very kind attention from 1\11'. Langley, from N ew-
foundland, who has a sumnler establishment here.
"3rd.- 'V e arrived this e,-ening at Cullinghalll's Tickle, thp
place of 1\11'. H.'s residellce last summer. But, quite contrary to
my expectations, anù luuch to my regret, the Indians had left
the place. About twenty had gone for the North Point, a place ten
leagues distant, and the remainder had gOlle up the Day. ] laving
expected IllY arrival, they had waited for nearly a fortnight, and
had left the place, thinking my cOIning hopeless. T should have
bef'n just in time for them had not our passage been about four
times the usual period.
4th.- \V eut up the Bay in search of the Indians, and fell in
with ahout thirty, and obtained inforrnation of the residence of
twenty besides these. J requested their attendance as Hoon as
they could conveniently corne. I cOllvprsf'd with those I saw,
though vf'ry imperfpctly ; Iny interpreter having a very defective
kllowledae of the Eu(rlish htllauGt,ae"
o 0 b b.

SuL
equently the Rev. George Ellidge visited LaLrador,
and rClllaillcd a S1Ill1111l'r and winter. A \\T esleyan )lis-

282

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

sion was, ho,vever, not established, and no minister of that
den(mination visited it again until the summer of 1858,
when the Rev. J. S. Peach spent a few months there, and,
in 1859, the Rev. Charles Cornben was there for a few
lnonths. In 1849, a minister of the Church of England in
Newfoundland, the Rev. l\tIr. Gifford, was stationed at
Labrador. The following is an account of the Bishop's
visit during the saIne year :-
"J\londay, Aug..13th.-The Church Ship sailed to Red Bay,
which is the limit of Mr. Gifford's mission to the north, as
Blanc Sablon is to the south. These places are thirty-three
miles apart, and as Inany mile
, or lnore, of the opposite N ew-
foundlanù coast will be included in this mission. The se
tled
inhabitants nUlllber about 400 souls. The Churc1b Ship was
debiined in Red Bay by fogs and contrary winds four days,
during which services were regularly perfornled on shore, and
the children baptized and received into the church. I t was the
first visit of a clergyman of our church to the settlement. Here
Mr. Gifford was left to begin his ministry single-handed, but
'not alone,' on Friday the 17th of August, when the Chu'tch
Ship sailed from Battle Harbour.
"Saturday, Aug. 18th.-On approaching Battle Harbour,
the wind failed and the Church Ship was towed in by five fish-
ing boats, in gallant style. 19th.-Divine Service was twice
celebrated in the same store as ]ast year, which, as before, was
on both occasions quite full. On the following day, after Prayers
in the store, the Bishop eXplained to the inhabitants in what
manner he expected, through the liberality of the n1erchànts
(Messrs. Hunt & Co., and Messrs. Slade), and the Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel, with their own contributions, to
establish both a clergyman and schoolmaster in this Harbour;
the forn1er to have his head-quarters here, and to visit from
thence the whole shore from Henley Harbour to Seal Islands,
ninety miles; the schoolmaster and schoolmistress to be per-
lnanently re
ident" and to receive boarders from the neighbour-
ing settlenlents. The inhabitants cheerfully engaged for their
part Æ,75 a year; and the same sum is expected from the other
settlements on thiH line of coast. The chief difficulty in estab-
lishing the Mission arises from the necessary buildings, and
particularly of a suitable residence.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

28

., IJuriug the SlHnlller and autullln months of 1857 the Bishop
accomplished another' of his long and perilous voyages of visita-
tion along the coasts of Newfoundland, and up to the l\[i
sions
in the Lahrador. In one place-St. Anthony, where the Hag'k
was df'tained hy fog and contrary winds-many services were
ppl'fornwd (1n beard, and the people were visited in their houses.
Tlwre was a gl'eat demand for Bibles and other religious books,
and SOIlIf' of the largest and lllost expensive were bought and
chperfu}]y paid for. A lay-reader was also appointed for the
people living at too great a distance to come within the )Iis-
sionary's ortlinary circuit.
" At Battle llarbour the Church was cúnsecrated, and a con-
siderable nUlllber of candidates 'presented for Confirmation;
among thern five Esquimaux Indians, tbe :first, it is supposed,
of that race ever confir lllf'd by a Bishop on the coast of Labrador.
" Several persons were baptized and received into the ChlU'ch;
some of them from Qllil'pon on the northern coast of N ewfound-
land; and an earnest hope was expressed that the Bisbop would
be able to visit that settlement and othf'rs in their vicinity, on
what is called the French shore. No clergynlan of our Church
had e\ier been among them.
" l'uesday, ..Jug. 21.- The Bishop had not intended to extend
his voyage beyond Battle Harbour, having many settlmnents to
visit and services to perform along the eastern coast of N cw-
fOllndland; but hearing that his prf'SellCe was much desired at
Ht. Francis' Harbour, it was deterrnined this nlorning, the wind
being fair, to proceed. The sanle cvening, during Divine Sel-
vice, his Lordship baptized the child of the respected agent (J\Ir.

aunders), and tin ee Eßq ninlaux children. On the following
morning, his L01'(l
hip haptized and l'f'ceivf'd into the Church a
fan1Ïly of EsqllÏtnaux IlHlians (four adults and three children),
and celebrated the Lord's Supper. The gr'aveyard, which was
con
ccrated last year, had been enclos('d with a neat and sub-
stantial fence; and a strong dpsil'e bcing now ('xpresscd to erect
a Church in the settlement, the Hishop selectpd :uHI set apart a.
convenient site. Aftl'l" these services the Clturclt Ship began
her honlCward course, lea.ving St. Francis' Hë:trLour about four
o'clock on JVednesc!a'!J, August 22.
" 1'lwnJ(/a,lh ..1_ U!J.
3, and Friday (St. Bartholon1ew's day),
w
re spent in IIpnley IIarbour, antl on each Diviuf' SOl.viet'

284

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

was performed on board the Clnf.rch Ship for the benefit of the
inhabitants, who attended in considerable numbers, particularly
on the Holy-day-and several children were received into
the Church. There are not more than four or five resident
families in this and the neighbouring Harbour of Chateau Bay,
but lnany families visit the place every SUlnmer to fish, and
traders from Nova Scotia and the United States. The fishery
appears to be prosecuted with success.
"Saturrday, August 25.-An attenlpt was nlade to cross the
Straits, in order to pass the Sunday at Quirpon on the N ewfound-
land shore, but the wind failed, and the Church Ship returned
to Chateau Bav.
"On Sund;;y, August 26, Divine Service was celebrated
publicly on board the Ol-lurch Ship twice, and in the morning
the congregrtion, with the ship's company, numbered sixty-three
persons, who were all conveniently accommodated in the cabin.
Most of the strangers were from Carbonear. The Bishop
preached on each occasion; in the evening his Lordship visited
a sick person on shore.
"The Rev. A. Gifford, having been called by the death of his
father, and his own failing health, to leave his lonely Mission
late in the autumn of 1856, spent three months in N ewfound-
land, supplying the vacancy caused by the la.lneuted death of
the Rev. J. G. Mountain.
" With regard to his own Mission, he states that, by the ex-
piration of the lease of lands purchased by the Mission, and held
hitherto by a Dissenter, there is a prospect of the establishment
of a school, to be supported in part by the contributions of the
people. He speaks in grateful terms of the liberality of his
little flock, which, in spite of his ab
ence in the winter, has ex-
ceeded its former measure. Mr. Gifford has good hope of see-
ing the Church (the foundations of which have been long laid)
at Red Bay, 'finished this season.' At this, and another Sta-
tion, there are indications of an increased' attachnJent to the
soil,' and a prospect of a settled population. The Bishop, dur-
ing a fortnight's visit to these distant shores, confirnled fiifteen
young persons, and consecrated the Church at FOl'teau by the
title of St. Peter.
"The Mission of the Rev. A. Gifford includes twenty-one
harbours on Labrador, and nine on Newfoundland. The dis-

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

285

tance travelled in visiting them in succession is seventy-seven
miles of water and eighty-seven of land. Tha population varies
from 450 in winter to 832 in sumnler, more than half being
Illmnbers of the Church of England. ]"ronl OctoLer to l\lay
1\11'. Gifford's ministrations are necessarily confined to Labrador;
but as soon as the sea is open he sails to the opposite coast of
Newfoundland, and visits the Stations in order, celebrating
Divine Service, and if possible gathering a congregation in each
house in which he lodges. His attempts to establish a school
in the l\Iission bave not met with permanent success. The
:'\IiHsion contributes 1:51 annually to the Diocesan Church So-
ciety. "
The Rev.
Ir. Giffon! btates, that during the ,vinter of
1857 -8, he travelled t\vice to the settleluents of Forteau,
antI thrice to those in the 'Vest, the five journeys COlll-
prising a distance of 2:35 nliles, perforlned over snow and
ice, \vith the aid of dogs an(l a sleigh (conlitique).
lany
visits were paid to Jess remote places. The congregation
at Forteau iUlproved in nUlllbers and steadiness of atten-
(lance. The Chapel at Red Bay ,vas not then begun.
Some cOllullunicants have been added to 1\11'. Gifford's
list, IJut he is still unable to acquire the influence which
he desires for the good of agents and Inen in sonle of the
J err-my fishing establishluents. The follo\ving extract from
his journal will give a fair notion of his labours:
"December 31st.- \Y eather being fine (glass - 10 0 ), we
set out at 10 a.m., on my proposed journey to the west. The
dogs running well, in scarce ten minutes we reached the oppo-
site side of the Bay. I visited and read prayers for the sick
child, and think him much ,vorse bodily than upon my last
visit. \Ve walked up the steep acclivity of the western hill, en-
couraging the good dogs by kind words, to draw up the comi-
tiq ue: for the renewal of their better speed at the top, ga ve
them and ourselves a few moments' breathing time, and then
proceeded with comfort and speed another stage of ahout ten
JniJes. In crossing the plateau between Forteau and Beau
t.
Clair, we pass over a series of fine 'ponds,' (our nlost magnifi-
cent sheets of fresh water are always thus humbly de:scribeJ),

286

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

and tracts of underwood, which but for the snow and ice of
winter would be utterly impassable. The weather was somewhat
too severe to be quite agreeable, yet upon reaching L' Anse au
Cotard, at about one, and remembering the shortness of the
last day of the year, we took some slight refreshnlent, ap-
pointed a part of the coming Sunday, if God will, to be spent
here, and proceeded again, calling at Blanc Sablon, and reach-
ing Grand Point at 5 p.m. At this point I tmppose we had
travelled about eighteen miles, and I was very glad to see the
poor dogs (eight in number) untackled and led to supper-that
is to their only daily meal. At this place I found C. 1). quite
wûll and very glad to see me. Poor fellow! in August last, I
attended him, as I thought, on his death-bed. He seems deeply
thankful for his restoration to health, and is, I hope, drawn
nearer God by sense of his mercies. The other family, close
neigh bours, I was grieved to find were holding a social meeting,
oî such a character as to prevent my having public worship as
I had hoped and intended. I spent the evening with C. D.,
and concluded it, as I always do wherever I lodge, with family
\vorship, comprising the reading aud explanation of scripture
and prayer."

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

287

CHAPTER XIV.

THE FISHERIES.

" j EVlFOUNDLAND (says l\ir. l\lorris) was a depen-
dency of England, her only colony a century before
Massachusetts, New York or Virginia, emerged fronl
barbarism. 'Vheu the 'untutored Indian,' uncontrolJed by
ci vilized man, roamed through these no'w busy marts, redun-
dant with wealth, population, and all the advantages of
civilization, Newfoundland was resorted to by thousands of
British, Spaniards, French and Portuguese; and millions were
drawn from her mines-tlte fisheries-far more valuable than
those of l\tlexico and Peru."
ßlcGregor, in his Brritish A me1
ica, say
:-
" Newfoundland, although occupying no distinguished place
in the history of the N ew World, has, notwithstanding, at least
for two centuries and a half after its discovf'ry by Cabot, in
1497, been of more mighty importance to Great Britain than
any other colony j and it is doubtful if the British Enlpire
could have risen to its great and superior rank anlong the na-
tions of the earth, if any other power had held the po
session of
Newfoundland; its fishery having, ever since its comlnenc
-
ment, furnished our navy with a great proportion of its hardy
and brave sailors."

An(l the fir
t 11r. Pitt, in (lecIailning upon the national
interests of Great Britain, affinne<l that one point \va
of
such nloment. as not to l,e
urrendcrcd, though the enemy
was Inaster of the To\ver of London ;-the N c\vfouJl<.lland
fi:-;herics. The (1
Ul opeans first began the fishery on the
N c\vfoundland coast, in 1502. The PortugtJ.ese 'Vl'rc the
first; and suhsequcntly tht. Biscayans, and the .French.
In Ij78, the Portugueso had 50 vessels engagcd in the
fishery; the English also !)O; êtn(l the French and Span-

288

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
ish 1.50. So important had this fishery become, that in
the year 1634, France consented to pay a tribute of five
per cent. to the British Government, rather than relin-
quish the privilege of fishing on the coast; which con-
tinued until the reign of Charles II., a. period of forty-
one years. In 1763, France removed all her prpetensions
to Nova Scotia, for the privilege of fishing on the northern
parts of N e\vfoundland; fron1 this tÌlne the French fish-
ery rapidly increased. In 1721, France en1ploye r 1 400
ships in the Newfoundland fishery. The Grand Bank, or
deep sea fishery at one time, rgave employment to 400
British ships, manned by 7,000 men; and during the last
war, 700 ships were employed on the Banks.
This important fishery is no\v wholly in the hand of
the French and Anlericans, not a single British s]1Ïp is now
employed in the fisheries on the Banks of Newfoundland.
}Ir.1vlorris, late Colonial Treasurer of Newfoundland, says:
-" Why do not British ships resort to the Banks as for-
nlerly ? The reason is at hand-because under the pre-
sent unequal and unnatural competition, nothing but the
nlost certain ruin would be entailed on the British, if they
ventured into the Bank and deep-sea fisheries. The price
of fish reduced far below its intrinsic value, in all the
Inarkets of the world, common to these three nations, by
the competition of the French and Americans, would not
pay one-half the outfit. A British luerchant fitting out a
ship of 250 or 300 tons for the Bank fishery in the same
lnanner in which the French fit out their vessels, wou]a,
at the present price of fish, calculate upon a certain loss
of $4,000 to $6,000. This cause operates as the most
effectual prohibition.
The French have adopted a new mode of fishing on the
Banks, their vessels anchor, which was not allowed in
fonner times, they have also adopted what is called the
Bultow system, and which is clearly eXplained in a me-
morial presented by 1\iessrs. Mudge & Co., to the late Gov-
ernor of Newfoundland, Sir John Harvey.

AND AS IT IS IN 187';".

2R9

"That the Bultow systenl i
carried on in the following 11lan-
ner :-The vessel is provided with two or three large boats. of
a size fit to carry out, at considerable distances, large supplies
of rope and lin(', with IDoorings and anchors sufficient to ride at
anchor on the open Bank in rong}l weather. These boats carry
out from five to six thousand fathoms of rope to which are fas-
tened leads, with baited hooks at certain distances from e2ch
other. These are carried out fronl the vessels in different di-
rections and let down and secured with suitable nloorings, to
prevent their being carried away by the strong currents that
usually prevail on the Bank. They are then laid out at stated
distances from each other, with seyeral thousand hooks ,veIl
baited, and frequently occupy several miles of ground. On the
next day they are taken up and overhauled-the fish taken off,
-and, if the berth is approved, the hooks fresh baited and let
down again, and thus successively during the voyage. But
should the berth in which they have anchored not prove a good
one, they heave up and sail about to make another, in doing
which, if they chance to see an English vessel catching fish
freely with hook and line, they anchor near her and layout
their Bultows, which, spreading so large a quantity of bait, the
1Ìsh are soon drawn thereby from the few caplin presented by
the English vessel, and the latter is tllCrefore ohliged to heave
up anù sail away from the good fishing ground, to find a berth
elsewhere: so that not only does the EngJish vessel lose the
good fishing in which she was engaged, but the TIl0st valuable
part of the season i
often lost in wandering about to find a new
berth clear of the French ships; for they are so numerous, and
each covers with its Bultows so large a space, that it would be
difficult to keep clear of thenl, and any place near thmn it is, for
the reasons 3 bove stated, useless to attempt occcupying; so that
in effect the }"rench have monopolized to themselves all the best
fishing ground.
" Your l\lenlOria1ists' vessel fell in with one of these Bultows,
which had gone adrift, measuring 1,500 fathoms.
"To show the working of the :Frellch system of bounties in
their Newfoundland Fisheries, and to prove the hopple
blless of
competition on the part of the British nlercha.nt anù fisherman,
it is only necessary to exhibit a statenumt of the outfit and re-
turns of a French ship of three hundred tons on tllP Grand Bank
S

290

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

of Newfoundland, procured by a gentleman who recently ar-
rived from St. Pierre and lVliquelon, and the results of the last
season's voyage of 1846.
" Vessels of 150 tons from France are obliged to bring out
30 men and boys, one boy under 15 years of age to every ten
men.
"Vessels over 150 tons are obliged to bring out 50 men and
boys.
" The bounty on every man and boy is 50 francs, and on fish
10 francs.
" Boys receive as wagcs 50 francs for the season. Men re-
ceive a portion of the voyage and from 50 to 100 francs each.
The voyage is divided by three, two-thirds to the owners, and
one-third to the crew. The master, in addition to his wages,
which vary from 70 to 100 francs per month, receives two men's
share of fish; for example, one ship in 1846 landed 132,000 fish;
equal to 5,280 quintals, with a crew of 18 men.
5,280
- === 1,760-:-20==88 Quintals each man.
3
Owner's share, two-thirds of voyage ...... ...... 3,520 Quintals.
Boys' share.................. ...... _ __ ___ ...... ...... 264 (10.
3,784
IS men's shares, 88 quintals each ...... ......... 1,320
Master's share, equal to 2 men's............ . . . . 176

1,496
Quintals............... 5,280
"RETURN OF THE VOYAGE TO THE OWNER.

Francs.
3,784 Qnintals :fish at 10 francs.......... ........ .......,. 37,8-10
Bounty on ditto at ]0 francs.................... ............ 37,840
Bounty on men and boys, 50 francs each ............ . . . ... 900
Oil-1 gallon to every 4 quintals fish, at 2 francs per gal 2,140

78,720
Equal to Stg. .t3,280
or $16,400
"According to the statement, the French merchant obtains in
the form of bounty, 10 francs, say 8s. 4d. sterling, which, with

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

291

the hounties for tIle men and boys, and the drawbacks on t1w
nec(\ssaries for the supply of the voyage, raises it to at least 1 Os.
stg. per quintetl. If he obtains 1 Os. for the fish at market it will
realize 20s. pcr quintal. Let the case of the British Inerchant,
who fits out a ship for the Graud Bank, be placed injuxta-posi-
tioll ; he has to sell his fish in the nlarkets of the world, open
alike to both, the price is regulated for him by the sale of the
bounty fish of the French. He receives 1 Os;, w bile the French
nwrchant realizes 20s. Such disparity puts an end to all com-
petition, the British merchant, as a matter of necessity, has to
surrender the Fishery altogether into the hands of his protected
rivals. In the year 1838, the writer had tbe honour of an inter-
view with Sir George Grey, at the Colonial Office. In bring-
ing this subject under his consideration, he supposed an example
of two cloth manufacturers, having warehouses for the sale of
their wares at Cheapside, one had a bounty of 5s. per yard for
every yard of cloth he manufactured, the other no bounty; the
competition could not be maintained without a ruinous sacrifice
on the part of the latter. This is not an inapt simile to show
the ruinous competition which the British in the Newfoundland
Fisheries have to maintain with their foreign and more favoured
rivals. "

The following Return of the French bounties was ob-
tained by the .British Ambassaùor at Paris, in 1848:-
" For each man fitted out for the fishery on the coast
of Newfoundland, at St. Pierre, l\liquelon, or the
Grand Bank (dried fish) - 50 francs.
For the fishery in the seaS surrounding the Island
(without drying) - - 50 (10.
On the Grand Bank (without drying) - 30 do.
On the Dogger's Bank - 15 do.
Bounties on exporta.tion per 100 killoggranlnH's
(
20k U.s. avoir(lupois.)
Dry Codfish, of French catch, exported direct from
tLe coast of Newfoundland, St. Peter's, or
liyue-
lon, or warehou
ed in Frallce and exported to the
French Colonies - - 22 do.
Dry Coùfish exported frOIn French Ports, not having
been wa.rehon
ed for exportation, to the French
Colonie'i - 16 do.

292

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

Dry Codfish carried direct from' thp localities of the
Fishery to Ports of France, and exported to
Foreign Ports in the .Antilles, or of America on the
Atlantic Coast where there is a French Consul, or
into Spain or Portugal, or into Foreign Ports on
the l\iediterranean, or into Algeria - 18 francs
Dry Codfish carried direct from the localities of the
Fishery to the Ports of France, and imported into
the Ports of Italy - 12 do.
Dry Codfish imported into Spain overland - 10 do.
Cod-liver oil imported into France, the produce of
the Fishery 20 do.

"TOTAL BOUNTIES PAID IN 1844, '45, '46.

Bounties on E:xpor- Bounties on
tation of fish to all importation
Bounties to men. destinations. of cod-liver. Total.
517,370f. 3,559,468f. 2,422f. 4,079,260f.
533,615 4,221,405 10,526 4,765,645
558,110 3,903,910 19,511 4,481,532
(4,489,53] francs=æ180,941 16s.3d.)
" And the following immunities :-
,
"Drawback of all duties on salt used in the curing of the fish,
except 50 centimes (4!d. stg.) per 100 kilog. on foreign salt im-
ported for the coast of Newfoundland, St. Pierre and lVliquelon
fishery.
" Drawhack of all duties on all the outfit for the
shpry, in-
cluding vessels employed and all utensils."

1844
L845.
1856.

In l\lay, 1830, the Chamber of Commerce of St. John's
sent Mr. Sweetland to the French shore on the northern
coast of Newfoundland, who laid before the Chan1ber a
report of his proceedings, from which the following is
taken :-
" The numbf'r of ships employed this season by the French in
this fishery were 266 in all, viz.-From Granville, 116; St.
J\lalo, 110; Paimpol and Bennick, 30; Havre, 4; Nantes, 6.
Total 266, from 100 to 350 tons burden, having 51 men and
boys each, amounting in the whole to 13,566, one tenth portion

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

293

of whom were boys. This number surpassed considerably the
Governor's estimate, a very good one, which was assigned
to me by the French gentleman from whom I received the in-
formation. Each establishment had two: some four, cod seines
frolll sixteen to thirty fathoms deep, and 200 fathoms long.
Their caplin
eines were from twenty-one feet to fifty in depth;
two were held by each establishment. The cost of a cod seine
crew amounted, for the season, to 6,000 livres, and the catch
thereof to 1,200 quintals. The allowance for each luan for the
season, commencing at the first day of
Iay and ending on ar-
rival in France, on or about the first day of November, 35 Ibs.
pork, 35 lbs. butter, 3
cwt. bread, 40 lbs. peas, 6 gallons of
brandy, ï tierce cider- in all equal to about Æ8. sterling; boat-
Inasters, or principal men, are paid about 1:10 as wages, an
ordinary fishernlan
7, and boys .-L3Iess, a sum equal to;1;:2 1 Os.
allowed on each man as a bounty by their governnlent. In
18

, their catch of fish amounted to 350,000 quintals-45
quintals for each person employed-an average catch and good
voyage.
" At this period their bounties were extreulely liberal, there-
fore, supposing the merchants wpre allowed on each luan
employed 60 livres, or 50s. each on 13,566 nlen, .t33,915.
" That they caught in the sea- }
son, for their catch was par- 450,000 quintals.
tial.
"Of which was consumed in I
Fra.nce and no bounty granted J 150,000 do.
on It.

300,000 quintals
"Viz., Shipped to MartiniqUe }
a.t 20 livres, or 16s. 8d. ster- 120,000 quintals.
hug.
"
itto to It
ly and
pain, at 5 } 180 000 do
hvres, 4s. 2d, sterhng. ,.

for bounty.

100,OOU

37,000

:300,000 quintals. t171,4-1fi
., Æ171,415 stPJ')ing paid in hOUJlty, hpsidps lllatprials
raJlt(-'d
the fi
herlllall in alldition. In fact, the fis]u>ry is for the pur-

294

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

pose of training seamen for their navy, and consequently is a
national undertaking rather than the pursuit of private indi-
vid uals. "

The following account of the French fisheries is given
by Commander Fortin to the Canadian Government in
1862:-

" France looks upon the Newfoundland fisheries as the true
school for the French Dlarine, and it is here that she forms the
nursery of hardy sailors whom she requires to nlan her fleets;
and of so great importance does she consider them to be, that
she every year employs for their protection three steam war
vesse] sand two armed schooners.
"Numerous laws, regulations and decrees of the command-
ant of St. Pierre regulate the French fisheries at N ewfonndland;
but I do not consider it necessary to dilate here upon any of
them except those which relate to the cod fishery carried on on
the coast of that island, and the possession of the land necessary
for the working of this branch of industry. _
"The vessels which are fitted out in France for the New
foundland fishery are di vid
d into three classes:
" 1st class.- Vessels over 158 tons and under 400 tons.
"2nd" " " 100" " 158"
"3rd" "under 1 00 "
" The proprietors of the vessels of these various classes draw
lots every five years for the right of occupying the various fish-
ing settlements on the coast; the best numbers select the best
fishing posts, and so on to the least advantageous.
"This system of distributing the fishing posts has been
found to be the most satisfactory to the fisherm,en, although it
is not unattended with inconvenience; for instance, it prevents
rich outfitters from making large well-fitted establishments, be-
cause, at the. end of five years, they would run the chance of
seeing them pass into other hands; for no fisherman is allowed
to remove anything from his establishment when the drawing
of lots takes place.
" Thp last drawing took place this spring, and there were one

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

295

hundred and eleven vessels in the first class, and n
arlJ 8.3 m
ny
in each of the other two.
" Vesspls of the first class should have a crew of at least
sixty-five Dlen and boys; of the second, forty-five; and of the
third, thirty; which give a total of ten or twelve thousand fish-
ermen employed in the French fisheries on the coast of N ew-
foundland, from Cape St. John on the east to St. George's Bay
on the west.
" The principal regulations which relate to the cod fishing are
those which forbid the use of deep sea or trolling lines in the
taking of that fish, and only allow the use of cod fish nets afloat;
all fishermen are strictly forLidden to dra w or land a cod fish
net, or even a caplin net on the shore, without dO l 1bt, ill order
that those fish nlay not be disturbed while engaged near the
shore in the reproduction of their species.
" The Frf'nch do not make nHlCh use of the line in the cod
fishery on the north coast of Newfoundland. They use chiefly
very large nets which are nearly all 150 fathoms long and 30
fathoms wiele. Nearly forty-men are required to handle them
successfully; they are very costly. But on the other hand vast
quantities of fish are taken with these ilnnlense nets; 50, 100,
and even as many as 200 quintals of cod, or 5,000, 10,000 and
20,000 fish.
" But it is a necessary condition that the fish should run in
shoals and Le plentiful on the fishing grounds; unless this is
the case, tbe net fishing yields but little, and the outfitter's 10SB
is then enormous.
" The cod this year was not plentiful on the coast of Quirpon,
and the fishermen of that place, including l\lessrs. Robinot and
Durand, had in consequence suffered a proportionate loss, as
they have hut little cod to export, and will accordingly receive
but a small sunl as l'rclniunl.
"Thcre are at Quirpon sevpn fishing establishments he1011ging,
for the most part, to St. l\Ialo and St. Servan; t11('se enlp]oy
eighteen ships of from two to five hundred tons. 'Ve sa.w one
of the:n, a fine ship of 500 tons, Rail with à cargo of dl'ied corl
fish for the J{ourl)QJl IslmHls and the J\fnuritius, which are in
grcat part supplied witb fish by the French.
"The French fis]H'l'lllen are \;olJ1pelled to bring from France
almost everytllÍllg which they rcquirp in carrying 011 thf'Ü' busi-

296

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

ness; lumber, boards, planks, pieces of elm and oak to repair
their hoats and ves
els, flour, pork, butter, &c., &c., the island
of Newfoundland not producing any of these articles.
" And of these they consume every year a very large quantity,
and the cost of such articles in France is generally much greater
t.han in Canada ; and it certainly would be greatly to the ad-
vantage of the French fishermen to COlne and buy of us the
greater part of the supplies which they requiré.
" But it may be asked: if there is any profit to be Inade, how
is it that the French shippers have not before now taken advan-
tage of the low prices in our c1al'ket, and why, on the other
hand, have not the Canadian traders entered into commercial
relations with the French fishermen, and despatched to them
cargoes of flour, provisions and wood, suitable to supply their
requirements 1
" To this I reply that it results from two principal causes.
In France little is known of the varied resources of Canada,
and here, until late years, the nature, extent, importance and
requirements of the French fisheries at Newfoundland have
been ignored.
" For nlore detailed information on this subject, my report of
185S on St. Pierre and l\Iiquelon n1ay be consulted.
;c I do not pretend, and I do not wish to be understood. to say
that very important commercial relations could be established
between the Canadian traders and the French sbippers and fish-
ermen of N ewfoundl
nd; but what I consider quite possible,
and what I aID desirous of seeing realized for the mutual benefit
of shippers and traders, both Canadian and French, in N ew-
foundland, is that Canada, and principally Quebec and Gaspé,
should supply the latter with the wood and the provisions which
are indispensable to them, and should in return receive French
products, especially French cordage, which is of superior quality,
and of which the consumption on our ships would be very
great.
"This trade would give employment to ten of our schooners
to begin with, and at a later period that number would in-
crease. "

The French annually employ about 5GO vessels in the
Ne,vfoundland fishery, of froIH 100 to 500 tOlls Lurthen,

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

297

rnanned. by upwards of 20,000 fishernlen. About half of
this nunl LeI' pI'Uðecute the Bank fishery froin the French
Islan(ls of St. Pierre and
Iiquelon, on the south-west
coast; the other half at the French shore on the northcrn
coast. The quantity of fish taken by thein i::, estin1atecl at
over 1,OOU,OOO quintals annually. The ainount of houn-
ties paid in 18
8 is said to have been 8G25,OOO; in 1832,
S:
OO,OOO; and in 184G,
905,OOO. (For an account of the
:fisheries of St. Peters',
èè Fortune Bay).
The British Fisheries of N e,vfoundland, in son1e places,
cornnlence in
Iay, and at other places, not until the n1Ïd-
dIe of J nne. About the beginning of June the vesðèls
sail for the Labrador Fishery. The manner of catching
ant 1 curing the fish has been so often described, and is no,v
so ,veIl known, that it is unnecessary for file to repeat it
here.
The price of fish is regulated by the demand of the
foreign lnarkets.
Large Inerchantable cod fish is froln... 1Gs. to.i1 Os
Sluall" "" 14s. to 16::;

fadeira" "" 128. to 148
'Vest India" "" 1 Os. to 14s
Inferior" "c. 8s. to 128
100 quintals of cod fish will yield about t\VO hogshead:-;
of oil.

2gS

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

The following is the produce of the British fisheries of
Newfoundland at different period
, all of which were
exported :

Year.

1763,...
1785... .
1814. . . .
1830... .
1852.. ..
1831. . _ .
1832.. ../
1833. . . . ,
18:
4... .
1836... .1
1838... .
1840... .
1842... .
1845. . . .
1849... .,
1860.. , . ,
1862. ...

Dried Fish.
Quintals.

386,274
591,276
1,200,000
948,468
972,921
7fi5,667
619,177
882,536
7H3,187
890,:
54
724,515
915,79fi
1,007,980
1,OOO,3:
3
1,175,167
1,138,544
1,980,082

Oils.
Tuns.

8,225
12,371

10,010
. . . .. . . . .. . .
9,030
9,485
8,591
12,724
8,976
8,260
8,916
9,892
16,637

Seal Skins.
No.

4,900

156,000
300,681
534,378
559,:H2
442,003
384 699
3GO:155
;384,321
375,361
631,385
344,683
;{52,202
306,072
444,301
266,624

Salmon.
Tierces.

Herring.
Barrels.

3,
ijõ I.. ï;OOû. .
............ ..........
4,439 1,083
4,048 42,715
3,606 1,799
2,924 1,814
;{,256 3,0:39
3,369 1,823
1,847 1,534
4,408 15,276
3,396 20,806
4,715 13,839
3,540 20,90:3
5,911 11,471
4,917 9,907
3,822 13,872

The following Table will show the state of the British
fisheries at different periods, given by t.he Committee of
Privy Council for Trade, dated Whitehall, 19th March,
1793:-

<+-4
o

.
I I
S...c:
r;jUl
Z

AVERAGE OF YEARS.

1699, 1700, 1701 ......,..... 192
1714,1715,1716 ............ 161
1749, 1750, 1751 .....,...... 288
1764-5-6-7-8-9, 1770-1-2-3-4 .. 516
178'1-tJ-U-7-8-9,1790-1-2 ......, 480

<+-4
o
s::: .
Q)tI1
...c:.

..s::

Ul

7,991
9,198
33,512
40,lì91
48,950

<+-4.S
I f

]O
I

S
Q)

S

Z

I ::JP-I

...., Z
4,026 1 1 . . . . . . . .
2,11H ...,.'..
4,108 ;{,149,
5,43;) 6,441 I I
I 4,432 I 4,617

<+-4
o

.
Q)rT1
,.o

S

::J

Z

1,314
982
1,;
70
2,lU:

2,258

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

299

I

I .
I
.

.s

Q)

..c::::s::::
'õ

æ

I

I ;
.s

c

.
to:::.....
Q) S.8....0 -'>
8 I
I ZZ,,,e-.-
. . . . . . . . 1 1 ,049 1 3,fi06
.. .. . . .. SH1 ;3,501
1,;
OR 2,f)22 5,
55
5,141. 1 2,8
2 1 12,340
2, U74 2,3ü-t 1.'),2.')3

AVERAGE OF YEARS.

0;
'õ

.$S
-S..c1

cr-
.

&

Q) .
..... -+>

Q)
C

I

'7.:

.:::;.
c
...... ,..0..( -+>
.&

I
Hm9, 1700, 1701 ........... . 1 216,:320 1fi-t,270
1714, 1715, 171G ............ 97,730 102,;
f):3
174ft, 17,')0, 1751 ..........'. 4:32'318 1 422,116
17(;4-fj.(j-7-8-9,1770-1-2-:3-4 . . 1 62ü,276 .j
4,2B(;
17
4-f)-6-7-8-9, 1790-1-2 ...... H37,9?),) 62
,108
I

The nUlnber of vest'els employed in the Fisheries is
about 800, froln 80 to l
O tons burthen, lJcsÌdes coast-
,vise. There are 1,200 more vesspls cn1ployed in the
Foreign Trade, principally in carrying fish and oil to
rnarket. The ntnnher of boats employpd in the fishery
is 11,603, capable of carrying from 4 to 100 quintals of
green fish. The nUlnher of pt'rsons eluployed in the
N c,vfounllland anù Labrador Fishery, is about 50,000.
The Labrador Fishery is principally carried on frolll the
Ports of St. John's. 1 larhour Grace, CarboneaI', and Bri-
gus. (For a more detailed account, see Lahrador).
The follo,ving account of thB Lahrador :Fishery is given
by 1\[1'. l\IcGI'egol':
" During the fishing season, from 280 to 300 schooners pro-
ceed from Newfoundland to the different fishing stations on
the coast of Labrador, wht>re about 20,000 British subjects are
employed for the season. About one-third of the schooners
make two voyagt>s, loaded with dry fish, back to N ewfounll-
land during the summt>r; and several merchant vessels proceed
from Labrador with their cargoes direct to Europt>, leaving,
generally, full cargoes for the fishing vessels to carry to N ew-
fouwlland. A considerable part of the fish of the second voy-
agp is in a grpen or pickled state. an(I dried afterwards at
NpwfouIHUa1H1. Eight or nitH' schooners fr01n (
uebec frc(jlwnt
the coast, having on board about 80 Seaméll and 100 fishermen.
Somc of the fish caught by them is sent to Europe, and tht.

3uO

NE"\V}'OUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

rest carried to Quebec; besides which, they carry annually
about æ6,000 worth of furs, oil and salmon to Canada. From
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but chiefly froln the former,
100 to 120 vessels resort to Labrador: the burden of these
vessels may amount to 6,000 or 7,000 tons, carrying about
1,200 seamen and fishernlen. They generally carry the prin-
cipal part of their cargoes home in a green state.
" One-third of the.resident inhabitants are English, Irish, or
Jersey servants, left in charge of the property in the fiðhing
roonls, and who also employ themselves, in the spring and fall,
catching seals in nets. The other two-thirds live constantly
at Labrador, as furrier;:; and seal-catchers, on their own account,
but chiefly in the former capacity, during winter, and all are
engaged in the fisheries during the summer. Half of these
people are Jerseymen and Canadians, most of whom have fam-
ilies.
" From 16,000 to 18,000 seals are taken at Labrador in the
beginning of winter and in spring. They are very large; and
the Canadians, and other winter residents, are said to feast and
fatten on their flesh. About 4,000 of these seals are killed by
the Esquimaux. The whole number caught produce about
350 tons of oil-value about Æ8,OOO. There are six or seven
English houses, and four or five Jersey houses, established at
Labrador, unconnected with Newfoundland, who export their
fish and oil direct to Europe. The quantity exported in 1831
to the Mediterranean was about-
54,000 quintals cod fish at 10c.. .....................
27,OOO
1,OfiO tierces salmon, at 60c. ........ .................. 3,150
To England, 200 tons cod oil........................ 5,200
" 220" seal oil .....,..... .... .. ... .. . 4,880
" furs ....................................... 3,150

æ43,380
By Newfoundland Houses 27,500 quintals cod fish
at 10c .... ............................................. 13,750
280 tierces salnlon at 60c... ........... 840

1:57,970

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

301

Total direct export from Labrador, 32,120 quintals
cod fish, 10c. best quality.......................... 16,060
312,000 quintals cod fish at 8c .. ....,. ........... 124,800
1,800 cod oil at 20c ........................... ......... 36,000
Salmoll, l
C..... ... ......... ........................... 3,220
Fish, &c., sent to Canada, about...... ............ 12,000
Fish carried to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
should be in value at least .............. ...... 52,000

Estimated value of the produce of Labrador, ex-
clusive of what the
Ioravians send to LondonÆ302,050
"These statements are made at the most depressed prices,
an<lllot at the average prices, which would increase the gross
value to Æ342,400."
It is estiulatecl, that the AU1ericans employ about .500
vessols, of from 50 to 180 tons burthen, manned by 5,000
U1en, on the N e,vfoundland anfl LaLrador coast, and the
quantity of fish taken by them is 400,000 quintals of cod
fish.
The total quantity of cod fish, taken on the N ewfound-
land coast annually, may be fairly estÏ1nated as follows :-

1,700
560
5UO

l\[en and
Boys.
40,000
20,000
5,000

QuintalR.
British Fisheries............ 1,000,000
French Fisheries.......u... 1,000,000
American Fisheries......... 400,000

Ves,c.;els.

Total quintals ........ 2,400,000 2,7GO G5,OOO
The \\Thale Fishery on the Newfoundland coast is not
ilnportant. FroBl 17!).) to 1807 Massachussets eUlployed
twelve vessels on the south-wcst coast. But '" hen
thp war cOlnlnenced ,vith Great Britain, the Alllcrican
"rhale fishcry on the N c'\vfoundlanù coast ,vas di1jcon-
tinued.-

* See" 'Valldcrillg Thoughts," by P.
rocque, pa.ge b
.

302

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
In 1840, an Act wa:-; passed by the Local Governlnent,
offering Æ200bountytoeach of the first three vessels landing
not less than ten tons of whale oil, or fifteen tons of whale
fat or blubber, Let-\veen the first day of 1\1ay and the tenth
day of November. Encouraged by the bounty afforded
by the passing of this Act, two vessels were sent froll1 St.
John's to the western shore, of about 120 tons each, and
n1anned by nineteen men. One of these vessels \-vas sent
by 1\1essrs. C. F. Bennett
Co., the other by lHessrs. Job
Brothers & Co.
The result of each year's fishery was as follows:-

MESSRS. BENNETTS' WHALER.

'Vhales. Produce of Oil.
1841 ............ 20 ............ 24 1 tuns.
2
1842 8 14 .c
............ ............
1843 5 8! "
............ ............
1t)44 6 13 cc
....0... . . . ............

MESSRS. JOBS' WHALER.

Whales. Produce of Oil.
1841 ............ 5 ............ 13 tuns.
1841 ............ None ............ 5 black-fish.
Messrs. Newman & Co., at Fortune Bay, during the
above years, also pursued the whale fi8hery. They take
annually between 40 and 50 whales. The greatest quan-
tity of whale oil ever Inanufactured by thenl in one year
was about 150 tuns (in Fortune Bay). In 1866, lVlessrs.
Ridly, of Harbour Grace sent a vessel to Greenland ,vhale
fisheries, she returned in September with about 50 tuns of
oil. The seal fishery of :N ewfoundland has assumed a
degree of importance far surpassing the most sanguine
expectations of those who first embarked in the enter"
prise, and is now become one of the greatest sources of
wealth to the country. The interest of every individual
is interwoven with it, "fi'oln the bustling and enterpl'is-

AND AS IT IR IX 1877.

:303

ing individual, that, \vith spy-glass in hand, paces his
wharf, s'\veeping ever and anon the distant horizon for the
first view of his returning argosy, to the eluaciated little
broonl-girl that creeps along the street, ha"Tking her
hU111ble comnlodity from door to door."
The retuln of a c. Seal Hunter" renlÏnds one of Sou-
they's beautiful poen1s, ".:\fadoc," and "Roderice, the last
of the Goths." "The Return to \Vales" is thus de-
scribed :-

" Fair blew the wind, the vesBel drives along,
Her strea.mers fluttering at their length, her sails
At full; she drive
along, and round her prow

catters the ocean spray. \Vhat feelings then
Fill'd every bosom, when the mariners,
After the peril of that wary way,
Beheld their own dear country! Here stands one

tr
tching his sight towards the distant shore;
And as to well-known forms his busy joy
Shapes the dim outline, eagerly he points
l.'he fancied headland, and the cape and bay,
'Till his eyes ache o'er
trainillg. This man shakes
His comrade's hand, and bids him welcome home,
And blesses God, and then he weeps aloud:
Here stands another, who, in secret prayer,
Calls on the Virgin and his patron Saint,
Renewing his old vows, and brifts and alms,
And pilgrimage, 1:50 he may find all well.
* . . .
Fair smiled the evening, and the favouring gale
Sung- in the shroud:-;, and swift the leady ba.rk
l{,ùsh'd roaring through the waves."

In the comlnencelnent, the seal fishery '\vas probecuted
in large boats, ,vhich sailed alJout the llliddle of April;
and as its illlportance "Legan to be developed, :schooncrs of
froin :20 to 40 tons \vere cUlployed in it. Th(\se sailed on
the 17th of .l\lal'ch. The vessels elllployed in this fishery
are froID 50 to 1 GO tons, lllanned Ly froln 25 to 40 Illcn
each, according to the Hize. They sail frolH the 1st to
the] Oth of l\Iarch. The length of tilne spent on the voyage
i
frolll three to cight '\vcck:-;, SOIllCtiulCS, ho\vcver, a "trip"
is taken in a fortnight, of 5,000 soal:-" alnounting in value
to nearly æ:3,OOO. Tit.. O\\'JH:'r supplies the ve

el ,vith
pl'ovi
ions and every other nL'cessary. Une halt the pro-

304

EWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
duct of the voyage is equally divided among the crew, the
other half goes to the owner of the vessel. The crew
have to pay froln ten to thirty shillings each for their
"berths." A hired master receives froln four pence to six
pence per seal, and sometimes five pounds per month be-
sides. A man's share is allowed to the master, which,
however, goes to the owner of the vessel. What is called
the seal is the skin with the fat or blubber attached, the
carcase being thrown away. Some years back these pelts
were sold for so much apiece, varying in price according
to the size and quality; but in consequence of the prac-
tice of leaving behind a portion of the fat, it became
necessary to purchase them by ,veight. The price of the
young seals is usually twenty-two shillings, and the old
twenty shillings per hundred weight; the price, however,
is regulated by the value of oil in the British market.
The sailing-vessels have now been mostly superseded by
steamers. The following account of the seal fishery is
very truthfully and beautifully given by Mr. Nugent,
formerly
Iember of the House of Assembly, and late
High Sheriff of Newfoundland.

" The Seal Fishery of N ewfoundfand is confessedly one of the
greatest sources of wealth of which this country can boast, and
in its prosecution are combined a spirit of com1uercial enterprise,
a daring hardihood and intrepidity without parallel.
"Towards the close of the month of February, and in the
beginning of March, the seal usually whelps, and in the northern
seas they gather around the ice fields and deposit their younglupon
the ice in luyriads. In order, therefore, to arrive at the haunts of
the seal at a time when the cubs are some three weeks old, for then
are these animals easiest caught, and their fat is, at the same
tin1e, purer and in greater quantity than when they are more
grown-the sealing vessels leave our southern ports about the
first of March, and proceed to the northward to seek those ice-
bergs and floating fields of ice, which by all other mariners are
looked upon with terror and dismay, and, once coming up to the
seals, they plunge into the midst of the ice.
" The intrepid seal-hunters now pour forth upon the expanse

A:ND AS IT IS IN 1877.

305

of ocean, and rush upon their prey far away from their vessel,
bounding from mass to Illass along the glassy surface of the
frozen deep. Here you see one leap across a chasm where yawns
the blue wave to ellgulph him. There, another, amid the mist,
mistakes a mass of slob or soft snow for an ice-pan and is huried
in the ocean, whence, sometimes, he is re
cued from his peril by
the timely aid of his associates, if they be near, at othel's, he
E:!inks to rise no more. Anon comes the thick freezing snow-
drift, that shuts out all ken of neighbouring objects, and the
distant ship is lost. The bewildered sealers gather together,
they try one course, then another, but in vain, no vessel appears:
the guns fired from the vessel are unheard, the lights unseen:
night comes on and with it hunger, and the blasting wind, and
the smothering snow overwhelm the stoutest, and many, very
many, yielding to fatigue and mental nlisery, sink into despond-
ency, and the widow's wail and the orphans' cry, are the only
record of the dreary-of the dreadful death of the sealer.
" 'Ve speak not of the peculiar telnpestuous season in which
they a.re engaged-the Vernal Equinox. 'Ve speak not of the
vessel crushed between the icebergs, consigning all to rl tremen-
dous fate, or of the thousand other disasttrs to which even
the
e iron-bound ships are liable, but lllay say, in a -word, that
scarce a season passps that we have not to deplore the loss of ves-
sels, of crews, or of individuals, leaving many a bereft mother,
a widowed wife and orphaned child, to heave a heart-rending
sigh o'er the memory of the sealing voyage.
"But, even when death, in its most fearful form, puts not a
sudden period to the sufferings of the sealer, the toils, and
hardships, and perils of this voyage are inde:scrih:t.ble ; while he
ha.s nought to sustain him, nought to buoy hinl up, but the
fond hope of being able, hy the produce of his industry, to r...,-ù-
ize a temporary provision for an affectionate wife and childr
n.
"Never, indeeJ, wa
there an adventure in the pro:::>ecutlon
of which are combineJ Inore of commercial enterprise on the
one ha.nd, and of nerve, of strength, of vigonr, perseverance
and intrepidity-ruanly and dauntless daring-on the other.
The merchants adventurously contribute the outfit-consisting
of the vessel with all her materials fully equipped and vietu.tlled.
The fisherman contributes his toil, his da.ngers, hi
life- all tIlt'
hopes J the fortunes, the fate of his family. Thus is th
Seal
T

30G

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

Fishery a lottery, where all is risk and uncertainty, but still, the
risk, we must confess, is not equa.lly, or even proportionally
distributed.
"\Ve shall take for instance one vessel of about 120 tons.
In her success is involved the success of one merchant-he may
gain æ1,OOO or more, if the voyage prosper. In her success is
involved the success of some thiY'ty fishermen-they may gain
each frùln I:
O to æ30 if the voyage succeed. The merchant to
run the chance of gaining Æ1,OOO has risked a capital of per-
haps I:2,OOO. The sealer to gain from .t20 to æ30 has devoted
an incredible amount of toil and suffering-he has risked all-
his life. If the voyage fail, the merchant has still his ship, &c.,
he has suffered an actual loss of the provisions consumed on the
occasion. If the voyage be unsuccessful the poor man returns
with the loss of his labour, penny less. If the vessel founder, or
be dashed to pieces in the ice, the insurance officer relieves this
one merchant by compensating him for his actual loss. If the
vessel founder, tltÍ'rty valuable lives are lost-thirty widows,
and perhaps one hundred orphans shriek their curses upon a
fishery that brought upon them miseries that cannot be com-
pensated-the grave of all their hopes-the dawn of every
misfortune.
"Thu
, then, is the risk to all great-to the poor man im-
mense. The property of the merchant is perin ed, the life of
the fisherman, infinitely more valuable
than any amount of
property; and in this, principally, consists the disparity of the
hazard at both sides. Let us, now, enquire after what manner
each party is compensated for his respective risk.
" Upon the return of the sealing vessel, one half of the pro-
ceeds of the industry of the men is handed over to the merchant,
in remuneration for the capital he had advanced in the first in-
stance. The other half is divided amongst the men, whose toil
and daring procured it ; but then, the merchant's half is given
perfectly clear and unencumbered of all charges, of every de-
duction-the poor man's half is clipped and curtailed-he is,
first obliged to pay hospital dues; and, further, beside giving
the
erchant a full and undiminished half of the entire voyage,
he is still further taxed by the merchant, to whom he is obliged
to pay a sum of money, not only for the very materials used in
its prosecution, but actually, a further sum for the privilege

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

307

of being allowed to hazard his life to ensure a fortune for the
merchant, and both of these latter charges combined are here
both technically denominated ' BERTH MONEY.'
" The question of the amount of berth l\loney has agitated
the sealing population for many years, and stil,l, was its ten-
dency rather to increase than diminish; hut, at length, the
sealers determined to procure a reduction of the charge, and,
in order to effect this, they, on l\Ionday last, held a meeting on
the Barrens, and passed a nUlnber of resolutions pl{>dging
themst'lves to 'the adoption of every constitutional means' to
'defend tht'ir rights ',- to refrain from entering upon the
voyage until the merchants should consent to reduce the Berth
l\loney from øC3 1 Os. per man, to 1:2 for COlnmou or ordinary
hands, called bat's men, 1:1 for after gunners, and bow gun-
ners fret->; and to this they a(lded a resolution pledging them-
selves 'not to use any coercive means' for the operation of
their object.
" From that day forward the whole body, probably, amount-
ing to from 1,000 to 2,000 men, as fine fellows as could be
seen in any country, luarched through the streets cheered by a
fiddle and drum, and with colours flying, and so far was there
not the slightest infraction of the law, and the exemplary so-
briety that distinguished them, gave hope to all who fel t an
interest in them, that the peace and order of the community
would not be disturbed."

The meeting of the sealers referred to in the preceding
article by Mr. Nugent, took place in St. John's on the 18th

Iarch, lR42. The berth lnoney that year had l.cen raised
by the Dlcrchants and o,vners of yess8ls to three pound
,
antI three pounds ten shillings currency for "batulcn,"
and one pound for bow or chief gunner, ,vho h:ul hitherto
gone free. SonlP of the parties connnitted a trifling
breach of the peace and were ilnprisoncLI for a short
tilDe; the berth nloney, ho\vever, ,vas lo"rcretI, to t\\TO
pounds for Labnpn, onc pound ten shillings for after
gunnpf, alHl the 1.o,v gunner free as l)cforc. The hatInan
is the person ,vho kill
the
eal with a. long handled.
gaff sin1Ïlar to a boat hook. The numLer of vessels

308

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS rr \V AS,

usually elnployed in the Seal Fishery is about 350, from
60 to 180 tons, manned by 10,000 men. The nUlnber of
seals taken per annum is 500,000, amounting in value
to 1,500,000 dollars.
The following tables will show the number of vessels
en1ployed in the Seal Fishery throughout Newfoundland
fron1 1834 to 1
49, and in 1853.
In 1866, there was a great falling off in the outfit for
the Seal Fi
hery. The Me
srs. Grieve, and Bearings, of
St. John's, and Messrs. Ridley & Sons, of Harbour Grace,
sent a stean1er each, which returned well filled.
In 1834.

Ships.
St. John's ..................... .. .125
Conception Bay......... ...218
Trinity Bay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 19
Green's Pond, &c..................... 12

TotaL.. .. .. .... ...... . . :374
In 1844.

Ship8.
St. John's ....... ....... ........ .121
Harbour Grace ...... . . . . .. . . .. .. ... 48
Carbonear ..... .....................52
Brigus&Cubits ........,............43
Port-de-Grave..... .............. .. 10
Bay Roberts ... . . .. . . . . . . . . ... . . . . 11
Spaniard's Bay, &c. ...... ......... !)
Trinity........................l1
Hant's Harbour, &c ....... .... 5
Cotalina ........ ................. 1 U
Green's Pond, Salvage, &c ..... 19
T
i.ningate, Fogo ...... . ... . . l ] 0
TIltIng Harbour, &c .... . . . . . ..

Total. . ...... .... . .. 35b

Tons.
11,020
17,785
1,539
972

31,31()

Tons.
] 1,088
4,857
4,567
4,002
860
944
851
918
.j.4

1,447
1,408
539

31,924

lVIen.
2,910
4,894
418
264

8,486

l\Ien.
3,77.5
1,377
1,469
1,385
:279
302
233
334
165
514
503
171

10,527

c:':I
.

x;
,.....4

c:

ifJ
,.....4

;:J)
-f-i
'JJ
r-I

""i'
'X-
r-I

?2
Y.)

-t4
00

-t4
Yo;
......

AXD AS IT IS I
11;77.

,...

O
":;:
C'a-
':'1

I'-...-i '.:':) L
;:')
00 L":,

. L":
t- 'l.) :v:I I'-

...-i
" ...-i
"';

rñ
i=:

1'-0 '

=>;:')"""

I"-
"'1":x:. . oc I'- :"? "..;) "'1' .(j =>

Xi...... . L":,

:--.l 0 00

1.

:...-i

...,.
C'f

...-i

7-
""ii
rn
rn
Cl)
>-

'Xi 00 .
C'I M XJ C'1 I'- =.-::

C"':I . ...-i ..,. L":,

<:'-

ci
Cl)

M

:".;
,...j

"'1"

oo

C'I

::')
I'-

M

Õ
8

I'-

o
01."':>
o

......

I'-
c=-;, 0'<:1"

'X-
C
o
oc

r/,
a)
If.I
X
Cl)
>

8
S

",--^--....,-A-..,

,...
ã)

1!':1'-

...-iO

O

O:--
(",::O

"'1"
I'-,...4
C'I '<:1"
=- c=-;,
I'- I

",...4

-i
i=:
o
é-

C".; t- <:'1 ..,. ..,. => ,...4 =::
,...4 I"-
I
.
l-'C .":, '': 0 I
I

'<:1"
':";:;:')
O=-c=-;,
::'()C\I

;-

J.é e>i C'I

::;,
rn
Uj
Cl)
"-
I"

1-: c-:. ...... "1" I'-
<:'-1 I'- M C'I ......
c-:. -.:t<

'<:1" '='1

. c.5 5
aJ : c:td c
:"E 0)"1;
:..0 >

. c f:

J-o 'P:;:ó. aJ

.
,,,. .

..:::....
poC:1 :
:

:a
g :
: z;;.-
,:J'1 c::
15 ;:: tS

:-J

.E
s::: d . "'"I . ....

.

c':...J-o ._ .,.::::",,=,

J-o
aJ 0 o
"/'J J-o ::3 ;:::._
ç::o

J-o

Ç,..
"i::
J-o i

::3.- ::
- >,...Cl) T'::3

o Q g..:: 0
.
...... ;:: C 0

"i: r, -..0 to s::: ;t Cl) --E P-4

c':. 2 ;1;.i:.i: Cl)

Cf.:
w::r:
X:{')i=QE-t
Ö::r:H

M

I g

I

I

e":
c-:. ...
!

1 :-':1
C'1
I
'"
I

I

t::
00
o

,...4

o
M
o

I

00

o

.....

CJ
c.
00
o-
M

l"-
e":
M

00

+>
o
E--

309

. 1'-"'" ,...4

"..;)I":,
Cl)
c:: M
1-1
- ...

:v:I
C'I

....,.L"':>

I7.;OM

:::
-:'1 C"J
2r-4

"'

.. -"""
...-i

tI

""ii,,"",,

L":,oo
:Z;O
C'="lr-4
æ""""......
>

I '='1
C')
M

'I":'
ifJ
r-i

r-4

o

, h . . .
.
.hC,)
:

'

. ::: .....- --
,00 :;

.
_.,"",
.......,:t

-..." .r

-3
.G'";;

.a c':. f
..; s -c ê

u;;:';E--;:Qò

310

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

In the year 1871, there were 201 sailing vessels and
1:3
teanlers, manned by 9,791 men.
The following is the nUlnber of seals lanòed at the sev-
eral ports of the island in the spring of 1839:-
St. John's, by 98 out-port vessels............. ......150,576
" by 7G St. John's vessels ... ...... . " .. 91,749

242,325
Harbour Grace ................ . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . .. .... 46,857
Carbonear .............. .............. ................ 41,01D
Trinity..... ........ .... . .. .... . .. ...... ............. 33,000
Green's Pond ............... ............... ............ 11,500
Brigus .................. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 9,200
Spaniard's Bay.......... ...... '...... ............. .... 6,200
King's Cove, &c.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......... .. 5,580
C a tali na ....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,5 60
Bay Roberts .. . .. .......'.... '.................. 5,200
P ort-d e-Gra ve. . . . . . . . . .. ... .. .............................. 4,200
Fogo, &c., .....' ...... .............. ......... ........ ... 2,000

Making a total of ..... . .,. " ........ .... . 412,G41

NUMBER OF SEALS MANUFACTURED AT THE SEVERAL PORTS
OF THE ISLAND, UP TO 31sT MAY, 1845.

Harbour Grace ............. ..... ..................... .24,110
Carbonear.... . ....... . ...... _ . .... ......... ...... ,........11,G85
Trinity................. ... ...... ........ ............. .13,450
Greenspond . . . ...... . . . . . ..... . ...... . . . . . .... .. ... . . . . . .. 4,840
Bay Roberts ...... .......... . .... . ....... . ....... ...... 3,200
Brigus . . . ... . .. . .............................. .... . . . . . . . , 1,450
Twillingate..... ................................... ......... 800
Fogo ............ . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (j 00
St. John's, estimated at about.. .....................260,000

Iaking a total for the entire island of... . . . . . .320,000

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

311

The number of seals taken at (lifferent perioòs "ra
as
fullo,vs :-

y ear
. Seals.
17i;; ........ ... 4,000
1814 ........... 156,000
1
1;) ........... 141,370
1
20 ........... 221,:334
182.=) ........... 221,.")10
1830 ..... .... 300,6
]
1831 ............. 5.")9,34':!
18:
2 ....... .. 44i,OU3
18:33 ........... 384,G9D
18:35 ...... ... 5.57,4HO
1840 ......... 631,385
The value of the British N e,vfoundland Fisheries in
1
4
has he en estÎInatpd as follows:-
94ti,10!) quintals, dry Cod-fish (exported). f:522,000
4,010 tierces, SalInon......... ...... ......... 12,100
14,47.5 barrel::;, HeITing
.... ................. 8,500
50
,44G Seal Skins...... ....... . .. ............ 50,800
6,200 tuns, Seal OiL..... . . . ..,............. 170,000
:3,9DO tuns, Cod Oil ........................... 105,000
Bait annually
old to the French. . .... ..... 20,000
Fish, fresh, of all kinds used in the Island 55,000
Fish,
alt " " " 35,000
Oil cc " " 8,500

Years. Seals.
1842 ............ :344,683
1843 ..........651,370
1
44 ........... 685,5:30
1847 ............ 436,831
lR48 ............ 521,604
1852 ............ 534,378
1857 ............ 4
9,476
180] ............ 375,282
1862 ............ 268,624
1876 ............ 500,OUO

Total............... .....!l,O;JG,!JOO
Or. ....... ....... . .....S4,227,GOO
Value of property engaged in the fisheries in l84
:-
: t 1 vcssels engaged in the Seal tìshery............ ..f:20-J.,GOO

) vessels engaged in coasting and the c()(1
tì::;11cry. . . . .. ... .. ........... ... . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . ] tJ,OOO
{ H72 l)oats frolo 30 qtls, anù }
1 0 O
q up,v-ards,1,02.> IJoats fronl Cod
,
I;' lltl8. to 30 qUs., S,O

fis]u>I'Y. }'")1 ,=
3:j
l)ua,ts fr(Hn"" f{tls. to ];)( Lt ls,

312

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT W A
,

Stage
, :fish-house
and flakes ....................."
4568 nets of all descriptions..................... ....
879 Cod seines................................ . . . . .. . ...
Vats for manufacturing Seals. . . . . . . . . . . . . ...
FishÏ1;g i
ple
ents, and casks for rendering
lIver Into 011. . . .. ...............................

.t25,000
13,700
22,000
.50,000
30,000

.t482.635
Or. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,930,540
The following are the returns of the Newfoundland
Fisheries in 1857:-
1,355,649 quintals, Cod-fish; 2,940 tierces, Salmon;
157,362 barrels, Herring; 227 barrels, other fish; 1,623,885
gallons, oil; 428,343 Seals; 20,564 nets and seines: 4,851
Seal nets.
The Census of 1869 gives the following returns:-
1,087,7
1 quintals Cod-fish; tierces of Sahnon, 33,149;
barrels of Herrings, 97,035 ; other fish cured, 10,365 bar-
rels; Cod-oil, 840,304 gallons; Seals, 333,0.'53.
The herring and cod fisheries of Prince Edward Island
are not considerable; ovving to the fertility of the soil the
fisheries are not much pursued. The Americans, however,
take a great quantity of fish along the shores of the Is-
land. The total quantity of fish expolied from the Uolony
of Prince Edward Island in 1846 ,vas as follows :-3,425
quintals of Cod-fish, and 987 barrels of pickled fish.
The follo-\ving is the quantity of fish exported from
Nova Scotia during the undermentioned years:-
Dry Cod-fish. Barrels of Tun8 of
Years. (.luintals. Pickled fish; Fish Oil. Total value.
183ß ...... 262,245 47,517 490 .......f:1
6,908
1837 ...... 427,150 64,
03 181,961
1
38 ...... 434,309 94,855
1840 ...... 327,501 66,417 277,810
Of the above quantity, about 51,000 quintals dry cod-
fish; 10,794 barrels of pickled fish, and 270 casks of oil
were received froln Cape Breton.
The following is the quantity of fish exported from the

AXD AS IT IR IN 1877.

313

Port of Halifax ill 18.')0 :-Drie(1 Cod-fish, ID1,802 quin-
tals; 96,650 bbls. uf
lackerel; 43,.3D9 bbls. of Herring;
4,i27 bbls. of Ale,yives or Gasperaux; S40 tierces and
6,412 blJls. Sabllon; 3,4D3 casks=36,028 gallons, oil; 3
8
Loxes, Preserved Fish; 3,234 boxes, Herring, and 73
bLls. Cod-fish.
A great quantity of dry Cod-fish, Herring and Sahnon
is received at Halifax fronlNe,,
foundland and re-exported.
In 1872 as fullo,vs :-
3,88.
b bls. Salmon
100,191 cans. "
408,!J8ð Ibs. " fresh
540 fish " sll10ked
22
,l52 LLls. l\lackerel
i01,GOO" Herring
10,200 boxes " smoked
10,0:>.3 bbls. Ale,vives
80G L bl:-;. Eels
144" Trout'
2,.")48" Halibut
447,168 cwt. Codfish
Value of fish used fresh, 8146,700.00. Total value of
fish caught,
5,101,0:
O.!J0. N ulnLer of net
and :seine::;
USe( 1, 5:J,112. N lUll ber of lllen elnployed in the fisheries,
20,:313.
The follu,ving is the number of ships elnploycd exclu-
sively in the Gulf .Fishery :-
Year. Ships.
In 1.')7R ......................... 15
" 1 () 15 ........................ 1 fiO
" I (j
2 ........................ 170
" 1 (j2G ........................ 150
" 1 (,70 ........................ 1 U

In lU70 the nUIllL '1' of Blen clIlploycd v;as lUSO; (lJH.l tlH
value uf tlH' fish, oil, l\:C., taken is
tate( 1 to be J.::3
G,400. III
1731, the quantit) of tish taken ,,-as
OO,UOO <luiutals.
The folluwillg Tal,lp \\ ill
hu\\' t1u' qualltity uf fish taken
in sUcct'h1ing Yl\ars.

119,539 c"\vt. Seal-fish
ö,177 bbls. Shad
350 " Suwlt
46 " Tongues and
t;oundR.
905,500 cans Lobsters
75,000 fish Haddock
1,.594 blJls. Cod roes
370,000 fish Dogfish
:300 C\vt. FinnanHadcly
331,000 galls. Oil.

314

-+J

Q)
o

-+J

Q)
Q)
-+J

en

<l)

-+J
bJ)

.

....
::s
'ïj

.....
<5
rod I
(1)
..s::

w. .....
..... 0

;:.. I.
:><

rd I
(1)
..s::

00.....
..... 0

1
s
H
.p I

I
..... ::s I'

Co.> --

I
(1)

I
ö
Z
rD I
-+=>

0 I

ö
Z
as I
/:'0
ci$
s::: I
s::: I
0
E-I
.m
o

z:.a
w.
I
rii I

I

I

<l)
C)

Q)
....

H

-..;:.
W

o
C4-I
r;
o
<l)

-
-+J

:.a
-+J
.;

w
Q)
. ...-4
;:..;
c;

w.
. ...-4

,...,
-
J1
.r-!
-+J
. ...-4

I

NEW:FOUNDLAND, AS.IT WAS.

al

::s
E-I

:

t-
.oo
c:.::> co
.C<':I
co

:

C'-I-
-

. C'-I
0':>
.t- 0':> 0':>
,
lC C<':I
:.....-
- Cf'j

i5
;])
I;.)
f-<
(1)
8

:"<:t10
. lC C'-I
.
o

-':t;J-
. C':> C<':I
: "<:t1 jQ

a30
0
]g

S 0
C'1

:::O
lQ
CjOlQlQ

0':> j

t-

co

lC
j':':!-
"<:t1

t- t-

00C'1
(,0
o 0 0':> t- lC
000 00 00
o
O':>- "<:t1- co- (,0"

..... ..... .....
0 .
..... ,.....4
0 .
.....

0 . L.
0':> 0':>

- :.....- ..... ., .....-

000..... 0':> :x>
o--::r<tC 0 0
o lC C':> "1'1 "<:t1

oo-
- Cf'j - C<':I

C<':I

Cf'j

---
ot-o Cf'j

o O'J L
0 0

C<':I Cf'j
"<:t1

're '''Ö
s::: s:::
cS ci$
:
:00
.t- .00
. t- . t-
...... . .....
.
- .

. t- .00
.t- .t-
:..... :.....
. ..... ......
0 0

.(1)'C1).
. t.() . CD .
. ci$ "<:t1
0':>
..'f-<
f-<oo
j'" lC t-- (1) t- a.. t-

coco>.....>.....

< -<

b

Q,)
o
..c::
-+J

Cl)
Cl)
-+J
..c::
OJ:)
. ...-4

<l)

-+J
bj)

. r-!

::s
""0
Cl)
C)

<l)

ce
H

00
"C

..... (1)
<5 I

.

11

::s
ci$ -+=>
Co)

..s:: .S
00 CI

I
(1)

:) I
z
r1.Ï I
-+=>
ci$
0

I
ö
Z
as I
bO
ci$

I
s:::
0
8

I
(1)
UJ
UJ
(1)
> I
I Ö
I z
I
J rii
p::;

i

r:ñ
O':>O':>

-o::t< 0 ::s

oo

':t;J

"<:t1

OlCO
C':>OlC
t- -.::Ii 0':>
oo

"<:t1

00 (,0 0
-o::t<C<':I

C'1
0':>
..... jC "<:t1

C':> 0

...;

..........

.
lC
'Mt-
. tC C'1
: ,...i .....-

W

0':> 0
C':>

lQ 0 c-;J
O':>
....; t-.:'
e<:
.....

C4-I
o

Co?
Q)

-+J

.1""'4
..c::
-+J
.

t- C'1 C'1
.....c:.::>t-

.
0':>
.t-oo
.t-t-
...........
: "C "Ö
. s::: s:::
.
ci$
.C<':I
00-
. t-oo
. t-t-
:MM
:

t-.:'
.t-oo
:

...........
.00
: (1) (1)
. t.() bJ)

ci$
f-< '"'
lQ(1)Qì
co>

-<-<

U1
C)
.r-!

Cl)
,....
-
CI2
.1""'4

..c::
Q

<l)
;...

AND AS 11' IS IN 1877.

:315

The produce of the fi,-;herie
in the District of Gaspé, anù
the :Magdalen Islands in 1S3ö, consi
ted of Cod, 100,542
quintals; Cod oil, :37,IG2 gallon
; \Vhale oil, 25,120 gal-
lons, besides sahuon and other fish, the whole amounting
in value to Æt-)ü,624, or
3;3(),496.
Captain Fair of H.M.S. Champion, in 1
39, says, when
Hpeaking of the Magdalen Islands,-
" 'Ve found the herring fh,hing had commenced, and was in
active operation in the several parts of the Bay (chiefly in the
little harbours of ...
n)herst anù B ou::;e Harbour) by about 146
sail of American fishing schooners, of from
ixty to eighty tons,
and each carrying seven or eight men. Anlong theJn were not
more than seven vessels belonging to the British possessions,
and they chiefly from Arichat. The quantity of herrings was
very great, exceeding that of any former years, anù the expert-
neSH and perseverance of the American hshernlen were far
heyond that of the Arichat Dlen. It is computed that the
American fishing schooners average nearly 700 barrels each,
and the barrel is valued at one pound sterling, nUl.king, for the
14G Setil thcn in the Ha.y, a presuIJ1ed proùuct of 100,000 barrels,
value .t:100,000 sterling; the tonnage employed about 10,000 ;
and the number of men about 1,000.
" Between the last end of Prince Edward Island, to within
sevcn leagut's of the .Bay of Chaleur, we paHHùd through a fleet
of frOlil GOO to 700 sail of AUlerican fishing I:;chooners, all cod
fishing; it had not becn a fortunate season for them and great
numbers had gone towards the Straits of Belle Isle for better
success.
" The honse of .Janvrin & Co., at Gaspó, exported in the
year 1
36 from 15,000 to 20,000 quintals of Cod-fish, chießy tor
the Brazils and South AUlerica.. Other n1Ínor establishnlents
export largely al
)Q-perhal's fronl Gaspé :uul it::; ncighLourhooù
tho wholo export lilay bt. about 40,000 quintals."
The ft)lJo,ving is the total quantity of fi:;h expurted frotH
thë
lagdall'n Islands in l
"'
:-
Value in }Jounds t:!tcrling.
:34,44H quintals, dry Uod-fb;h. . . . . . . . . .1.:iO,
J:>(j
1,.3 l:
l'arrel
, pickle.,1 Cocl-n:..;h. . . . . . . . H
O

316

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT ,V AS,

Value in pounds sterling.
1:3,765 barrels. pickled Herrings.. ... . . .. .!:5,511
41 " smoked do. . .. . . . .. } 803
6,009 boxes.' do... . .. ... ·
2,255 barrels I\Iackerel. . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2,431
1 Ü boxes, sllloked l\'Iackerel .. . . ... ... 5
According to the retul ns marle to the Canadian Go-
vernment in 1861, the follo,ving was the product of the
fisheries at the lvlagdalen Islands:
9,134 quintals Cod-fish, @
3......... $27,412
6,150 barrels Herring, @
3............ 18A
50
1,271 " I\Iackerel, @ S7........ _ . . 8,897
21,672 gallons Seal oil, @ 65 cts. ....... 14,087
4,990 " Codfish oil) ß 45 cts. .. 4,270
Value of Seal skins. ............... 2,834

Total value. ........... 75,950
In the District of Gaspé, Cod-fishing is divided into
the sumlner and fall fishing. The forIner begins in May,
and last till the 15th of August. The fall fish is either
dry, salted or pickled in barrels, the greater part of
which is
ent to the Quebec I\farket.
The follo\ving is the product and value of the fisher-
ies in the District of Gaspé, and the north and south
Shores of the Lower St. La\vrence in the year 1861 :-
Cod-fish, summer fishing, 150,000 quintalsJ
450,000
" fall fishing, 15,000 quintals. . ...... 45,000
Herring, spring fishing, 48,000 ban'els....... 72,000
Herring, fall fishing, 5,000 barreIH.... . . ...... 1.5,000
l\Iackerel, 1,400 barrels.. :. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 11,200
Sahnon,
,5]9 barrels. ....... .................. 30,000
Coal Oil, 90,000 gallons @ 45 cts. ............ 40,500
Seal Oil, 62,513 do @ 65 cts. ........... :37,508

701,20

AND A8 IT IS IN 1877.

:317

'Vhale Oil, 3(),GOO gallons. ................. . . . .
200 harrels trout, @;
1 i...... ................
.-' 0 ' ) " h l ' b t c;,

- \ a I tl , \!!;.,. u.... . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .
200 .c Coù sounds and tongues, @.
5. . .
Value of
eal skins. ....... .......... .......

"27 ,6
O
2,400
1,200
1,000
7,200

Total value of the fisheries. .....'
7 40,G8

According to the Official Report nlade by Pierre F or-
tin, .E
q., )Iagistrate, in cOllunalld of the expedition for
the protection of the Canadian Fisheries in the Gulf of
St. La"Tence, the follo,ving is the proùuct of the fisher-
ies in lðG2 :-

"ii:
I

I
I

.
..ë .z;

'ë I
g

.... t.O
S S ,..!. .S

.s I
I

I

--/-1
2:;:\.'; 17;
1:>91 :;OH I 16 !14th!

QUANTITY OF Fnm TAKEN.

'"0
o
v

,j; I
'ñ ti:J-i
g] ,5] .;:"Q)
r-:::;::: 1 =-=;:::
t
ð'2
'a

-i l":x l .:iJ

.i 1"'-
- to

j I U lJ I
ô
----1---
I
509: 6721110051 23;31
1""" !)7S32

106(;

N unlLer of 8eals taken in nets on the N orth
hore of
the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 18(;2:-
N Hudlcr of Seal
taken in during the fall of
]
(j 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G
) (j
Nlllnl,er of Seal,; taken in tluinO' the
I )rincr of
b 0
I
()
.. . .... ..... ....................... ...... L,2!):

HIJllJer of Spals taken in tlurin(r the Rtnnlocr
b
of ] bGi. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . ... '.. . . . . . . 21:

Total ill nets...............
,20

NUlnher of
pals tnk(1n in )Ing'(lnlpll r
lands'
:;Clloollcrs. .................................... 9,194

318

NE'\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

N urn ber of Seals taken in Schooners from
North Shore of the St. Lawrence. ........ 13,] 95
Shot with guns, by white men and Indians... 2,000

Total.................. ........ 26,591
producing 20S,439 gallons of oil, valued at
120,463.
N Uillber of schooners employed 3:3, manned by 300 men.
When the writer arrrived at Paspebiac in the Bay of
Chaleurs, District of Gaspé, in 1864, he found over a
dozen barques, brigs and schooners, most of theln taking
in fish for the foreign markets.
Here is situate t,vo of the largest fish establishments
in Canada. The business is conducted in the same man-
ner as the large out-harbour establishments in N ewfound-
land in the olden times. Here is the well known firm of
Charles Robin & Co., of St. Helier's, Island of Jersey,
which was established in 1768. They have branch es-
tablishments at Percé, Caraquette and other places. They
export from 40,000 to 45,000 quintals of dried codfish,
to the various markets of Spain, Portugal, Brazils, West
Indies and Mediterranean Ports, besides 30,000 gallons of
oil, herring, salmon, etc. The l\tlessrs. Le Boutillier Bro-
thers have also branch establishnlents at Bonaventure
Island and Labrador, and export
ltogether about 25,000
or 30,000 quintals dried codfish, besides herrings, salmon
and furs. Here is also the firm of Daniel Bisson, and
several minor establishments.
Besides the Canadian ocean fishery, a very extensive
fishery, in salmon trout, white fish, pickerel, pike, bass
etc., is caried on in the Canadian great fresh water lakes
and rivers. The Canadian codfish is small compared with
Newfoundland and neither so firm nor so fat, and the
reason of the Gaspé fish conllnanding a higher price in
the foreign market, is because it is taken and cured in
smaller quantities, and less salted than the N ewfound-
land fish.

AND AS IT If; IN 1877.

31

The river fisheries carried on off the coa"t of the Gulf
of St. l..awrence, anù of the Lo,ver St. La,vrence, at the
island of Anticosti, at the
Iagdalen Islands, and on the
Gaspé coast, fonn an extent of over 900 Iniles of sea coast,
inhahited by a population of over 35,000 English, Scotch,
Irish, Jerseymen, and French Canadians; th0 last named
predolninate. The coast is frequented each year bet,vcen
the opening and closing of navigation ùy more than 1,500
fishing schooners fron1 N ova Scotia, :N ew Brun
nvick,
Prince E<hvard Island, and the United States, Inanned by
at least, 20,000 sailors, 'who go there for the purpose of
carrying on the cod, herring and mackerel fisheries.-
The anlount of fishing bounties paid by the Canadian
Government in 18G3, ,vas 9,7G9 Jollars.
The fishery expenditure fronl the 1st J nly, 1864, to
30th June, 18G?>, was in Lower Canada 17,500 dollars, in-
cluding a Runlof G,D38 dollars paid for fishery bounties for
the year 1
U4; an(! in Upper Canada, 1,053 dollars. The
collections made in Lo,ver Canada (from fishery licenses),
during the saTne period aToounted to 4,854 dollars; and in
Upper Uanada, 81G dollars.
According to returns for lK72, the Fisheries for the
Province of Quebec ,vere as follo,vs:-
163,810 cwt. Coù, summer fishing .....@ 85 00 .491,430 00
53,9G3 " " autumn fishing ....@ 3 00 161,889 00
16 bbls. Ling.................. ........@ 5 00 80 00
7,638 " 1tlackerpl .... ... ... .... . @ 10 00 76,380 00
27,:353 " Herring ...... ...... . ......@ 3 00 82,0;')9 00
2,335 boxes " smoked ............@ 0 25 5;,8 75
1,649 bbls. Saròines ........... .......@ 5 00 8,245 00
320 " IIalibut...... ....... .... ...@ 5 00 1,600 00
47 " Tunny......................@ 5 00 23;) 00
3,728 " Saltuon .....................@ 16 00 60,648 00
G;, " Trout ................... ...@ 10 60 6f>0 00
311 " Sturgeon............... ......@ 5 00 1,555 00
137,14ts fish }
ds at
10 per 100......... 13.715 8u

"Otticia.l Ih'port.

320

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

289 bbls. Cod, tongues and sounds @ $7 00
604 " " roes .. ... .. . . . . ... . ..@ 6 00
26,425 galls. Seal oil....................@ 0 80
18,000 " 'Vhale oil............ .....@ 0 80
2,122 " Porpoi<;:e oil ...............@ 0 50
160,055 " Cod oil .....................@ 0 50
106 bbls. Haddock....................@ 5 00
4,356 doz. Bar and White Fish ... ...@ 2 00
1,072 bbls. 1\Iixed Fish..................@ 4 00
26,359 fish Shad.... ..... ... ..........@ 0 10
14,372 bbls. Fish used as manure .....@ 0 25
116 fish Porpoises .......... ...... ...@ 40 lIO
9,042 " Seals ..... ,..... ......... ...@ 6 00

$2,023 00
3,624 00
14,820 00
14,400 00
1,061 00
80,027 50
530 00
8,712 00
4,288 00
2,635 90
3,593 00
4,600 00
54,252 00

$1,003,611 95
Districts of Quebec, Three River
, lVlontreal,
and St. Francis-no returns-estimated at ...... 100,000 00

Total................... $1,193,611 95
Vessels used: 83 vessels, 2,602 fishing boats, 1,664 fiat boats.
l\Ien employed: 359 sailors, 5,466 fishernlCn, 2,568 shore-
men; total, 8,393.
Province of Ontario, 1872.
13,317 bbls. Whitefish, 110 bbls. Maskinonge
.
7,477 " Trout, 205 ,. Pike and Bass,
5,875
" Herrings, 521" Pickerel,
179f-" Sciscos, 785!" Coarse Fish.
Total J1ish caught, 28,560
barrels.
Value-Fresh Fish .................... ......... $88,721
" Pickled Fish ........................ 96,353

Total vaÌue......... .....$185,074
" Boats, nets, and material employed..
127,398
Number of men employed, 1
959.
M. H. Perley, Esq., Her ßlajesty's Briti
h Commissioner
for the. Fisheries at St. John, New Brunswick, very
poJitely sent me a copy of his Report on the ji-'ishcries of
N'e\v Bl'un
wick, from "\\Thich I make the following ex-
tracts :-

A
D AS IT IS I
1877.

:321

" Just within Shipþagan Gully, on Shippagan Island, in a.
well sheltered and very convt>nient position, is the fio;hing
, room J of l\Iessrs. \Y rn. Fruing & Co., of Jersey, of which Cap-
tain George Alexandre, of Jersey, was.founrl in charge.. At this
l )lace there were sixt y boats enlr(l{J'eù in fishiu<T averalTin<T two
o 0
'O ð
Inen and a boy to each boat. It was state(l, that each of these
boats would probably take 100 quintals of fbh during t.he sea-
son, Lut tha.t the boats belonging to the firm, nlanned hy J er-
seYlneu, would take IllUl'e. On the 21 st August there were at
this' roonl J 2,500 quintals of dry fi::;h. exceedillgly well CUl"t>ù.
On tht day it was visited there were GOO quintals of coJ :::;prt'aù
out to dry; they were exceedingly white and hard, of the
finest quality, and were about to be shipped to
aples, for
which market the very best fish art> requireJ. They are ship-
}Jed in Lulk, and the manner in which they are stowed in the
hold
of the ve
:sels is very nea.t anù cOlnpact. It rey,uires
great skill anù care to stow thmn without breaking, and in
such a nla.nner as to prevent their receiving danlage 011 so long
a voyage; but long practice and experience have conquere(l
these difficulties, and cargues are rarely inj llreù by bad stowage.
"The ling cured at this establishnlent are sent to Cork for
the Iri::;h Juarket; and the ha.( IJock tu the Brazils. The first
q,uality cod cured here in 184:8, instead of beillgscnt to
ap]e8
were shipped to thE'
Iauritius; it was not stateJ wha.t success
had attended thi
a.dventure.
" K early all the fi::;hernlen at this establiðhment were French
settlers, who had
mall farms, or patchcH of lanJ, somewhere
in the vicinity, which they cultivated. It was the upinion of
Uaptaill .\.lexandre, that the fishermen coull I not live unlcss
they l'os-;essed land, and obtained sonwthing from thc suil; if
they did not, they nearly starved. Tho
e who are too puor to
own boa.t::; hire them of the firm for the season, that is, until
the 15th of ,August, when the summer fishing ends. If the
boats aro uSl'd for the autulllll or 'fall J ti
hing, there i
, uf
cuurse, another hiring.
" The fishing usua.lly continues until the 15th October, a.nd
it Wa.s expected that the whole catch of the
èa::,un uf 1849
would aIllUllllt to 3,5UO lluintald-if the weather proved fa.vour

able, prubaLly 4:,000 (luillta.l
.
" The boats come in here directly to the' sta
e head,' upon
U

322

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

which the fi
h are thrown; they are at once split and cleaned
by the fishern1en, on tables provided for the purpose; anù 300
Ibs. of fish fresh from the knife, are weighed off as sufficient to
make a quintal of dry fish, with the allowance of One-tenth for
the curer. If the fish are split and salted in the boats, and lay
one night, then 252 Ibs. are weighed as a quintal. The fisher-
men are allowed for a quintal of cod thus weighed, ten shil-
lings, anà for ling and haddock, five shillings,-the amount
payable in goods at the store of the firm, on Point
'\.lnacque,
where a large quantity of foreign goods is kept of every variety.
Here were found Jersey hose and stockings-Irish butter-
Cuba 1110lasses-Naples biscuit, of half a pounù each-Brazi-
lian sugar--Sicilian lenlons-N eapolitan brandy-American
tobacco-with English, Dutch, and German goods,--but no-
thing of Colonial produce or manufacture, except Canadian
pork and flour.
" Sonle of the residents at Shippagan, who are in more inde-
pendent circumstances, prosecute the fisheries ill connection
with their farming, curing the fish themselves, and disposing of
them at the close of the season to the Jersey merchants, or to
others, as they see fit.
"The number of boats and men engaged in the Sea fisheries,
and the quantities of dried fish caught and cured in 1849, in
the district north of the l\Iiramichi, 11lay be thus summed up :

LOCALITY.

Number Number
of .Boats. of J\Ien.

Number Estimated
Catch,
of Boys. in quintals

----1--

Portage hlanù .. . . . . . . . .
Tabusintac Gully. . . . . .
Tracady ..... ,........,.,..
Shippagan .............,....
Point J\IiHCOU. . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . I
Cara.quette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Grande A nce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Petit Rocher . . . . , . . . . . .. . . . .

1'otaIH. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

33 80 20 900
19 57. . . .. . .. .. 500
10 30. .. . . . . .. . 200
()O 120 I GO 6,000
40 80. . . . . . . . . . 3,000
2
8 438 I .. . .

.. . 1 1
:ggg
40 80 23 1,200
-432 - 903 -
ol 24,050 -

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

32:3

., All t.he m(\n engaged in this fishery are also part farmers ;
they cultivate son1e portion of land wherever they reside Ou
the coast. Of the quantity of dried fi
h above stated, it is es-
timated that 15,000 quintab were cod, and the re
t haddock
and ling.
" The ling is a fish known in the Bay of Fundy by the
nàYne of ' Hake.' In thp Gulf this fish is takpn of very large
size, especially by fishing during the night. In appearance it
corresponùs preci::;ely with the drawing in 1\11'. Yarrell's aù-
mirable work on British :Fishes, (vol. 2, page 289,) and its
description is the sanle as there given of the forked hake; or
phycis {ilJ'callis of Cuvier. Owing to the length, breadth and
thickness of the ling ,vhen split, they are, at the best' roonls,'
dried on la.rge flakes, raised about eight feet from the ground,
which have a greater circulation of air underneath. TIle cod
of larger size are aho dried on these fiakes.
" Of the quantity of fall herring taken on this coast, it is
quite impossible to give any estimate which may bp relied up-
on as accurate. The principal fishing ground is at Caraquett.e,
and the whole quantity taken there in 18-19, would probably

unount to two thou:sand barrels, or perhaps exceed that quan-
tity. The catch at other localities along the coast, would þer-
haps, amount to one thousand barrels more.
" The quantity of nlackerel caught and cureù, is so snutH as
scarcdy to be taken into account, in giving all estimate of these
fisheries. It was said that mackerel had at times bt:en imported
from Arichat for the use of the inhabitants on this coa1:;t, near
which thousands of barrels, of the same fish, are annna llv
caught by fishing ves1:;els froIH :\Iaine and l\lassaclntsetts."

ËWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

" Returll ot the quantit.ies of the various products of the fi8h-
eries, exported from the district of Gaspé, during the year
ending 5th January, 1850.

'Y . r ht From From Total
el
the Port the Port from the Total in
1\Ie

u e of New of District 1848.
IS r Carlisle. Gaspe. \ in 1849.
I
D!y Cod. . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. quintals I , 28,230 I
PICkled Cod. . . . . . . . . . . . , . .. barrels. .... ... . ,
Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. quintals 24
Tongues and Sounds .. . . . . .. barrels., 15
Sahnon .................... I do . . . . . " .
l\Iackerel ............. .... do . . . . . . . .
Herrings .................. do . . . . . . . .
Halibut . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . do . . . . . . . .
Cod Oil .................... gallons . 573
'Yhale Oil.................. do . . . . . . . . ,
Seal Oil . , .. .. . . .. . . . .. . .. . . I do I .. .. . . . .

DESCRIPTION.

52,109
4920
'817
61
290
126
219
50
50,220
21,720 I
120

80339 89,931
4:920 3,977
841 1,074
21 I 62
290 I 275
12G 160
219 277
50 ........
50,793 :31,0;;8
21,720 r G,9liO
120 600

" The value of all inlports at the port of Gaspé in 1849, was
.f:32,286 currency; the value of exports the same year, was
Æ51,880 currency. At New Carlisle, the value of imports from
abroad, in 1849, was Æ12,511 sterling; the value of exports
was .-t37,250. The imports and exports to and from Quebec
are not stated in the return from New Carlisle. The exports
include birch and pine.

"CO::\DIERCIAL V ALeE OF THE GULF FISHERIES IN 1849.

"The following Tables, compiled by {the writer from the
Custom House Returns, exhibit the trifling value of the pro-
duce of the sea and river fisheries, exported from the gulf
ports of New Brunswick, in 1849. The quantity of each
article, at each port, is here exhibited; and it will be observed,
that the whole quantity of pickled fish exported, was 3,380
barrels only, and that 2,110 barrels were imported. It will be
seen that mackerel were imported, at
1iramichi, from another
Colony; and at Hichibucto, near which fì.8h are so abundant,
575 barrels of pickled fish were imported from abroad and 110
barrels only, were exported. The whole value of fish exported
during the past year is .t15,117 sterling, against which there

AKD AS IT IS I:N 1877.

325

is the value of the fish imported, arnounting to
2, 269, leaving
a balance of
12,848 sterling only, in favour of the exports of
the gulf fisheries of :New Brunswick.
" It must not be forgotten that the season of 1849 was one
of unexampled abundance in the sea fisheries; and the follow-
ing tables therefore furni8h a severe, but, it may be hoped, a
most useful commentary upon the provincial fisheries within the
Gulf of St. Lawrence :-
" Exports of the produce of the fisheries from the several ports
of Nf>w Brunswick, within the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, dur-
ing the year 1849 :-

PO RTS.

Dried
Fish.

Pickled
Fish.

Smoked
and
Preserved
}'ish.

Fish Oil.

Oysters.

I
----------

Quintal!'!. RarrelH. Boxes. Gallons. Bushels.
:\Iiramichi. . . . . . .. .......... 2,;{Oíì [,31 4;);).. . .. . .. . .
:Dalhousie . . . . . . . . 1:
0 :{

. . . . . . . . . . I I . . . . . . . . .. ..........

::

:;:
te. . : : : : : : l(j,b
8 578: : : : : : : : :: .. 7. f.72' .. ... 2::
Ö4 . .
Uichibucto ...... .......... I 110 I.................... I 240
She

ta

:::::::: i

I'"
:
,. i

I

I

" Imports of the produce of the fisheries at the several ports of
Ncw Brunswick, within the Gulf of Saint J...awrence, during
thp year 1849 :-

})O RT
.

Dried
}'ish.

Pickled
}'iHh.

Smoked I
and
})reserved l;'ish Oil. I Oysters.
]1'Ü
h.

Totah
.......1

Quintals. Barrels. Boxes. Gallons. Bushels.
Herrings }
38'> 1,130 I
.... :\ [acke.r
l I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ..........
.

)
1,153 ;{70 21 772
: : : : : i:
:: ,::::
;;, : t : : : : : : : r : :;,Ó : :: ::::::::..
, , ,
:;, ;
0 0 0"
:

to, , '
1 _' ,
:

. , ' I : : : : : : : : : :

liramichi. . . . .. .

DalhouHio ... . . .
Bathurst ........
Cara( \ uette ......
]
ichi )ll(.to ,.....

hedia.c ...... . . . .

326

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

" Return of the estimated value, in pounds sterling, of all arti-
cles, the produce of the fisheries, exported from the several
ports of New Brunswick, within the Gulf of Saint Lawrence,
during the year 1849, distinguishing the countries to which
the same were exported :-

I I
I Great British Colonies.
Britain. N th ' '1:7 t El
I or IY es se-
I America Indies where

PORTS.

l'riiramichi . . . . 132 2,820
Dalhousie 27 611
Bathurst. . . . . . ............ .. 440
Caraquette .... 1,148 3,291
Richibucto .. .. ............ ....
74
Shediac .......... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .............. ..

United I IFore;gn I Total
States. States. I Sterling
I_ I
1,822 I........ !:4, 774
...... ...... ........j........ 638
: : : : :: Ï,lOO' :::::::: .. 3
362 '1 8,

:::::: :::::: :::::::: ::::::::I....

.
I
3,3H2 1.f:15,117

-I

Total Exports.. 1,307
Total value of
]'ish imported
at the same
Ports in 1849. ........

7,436 ...., 1,190 1,8221
I I I
2,269 I..... '1' . . . . . J . . . . . . . .1' . . . . . . .

f2,269

The following are the returns for New Bruns\vick III
1872:-

1,608,496 lbs. Salmon, fresh
24,227"
lackerel
4,515 bbls. "
150,871" Herrings
25,170" Alewives
6,495 cwt. Codfish, dry
1,566 bbls." pickled
6,566 bbls. Shad
20,190 cwt. Hake
3,813" I-Iaddock
13,600 " Halibut

1,050 cwt. Pollock
143,731 1 bs. Bass
28,070" Trout
485,100" Smelt
30,000" Eels
60,050 bbls. Mixed Fish
224,500 cans Lobsters
39,450 bush. Oysters
66,556 galls. Oil
900 Ibs. Pumice

AND AS IT IS IN lR77.

27

" Comparative statpment of the total quantities of articles the
produce of the fisheries, exported and imported at the seve-
ral ports of New Brunswick, within the Gulf of Saint Law-
rence, during the year 18-19 :-

I T!
i
d I Pic)ded I b

ed I I Fish Oil. I Oyste...,
I Ii Ish. I FIsh. I Pres.erved I
Fish. I
1-- 1 -- 1 -- 1 --
I I I I
Qui.nta
s. I Barrels. I Boxes. Gallo.ns. I B
8heb.
::::::::::::::! l:::
I ::: I 5
: :::: I..

...

1849.

The ,vhalc fishery of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, is very
trifling, on]ya1out 40,000 gal]on
of oil obtained annually.
FI
HERIE
OF THE UNITED STATES.

Thp nl.unber of persons enlployed in the New England
State
lJefore the revolution wa
abuut 4,000, ,vhich ,vas
prosecuted in
Inall craft. The quantity caught ,vas about
:
.)O,OOO quintals, of thp value of Æ200,OOO,
" The ATnericans follow two or more modes of fitting-out for
the fisheries. rrhe first is acconlplished by six or seven farnlPrs
or their sons building a schooner during the winter, which they
man themselves (as all the Alncricans on the sea-coast a.re
more or less St>:Ullen as wpll as farmers), and after fitting the
TesRel with necessary stOf(
S, t}lPY procee(l to the banks, Gulf of
8t. Lawrence, or Labrador: antI loading their vessels with fish,
make a voyage between spring anù harvest. The proceeds they
divÜI
, aft
r paying any balance they may owe for outfit. They
l"PIIla,iu at h011lO to assist in gatlwring their crops, allli proceed
again for anotlwr cargo, which is salted down and not a.fter-
wards dried-this is termed mud-fish, and kept for home con-
Rumption. The other plan is, when a merchant, or any oth
r
()wning a Y
sRPI, lets lH'r to tt'n or fifteen nwn on sha.re
. nl

tiwls tllt' Vt'SSt.\ :\1lI11l{.ts. TIll' Ilwn pay for a.ll t IH
provi
illn
_

328

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

hooks and lines, and for the salt necessary to cure their propor-
tion of the fish. One of the number is acknowledged master,
but he has to catch fish as well as the others, and receives only
about twenty shillings per month for navigating the vessel;
the crew have five-eighths of the fish caught, and the owners
three eighths of the whole."
The total quantity of the produce of the fisheries of
the State of J\lassachusetts in 1837 (the largest fisheries
in the United States) was as follows;-
FISHERIES OF J\IASSACHUSETTS IN 1837.

Vessels.

<15
to
ce

o
E-1

.-;j
o
O

>>00
s..,

A

rn......
r-<Cl>

s..,

o
f:Q

I m]
,$

>>
Cl> :::
0

"'5.
:::
Þ=:S
f:Q U1 Cl>

.

...... rn

Cl> s..,

:=

r-;õ
>'"d

.
............ r12
]

.1"""'4
""'"
HOOO
ceCl>'"d
0>

I
1,290 1 76 ,089 i 510,554 234,059 837,141 11,146 3,208
559 2,683:176

Besides the above, there were large quantities of whale
oil and other fish oil, and whalebone amounting in value
to about a half million dollars.
The following is the number of barrels, halves and
quarters of barrels of mackerel and other pickled fish in-
spected in the State of
Iassachusetts in the year 1850.
Barrels.
242,572
2,422
1,629
705
900
144
777
14
156
137

J\iackerel. ... . . . . . . ... ... . . . . ... .
Salmon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . ..' .
Alewives . . . . . . . . . . . . . .,. . . ... ..
Shad . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
Herring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
S-w.örd-tish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tongues and Sounds. . . . . . . . . . . .
Salmon-trúut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Halibut fins. . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
l\Ienhaden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

AXD AS IT IS IN 1877.

32D

Cod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ...
. .
Blue Fish. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . ... . . .
Haddock. . . . . .. . . . ... . . . . ... ... .

Barrels.
465
15

29

Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2.30,103
21,000 barrels of the a10ve ,,"'ere re-inspected, princi-
pall y Illackerel froln Nova Scotia.
For a more (letaile(l account of the fisheries of :\lassa-
chusetts and the United States, see "A Peep at Uncle
Salli's 'Y orkshop, Fisheries, &c.," hy the Author.
The annual quantity of cod-fish exported from the
Unite(l States is a10ut 200,000 quintals, ,vhich is princi-
pally sent to Cuba, Hayti, \Vest Indies, and
[acleira. In
IB.,}l, ;'02 ships,
4 In.igs, and 27 schooners of the aggre-
gate tonnage, lil,971, were employed in the whale fisheIY
of the United States. An Ï1nportant fishery is carried on
in the interior lakes of Alnerica, principally on Lake
Huron, Lake Superior, l\lackinac and Detroit River. The
kind of fish caught is sturgeon, sahnon-trout, ]\[askinonge,
pickerel, nlullet, ,vhite-fish, hass, pike, perch, &c.
Some of these fish \veigh fron) one to 120 lbs. The qnan-
tity of fish taken on these lakes in 1840 ,va
35,000 har-
rel
, alllounting in value to 2.'}(),0-t0 dollars.

lr. )lcGrcgor, in his " Progre
s of Al11erica," says:-
" The British ,,,,hale fishery, formerly so very extensive, has,
from causes which have developerl their effects during the last
ten years, decline(l rapidly; anù t1wre is every probability that
both thp northern and soutlwrn British whale fishery win be
discontinued from the ports of the United l
ingdom. Th

Rubstitution of vpgûtable anrl lard oils, and stcarinl' frOlll lard,
the grpat outlay of capital in the Rout1wrn whale fiRhery, the
long ppriod which nlust expire bpfore any return can be realized
for t}w cxpPIHliturf', constitute thp chief causes of the dcclin{\
of t11{> whale fiHhcry from l1ritish ports. The Dutch whale
fishery disappeared in thf' pclrly part of tlw present century;
the French whale fifi}wry iH only maintained hy bounti...s taken

330

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

from the national taxes, and we can scarcely hope that it can
ever be revived so as to constitute a profitable pursuit from any
port in Europe. The bounties paid in support of the British
whah
fishery, acccrding to l\IcPherson, from 1750 to 1788
amounted to ÆJ,577,935 sterling; and Mr. McCulloch esti-
mates that more than ÆJ,OOO.OOO has been paid after that
period, so that more than Æ,2,500,OOO sterling have been paid
by the nation for bounties to the whale fishery."
The number of ships engaged in the northern and
southern whale fisheries during the years 1843, 1844 and
1845 were as follows :-

NORTHERN FISHERY.
Years. No. Ships.
1843 .... ....24
1844 .... ....32
1845 ........34

SOUTHERN FISHERY.
Years. No. Ships.
1843 ........ 50
1844 ........47
1845 ........ 44

Twenty-one ships are engaged in the southern fisheries
from the Australian colonies. Six ships froln St. John,
New Brunswick, and one ship froin Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The next important fisheries to those of America are
those of Norway in Europe.
" The fisheries of Norway supply an important branch of ex-
portation, and for these pursuits, their extensive seas and deep,
commodious bays afford unlimited opportunities. In the neigh-
bourhood of the Lofoden Isles more than 20,000 men find
employment during the months of February and ]\Tarch in
taking herrings and cod. At that season the fish set in from
the ocean anò. settle on the \tVest Fiord banks, which run from
three to ten miles out into the water, at a depth of from sixty
to eighty fathoms. Such swarms collect for depositing their
spawn, attracted by the shelter, or perhaps some special circum-
stances in the temperature, that it is said a deep sea-lead is
frequently interrupted in its descent to the botton1 through
these shoals (or fiskcbic'J.g, n10untains of fish, as they are called)
which are found in layers, one over the other, several yards in
thickness. From North Cape to Bergen, all the fishermen who
have the means assenlble at the different stations in January.

AKD AR IT IS IN IH77.

331

Evpry twenty or thirty of ther-:8 companies have a yacht or large
tel1f ler to bring out their provisions, nets and lines, and to
carry their produce to the market. Their operations are regu-
lated by statutes contained in several ancient codes, and, more
lately by that of the 4th of August, 1827. These laws prescribe
the order and limits to be observed in fixing the stations, the
time for placing and removing the nets, and also for preparing,
salting and drying the fish. Nets, and long lines of L 20 hooks
at five feet distance are used, but there is a difference of opinion
which of the two outfits is the more advantageous. The period
when the season encls is appointed by law on the 12th of June,
when Lofoden and its busy shores become deserted and de
\O-
late. The fish are prepared in two ways. They are cured as
round or stock-fish until April, after which they are split, salted
an(! carried to the coasts above Trondheim, or other places.
There are large flat rocky mountains, ,vith a southern aspect,
upon which they are spread and exposed to the sun to dry.
This preparation is called klip fish, and in fine seasons is conl-
pleted in three or four weeks. The livers are used for oil, one
barrel of which may be the produce of from 200 to 500 fish ac-
cording to their fatness. The number taken is immense. In
a mediuln year (1827) there wpre 2,916 boats f'mployed in 83
different sta.tions, accompanied hy 124 yachts, with 15,324. men.
The produ-::e was 16,436,620 fish, which would be about 8,bOO
tons dried; there were also 21,330 han'els of cod-oil, and 6,000 of
cod-roe. Sir A. Brooks reCkOIlf'd the quantity taken in a year
at 700,000, worth ahout -f120,OO(J, but other writers va.lue
them at Æ250,000 or even .ß300,OOO. An English lobster
company was established some years ago on the W{'ðt coast, a.nd
twicp or thricf' no week thcir packet..
Ha.iled from Christiausan{l
to London. In 1
30 the numhf'r oftllf'sP animals ('xportp(l was
1,1 !tG,90-t ; of roes, 21 ,68
harrels; of dried fish, 423,78U quin-
tals; and of salteù fish, 300,218 harrels. The herring fishery
is also an important and thri"ing hranch ofiwlnstry. In 1819,
tlJC t'xports wpr
240,000 tons. But in ] 83!J, which \\ as JUOle
pro{lncti'TP than the five OJ' six pr'pceaing years, tlwy amountPd
to fi3G,OOO, an incr-easo the lnore remarkable considoring that
the population anti the int mal consumption had both Leen
a.l1
lIlCnted during tha.t pt'l'iod. "11

... " E(lillhur
h CRhitll't 1 Jihrary..'

332

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

Considerable fisheries are carried on at British Colum-
bia, Puget's Sound, Alaska, and adjacent places. Hudson
Bay, at some future day, bids fair to rival the N ewfound-
land fisheries. For several years past, American vessels
have resorted there for cod fishing. Salmon, herring,
caplin, and other varieties of fish abound there. At Two
Rivers the Hudson Bay Company carried on porpoise
fishing for several years, where 7,749 porpoises were
taken, giving an aggregate of 193,689 gallons, or 768!
tons of oil, worth in England upwards of Æ27,OOO sterling.*
A new market has recently been found for herring in
Sweden, Reveral cargoes having been shipped there from
Gloucester, Massachusetts, U.S., and found remunerative.

· 'V alter Dickson, in the Toronto Globe, July 7th, 1876.

AND AS IT IS IN 1
71.

CHAPTER X'T.

GOVERNMENT, REVENUE, TR
\DE AND SHIPPIXG.

3:13

HE first military Governor appointed to
e,vfounù-

lanù ,vas
lajor (after,vards Lieutenant-General)

ir John Harvey, in 1
41; he ,vas also the first
Governor ,vho had a private
ecretary. Sir John Gaspard
Le )larchant a

ulned the Governnlent in 1847, and abo
brought ,vith hÏ1u a private
ecretary. 1'he Governor of
N ewfounùlanù i
not Lieutenant-Governor, like the Gover-
nors of Nova Scotia,
ew Brunsw"ick, anù Prince Edward
Island. The only autbority to ,vhich he is subordinate is
the Queen auù her !tlinisters. The follo,ving aUlount uf
salaries was at that tiIue paid out of the revenue of tho
Uulony:-
Pri vate Secretary of the Governor. ... . . .
1 ,000
Clerk vf the Council. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1,000
Two Clerks in Secretary's Office. . . . . . .. 2,000
Office- Keeper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :300
1Iessengcr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 300
Treasurer of the Colony.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. :2,300

urveyor-General. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2,5UO
Clerk of the Suprclue ànd Central Uircuit
Co urt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . .
Clerk of the Northern Circuit Court. . . .
" Southern "
])istrict Surgeon.....................
llospital " .....................
Phy:..;ician of Lunatic .Asylull1. ... . . . . . . .
Collector of Custolns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Attorney -General, in lieu of fee:;. . . . . . . .
Solicitor-General " ". . . . . . . .

herifr of the Central District..........
" Northern " . . . . . . . . . .
" Southern .( . . . . . . . . . .

1,75U
1,000
1,000
750
730
1,230

,.)OO
1,:2.30
1,000
;i,230
1,:250
1,000

:
34

NR\VFOUNDLA
D, AS IT WAS,
The follo\ving
alaries were paid out of the Colonial
Revenue under Act
2nd and 3rd Willialu IV., cap. 78,
called the reserved salaries.
Governor. . . . . ... ... . . . . ... . Æ3,000 or, 815,000
Chief-J ustice . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1,200" 6,000
First Assi
tant-Judge. ... ... 700 (C 3,500
Second " . . .. . . .. 700" 3,500
Attorney-General. . . . . . . . . . 450 c: 3,250
Colonial Secretary. ... ... . . .. 500" 2,500

6,550 $32,750
The post-master was paid $1,000 by the Imperial De-
partnlent, ,vhich also paid the following officers of Cus-
tOlns who were still retained :-
COlnptroller of Customs :and Navigation
Laws. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $1,500
First Clerk and Searcher. . . . . . . . . . . . 1,250
Second " ". . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ,000
The Customs Departnlent was not placed under the
control of the Local Governlnent until 1849, previous to
which the Imperial salaries arnounted to .f:3,703 7f;. 7d.,
or
78,516. The Colonial salaries alnounted to.f1,86416s.5d.,
or $9,323. The Ilnperial Government pays the Bishop of
the Church of England an annual salary of .f500, or
82,300 per annunl, and the ROlnan Catholic Bishop, .f300,
or
1,500 per annum. The alnount of pensions annually
paid by the Colony then was .f159, or 8795, which was
paid to six persons. The" Royal Newfoundland COln-
panies," which wag a stationary reginlent, ,vas under the
cOlnmand of a colonel with the usual staff of officers. The
COlnpany of Royal Artillery were relieved every seven
years from England. The Royal Engineers were under
the cOlnlnand of a captain and subordinate officers. There
was a civil department, with clerks. The ordnance store-
keeper and the barrack-master had their deputies and

ANI> AS IT IS I
lR77.

:J35

clerks.. The naval estal)lislnucnt ha,-; for a long titHe
}Jeen }'elHOVC< 1 froB1 Newfoundland to IIalifax and Ber-
luuda. One or t,vo men-of-\var are usually on the
tation
for the protection of the fisheries. There is no n1Ïlitia in
Ne,vfoundland, but there are t\VO volunteer cOlnpanies.
Thp ,val' establi:";}lI11ent in N e\vfoundlan(l costs Great
Britain over

OO,OOO annually. The Chief-Justice ,vas
also Judge of the Vicc-.A,dn1Ïralty Court, which made his
salary considerably nlore. The fees of the Attorney-Gene-
ral \'1ere very slnall, and the Legislature thought proper
to allo\v hilll
1,2.50 per annum in lieu of these fees,lllak-
ing hi" salary '-'3,500 per annUB1. The fees of the Solicitor-
General ,vere alJout
200 per annum, in lieu of which the
House of ASSClllbly voted hilll a salary of 81,000, besides
which he received 8.)00 a year as )laster-in-Ohancery, the
dutie,-;of ,vhich were Inerelyto take a fe,vlllessages frolll the
Council to the ASSelUl)]y, accolllpallied ,vith t\VO or three
Lo\vs. The salary of the Surveyor-General ,vas raised
froBI
1,500 to
2,500, IJesi<les the allo\vances. The office
of Pri vate Secretary to the Governor \vas attenlpted to be
abolished \vhen the tenn of the then Governor expired,
but it is
till retained. In addition tu his ßalary of :;
,500,
the Secretal;)' of the Colony in 18.34 received as Clerk of
the Council :;1,000, and a further SUUl of about
500
for receiving the alnount of sales of OrO\\'11 Lan< Is, & c.,
Inakiug his salary altogether uIHvanIs of f'4,OOO per
annUIll. The Trca:-,urer of the Colony, in addition to his
salary of
:?,500 received '-';')00 l110re as Cashier uf the
Savings' Bank. It ha(llong l)een the practice to exact
fur every COllUllission issued frolll the
ecretary's office
frolH one to five guineas. The \vriter paid one guinea for
the first COlJll11issiun he received. For the secolHI he "as
a:-;h..e<l tlve guineas lHlt refuse(I to t-;ubn1Ït to bù unjust a
ta
, the COlllllli
ioll \\Tas, ho\vever, given. The Collectur
of CUstolll
received, in alIJition to his :salary,
l,OUO as

* An the l11i1itaH'Y ha.ve 1,<<"(.u witllllrawu trom the Colony.

336

NEW}"OUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
Speaker of the House of Asselnbly. Previous to the year
1847 the salary of the Sheriff of the Northern District,
averaged from 200 to 350 dollars per annum, whilst the
salary of the Sheriff of the Central District was nearly
84,500 per annunl-the disproportion. The salary of the
Sheriff of the Central District, for a population of 25,000,
now receives
3,250, while the Sheriff for the Northern
District, for a population of 50,700, receives
1 ,2.'50, and
the Sheriff of the Southern District, for a population of
about 16,000, receives
l,OOO. There should be a sherifr
for every district. I know of no colony or country in
America, ,vithout a sheriff for every county or district
except N e,vfoundland.
The salary of the Clerk of the Southern County Court
sorne years ago was $500; it was after\vards raiHed to
$1,000 per annum. The duty of the office was to attend
the judge on circuit once a year, which occupied nearly
two nlonths. The renlaining ten months of the year the
clerk renlained in a rernote and almost inaccessible part
the district; until within the last two years (owing to the
want of roads). The colony annually paid $5,7.'50 per
annUIll for the hire of two vessels to take the Court on .
circuit, in addition to which a saloon was fitted up and a
well-supplied table of the edible anù potablë. The sitting
of the Uourt in some places was a lllere mockery, and in
other places it did not sit at all, although it would have
been previously announced to do so by the Governor's
proclamation. This state of things strongly ren1Ïnds one
of the good old days of the Fishery AdnlÌrals and Float-
ing Surrogates. In 1847, the acting Judge refused to
take a prisoner from Harbour Breton to Burin Gaol, be-
cause it would lessen the dignity of the Court by nlaking
the ship a prison, in consequence of which the following
expedient wa,s adopted to get rid of the prisoner: A fish-
ing boat was bound to Hermitage Bay, on board of which
he was put, the nlaster of the boat receiving strict inj unc-
tions to conceal from the prisuner the place of destina-

AXD AR IT 18 IX 1877.

:337

tion, but, fiS soon as they arrived at Hern1itage Bay, to
tell the rri
oner to Jnake off as fast as possible. There
ought to be l)istrict J uòges, as there are in Canada. One
of the clerks in the Secretary's office, in adrlition to his

alar'y of 81,000, received
l,OOO lllore as Clerk of the
Legislative Council, and an additional sUln as
Iar:-;hall
of the Court of Vlce-Aùluiralty. The other clerk of the
Secretary's office received a further addition to his salary
as clerk of the Building Comll1Ïttce, &c. Of all the fore-
going offices, there are 1u t four filled by natives of the
colony, Ollè of \vhom ,vas appointed Treasurer of the
Colony in 1849.
I t \va
exceedingly trying to the mind
of respectalJle,
intelligent nativeR to see Jllen from afar filling office,; un-
der thp GoverrlJuent of their o\vn country, and receiving
large salaries, \vhich they would be glad to fill as cffi-
ci
Il
ly for half the al11ount8 the incurnbents \vere re-
eel vIUg.
The fullowing is an extract froIH the editorial of one
of the Conception Bay IIeralds (1853):-
" K one but vagabonds are encouraged in Newfoundland.
The s('lfish, unscrupulous prett>nder is just tht> sort of plant
that thrives h('st in our soil The man who, in addition to an
incorrigihlt> stupitlity, can hring his con::;cience to acquiese in
anything touching his own gain, or that of his uwn patron, is
what we want here. Are there any such in the :t'ljacf'nt Pro-
villccs
Let theIn con1(' hither, and w{> will {'nsure theIn
SUCCt'S
. Nay, have not Inany of them corne hither aJn'ady
and reap{'t] their harvest
Let the public answer."
Hincc that titHe, and cunsc'luentIy sincè the introtluc-
tion of }{espoIlsihlp Gu\- {'rJ11 Ill'nt, SOIlle of the highèst
utti('es ill the GuvcrUlllPnt are filled I.)"' N ùwfoundlall(ll'rs
(a nUIll},er of stipendiary Illagistrates, CustoIn-huu:ie offi-
celli, and nU]llCruU
ot}u.rs), RO that no\v N ('moun(lIa ndl'rs
have no eausl' to cOJllplaill that tIll'Y are left in the coltl
sItae lese

v

338

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

On the introduction of Responsible Government,. in
1855, the salary of the Governor of Newfoundland was
reduced from 815,000 to
10,000 per annUlIl (it is now
$12,500). There ,vas also a reduction lllade in the sala-
ries of all the other Departlnents. The follo,ving are the
salaries of the other N orth-Alllerican colonies :-
Canada ................ ............. $50,000 per annlUll
Nova Scotia.. ....,................ 12,000" "
New Brunswick ........ ..... ... 12,000'c "
Prince Edward Island ........... 8,000" "
British Columbia and V ancou-
yer's Island ................... 8,000" "
:M
anitoba .......... ............. . 8,000" "
N orth West .. . .... .. . .. .. .. .. . . . . . . 6,500" "
Quebec.. ................. ......... 12,000" "
Ontario ........ . . ...... .......... . 12,000" "
The salaries of the officials ùf the Government of N ew-
foundland ,vere paid in sterling morney-or nearly five
dollars in the pound.
Before the introduction of the Responsible Government
of Newfoundland, the Council consisted of nine mem-
bers, who were appointed by the Crown, who were both
Executive and Legislative; all the men1bers of which be-
lono-ed to t;t. Johns. Of these, five were merchants, one
a b
rrister, and the remainder officials of the Govern-
ment. Five 'v ere Episcopalians, one Roman Catholic,
two Congregationalist, and one Presbyterian. Six were
Englishluen, one Irishman, one ScotchlIlan, and one Nova
Scotian.
The House of Assembly sat quadrennially. It was
composed of fifteen melnLers:
Three for the district of St. John's.
Four" " Conception Bay.
One " " Trinity Bay.
One " " Bonavista Bay.
One " " Fogo.
One " " Ferryland.

AXD A
IT IS IN 1877.

3
t

Two for the district of Placentia and St. )Iary's.
One cc " Burin.
One " " Fortune Bay,
HavinO' the follo,ving occupations :-lIerchants, 4 ;
tradeR
3; la,vyers, 3; editors, 2; <loctors, 1; lieutenant,
R.
., 1 ; surveyor of roadH, 1. Eight ,vere ROlnan Catho-
lics, five were Episcopalians, and t,vo COJlgregationalists.
Six ,vere natives, three Irish, three English, one native of
Prince Edward Island, one of the Island of Jersey, and
one Nova Scotian.
The follo\ving were :s01I1e of the annual expenses of the
Legislature at that time :-
LEGISLATIVE COUXCIL.

Pay of members at !-\210 ...................... ....
l,.)
O 00
c. Clerk.. . . ... . .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,000 00
" Usher of the BlackRod..................... .500 00
"
Iaster in Chancery .......................... :500 00
" Door keeper and
J essenger ............... :
.>O 00

HOTn;;;E OF ASSE'[BLY.
Pay of Speaker .......................................
l,OO() 00
" t) out post members at
Sl.) each ......... 1,H!)0 ou
" 8 St John's nlembers at
210 each ....... 1,G
0 00
" Sergeant-at-Arm
................ .......... .300 00
" Chairman of Supply ...... . . ............ ... 2.30 00
" Clerk.. . . . .. ... . . .... .. . . . ... . . . . . .... ... . . ... 1,000 00
cc _A..s
istant Clerk ........................'..... .>00 00
u Solicitor ....................... ............... 750 00
" l\vo Doorkeepers an(l )Il;s
t'nger ... ...... ,00 00
" LiLra,rian.......................... ............ :!.>O 00
cc Reporting and l
uLlishing....... .......... 1,
()0 00
u :Printing ................. ... ................. :J,:)OO 00
Ie Council......................................... 3,!J30 Ou

:
,n:30 00

Total ................................... .817,150 00

340

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

The following is the length of Session of the General
Assen11ly:-

Year.

From

To

Days in
Session.

REMARKS.

1833 { Jany. 1 . 'IJuly 9.,.. } 240 { Includes an adjournment of 3R
July 12 " IAug. 1 .. days, from
lay 30th to July
1834 { I Jany. 2
. 'IJune 12 . . I } 161 9th.
Aug. 26 .. Sept. 20..
18:33 Jany.8.. :May 12 .. 115
1836 Jany. 7 ...
'[ay 6.... ]11
1837 Jany. 3 .. Nov. 18 .. 139
1838 { June 20 .. Aug. 13 '. } 122
Aug. 20 " Oct. 25 ..
1839 May 17 " ,Oct. 12. 149
1840 J allY. 3 . . / April 29 . . 1 118
1841 J any. 2 .. April 26 . . 116 I
t
i
r

y. Ïi:: l1\i
ÿ' 22.:: I ... Î2t;. ...,
18-14 J any. 10.. April 29 . . I 111
1845 J any. 1.5.. April 23. . , 99 I
1846 Jany. 15... April 28.. 104 1\,.- t . f th . t
D I { l.Ue In consequence 0 e CI y
S ? 1 } I J une 16 .. Aug. 4 .. 50 I of St. John's having been de-
peCIa stroyed by fire.

} IDee, 1 ., J any, 14 '" 44 9 Acts passed,
t
1
} I IDee, 14.. Ap
l 23 " I 150 22 Acts passed.
1850 J any.
8.. Apl'll 30 . . 93 19 Acts passed.

Owing to the irresponsible systelll úf goVel'nn1ent, the
Governor of N ewfoundlanJ, on his arrival, is always sur-
rounded by the saIne lllen \vho cOlnposed the little coterrie,
or "fan1Îly cOlnpact,"-who held office, tin1e inunen1orial,
as an hereditary right, which had been regularly trans-
mitted fro In father to son. Of course the policy of the
Governor "vas in a great degree influenced by the irre-
sponsible persons that composed his Council, ","ho were
adepts in state craft and diplolnacy. The reader will per-
ceive that the Legislature of N ewfounJland is Lased on
lJTnfpssed Liberal principles, but ,vhich in reality is a little
castle of ùe::;potism, which had already been scattered by
the lightning of public opinion, and only wanted the

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

:J41

thll
dE'r of a lì'(J() LJì'c",
, to lllake it totter, falJ, ancl hccolnc
a rUIn.
What is callecl "Responsible Governlnent," had been
conceded by the HOllIC Governnlent to the neighbouring
British Colonies. This systeul of Governlnent is cOlnposed
of t,vo district Councils, an Elective and Legislative, and
all heads of DepartInents are appointed froIll the luajority
of the political party of the Representatives of the people,
frolll 'VhOlll also the Executive Council is selected.
Every Governnlent ought to be the nlere exercise and
retiection of the public Inind, and the public ,viII. The
people should IJe the father, thë goverll11lent the child.
During the last Session of the alllaigalnated Legislature
in 1847,
[r. Kent, a lealling lllelUber of the House, intro-
duced a series of resolutions, embodying the principles of
RespunsilJle Governnlent, ,vhich passed the Legislature hy
a 1uajúrityof one vote. SuL:-,cq uently a petitiun ,vas sent
to the ROlne Governluent, praying that the sallle privi-
legec.; úf ResponsiLility as hacl heen given to the neigh-
l,ouring culoni
s, may be conceded to Ne,vfounaland. But
Earl Grey, the then Secretary of State, thought it inexpe-
dient for the presént, so far as Newfoundland \\Tas con-
cerned, to test the truth of the pulitical axioln, that" Free-
donl is the only cCì'tai,
cu.,'c for the cvil.
of Frcedoln."
In order to carry out the sYfoìteU\ of !{espollsiLle Uoveru-
lllCnt in X c,vfouncllancl, an incrca
e uf Rcpre:-;cntatiou ,vaR
alJsulutely necessary. In the first Legislature in 1
:34, Mr.
Kough intl'oduc('ù a Rill to increase the Representatiun to
2;') IIH'1I1Ler
, ,,-hich, ho,vcver, cliù not pass. In 1
-t.J., the
late
1 r. Barnes, Unl' of the Ulost tah'lltecl natives of tIH'
cOHntr
r, hrought in a Hill, which conteulplatc(l a clivision
of the Districts, as ,ve]] as an incrl'ase uf R(,}H'l'sl'lltati \'es.
This Bill Ult't ,vith a Illost (ictel'llline(l oppositiun fru1H
the ROillan Catholic 11ll'lllhers of tIlt' Irousp, because it
di" idpcl the H,UllHUl Catholic districts, and \.ery justly
appurtioned Iuenll'l'rs :leeol'll i Ilg tu populat iOll, i llstt'ac I uf
('\. tt'nt of tl'rritor), I Il all ('oulltl'ic"'
l{t'}H't.;'''\(_'lltati\ t'S art'

342

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

given accord ing to population, not exte
t of territory, and
the reader will see the justice of Mr. Barnes's division of
the Districts, by observing that Placentia and St. Mary's
for a population of 6,471, returned two members, while the
District of Trinity, with a population of
.801, returned
only one nlember.
It is said
Ir. Barnes had a majority to carry his Bill
through the House, but consented to withdraw it on the
promise of Sir John Harvey, the Governor, that the Bill
should forIn the basis of the new Constitution of New-
foundland, which would take place at the termination of
the alnalgalnated Legislature. The promise, however, was
not fulfilled. A Bill was brought before the House of
Assembly in 1852, for the increase of Representatives to
25 men1bers, leaving the divisions and districts as at pre-
sent. After some time, an Act passed, making the number
of members of the Assembly 30, and the Legislative
Council 12, with an Executive Council of 7. The follow-
ing are now the divisions of the districts :-
District of St. John's East............ .. :3 members.
" "\V est .............. 3 "
" Harbour Grace............... 2 "
" Carbonear. ... .. u.... ........ 1 "
" Harbour l\Iaine............... 2 "
" Port-de-Grave................. 1 "
" Bay-ùe-Verds ................. 1 "
" Trinity....... .................3 "
" Bonavista .....................3 "
" Twillingate and Foga....... 2 "
" Ferryland......................2 "
" Placentia and St. l\Iary's.... 3 "
" Burin... . . .. .. .. . .... .. ...... ... 2 "
" Fortune Bay.................. 1 "
., Burgeo and La Poêle......... 1 "
The tenns of Whig and Tory, are scarcely applicable to
Newfoundland. The struggle has always been between

(
.8 I

.

J

ce""

I
8 L

AND AS IT IS IN lR77.

343

the Roman Catholics and Protestants. The fonner voting
for the ROlnan Catholic candidate, and the latter, ,vith but
few" exceptions, voting for the Protestant candidate. The
Protestants are called Conservatives, and the Ron1an Ca-
tholics, Liberals. The introduction of Respon
jble GOVCl'U-
1I1ent Jllct ,vith great opposition. The old oligarchy ,vere
very tenacious of life, hence their cries of " innovation .'-
old paths ,vel} enough-departed glory-and "Icbahod."
But thesè hostilè (lemonstrations to thc lnarch ()f enlight-
ened public opinion, ,yere hut the spa
lnoùic death-throes
that precede expiring life.
Responsible GovernUlcllt is nothing l110re or less than
the principles of the British Constitution, referring to
,vhich, the celcLrated statcsnlan, Fox, said:
"The greatest innovation that could he introduced into the
Constitution of England was to come to a vote that there should
be no innovation in it. The greatest beauty of the Constitution
was that in its very principle it admitted of perpetual improve-
ment, which time anfl circumstance
rendered necessary. It was
a constitution the chief excellence of w l1Ích was that of adnlÍt-
ting a perpetual reform."
Thc Protestants ,ycre oppose(l to Rl'sponsihle Govern-
nlent, on the ground that !lolnan Catholics "yould nlonopo-
lize all the offices of trust and eTllohullent. Rut this \vas
inlPossible, if the Protestant voten.; did their duty, there
h(.ing a Jllajority of 10,000 Protestant votes in the (lis-
tricts. It ,\yas not until the an'ival of Go\rernor lJarling,
in l
,).>, that the Sy::;tC1l1 of l{espon
iLle Governl11cnt wa!4
fuHy inau!:,rurated, ,vhùn the lIon. Juhn T\:cnt l)ecanle the
PreInier, and l>Lilip ,F. Lyttle, ESl}., Attorney-General.
Although K e\yfonndlHlld is not at prl's('nt a portion uf
the Dominion of Canada, yet \ve hope, at no very distant
day, to
ee this, the only unconfe(lel'at.. Dritish possession
in
orth Alllcrica, united to Canada. Her alua)gaJna.tion
would develop her great resources, (.speeially 1u'r JllineraI:-;
and tisheric
. Line;:a of $teanl
r
for the conveyancp of

344

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

goods an<l paRsengers would run froln Quebec to Rt. John's,
calling at the interluedi&te ports of St. George's Bay, Bay
of Islands, &c. New life would be diffused into the
various fisheries, and agriculture and rnanufacture would
receive a fresh impetus. The principal objection to con-
federation is the erroneous notion to make no change, to
keep things fixed just as they are. Dr. Arnold says :-
" There is nothing so revolutionary, because there is nothing
so unnatural, and so convulsive to society, as the strain to keep
things fixed, when all the world is, by the very law of its crea-
tion, in eternal progress. And the cause of all the evils in the
world may be traced to that natural, but most deadly, error of
human indolence and corruption-that our business is to preserve,
not improve. It is the ruin of an alike, individuals,
chools,
and nations."

The following are the Governors of Newfoundland from
the earliest period :-
1728 Osborne
1731 Clinton
1737 Vanbrugh
1740 Lord Grahan1
1744 Sir Charles Hardy
1749 Rodney
17,S 0-,5 2 Drake
17,53-5.
Bonfoy
17.5,)-56 Dort'ill
1ï57-59 Edwarùs
17üO 'VeLb
1701-G3 Graves
17G4-ü8 Palliser
1ïßD-71 Hon. J. Byron
1772-74 Shuidham
1775 Duff
177G-78 1Iontagu
1779-84 Ed \varlls
] 782-85 CalupLell

1786-88 Elliott
178D-91 Milbanke
1792-93 King
1794-96 Sir J. '\Vallace
1797-99 lIon. W. Walde-

gra ve
1800-1 Sir U. l\rI. Pole
1802-3 Ganlbier
1804-6 Sir E. Go'\ver
1807-9 Hollo\vay
1810-12 Sir J. Duck,vorth
1813-15 Sir R. G. Keats
1816-17 Picknlore
1818-25 Sir C. Hall1Ìltan
182.5-34 Sir T. Cochran

1834-41 Prescott
1
41-46 Sir John Harvey
1847 -52 Sir J. G. Lei\Iar-
chant

A
D_AS IT IS TN 1877.

:3-1-5

I H.;:
-.).)
il' Buillie llaulil- IS64-{)ö Anthony
lusgrovc
ton 18G7-75 Co1. Sir Stephen J.
18;j.5-J7 Darling Hill, C.B.
IH57 -U4 Sir Alcxander Ban- IH7G Sir John Glover.
nerman

In N e\vfoundland there is no direct taxation, the rpVe-
nue is principally derived I fronl dutief1 on imported goods.
The fullo,ving is the N C'Vfuulldland Tariff: 1
70:-
" According to _Revenue A_ct passed 187.') :
Horses, .:\Iares, &c., each
Pigs and Cal yes .
Oxen and Cows, the $100
Ale, Porter, Cider and Pen'y, the gallon
A pples, the barrel .
Bacon, l1
uns, Tongues, Smoked Beef and Sausa-
ge8, the cwt
Beef and Pigs' Hea.ds, salted and cured, the hrl.
of
OO Ibs.
Biscuit or Dread, the cwt.
Butter, the cwt.
Cheese, the cwt.
Chocolate and Cocoa, the lb
Cigars, 5 lwr cent. all valO'rem and the
I
Com-e, the lb. .
Coal, imported or brought into the port of
t.
,John's, the ton
Confectionery, the cwt
Feathers awl Feather beùs, the lb
l.'ish-salted, dried and pickleJ, the cwt

'lourJ the harn'l
Fruit, clri('c1, the II.
" Other descriptiuns, (exe opt Apph's) the

100
ì
11rn her, the 1\1
1\[ola. -,es, the gaBon
Oatmeai, the harn'l
India.n
Iea} and Pease, the barn'}
Pork, thl' barn'} of
OO l}':-,

2 30
o 23
5 00
o 10
o 30

2 00

o GO
o 07
1 1

1 50
o 04
2 G4
o OG

o 2:>
3 50
o 05
1 32
o 20
o 04-

5 uO
1 00
o OG
o
o
o If)
I
10

:34û

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

Salt, the ton
Shingles, the 1\1
Shooks and Staves, (manufactured and dressed)
the $100 ..
Spirits, viz.:- Brandy or other Spirits, not herein
defined or enumerated, and not exceeding
the strength of proof by Sykes's Hydrometer
and so in proportion for any grf'ater strength
than the strength of proof, the gallon
All other Spirits, of greater strength than forty-
three over proof, shall be deemed to be
undefin
d Spirits, and subject to duty
accordingly
Rum, not exceeding the strength of proof by
Sykes's Hydrometer, and so in proportion
for any greater strength than the strength
of proof, the gallon
Gin, not exceeding the strength of proof by
Sykes's Hydrometer, and so in proportion
for any greater strength than the strength
of proof, the gallon
Whiskey, not exceeding the strength of proof
by Sykes's Hydrometer, and so in proportion
for any greater strength than the strength
of proof, the gallon
Cordials, Shrub and other Spirits, being sweet-
ened or mixed, so that the degree of strength
cannot be ascertained as aforesaid, the gallon
Sugar-Loaf and refined, the cwt
" Unrefined, the cwt
" Bastard, the cwt
Tea-Souchong, Congou and Bohea, the lb
" All other sorts, the lb
Tobacco-l\'lanufactured, the lb .
" Leaf, the 1 b
" Stems, the cwt
Timber, the ton
Vinegar, the gallon
Wines, viz. :-Champagne, the gallon
Port and Madeira, the gallon

$ 0 20
o 40

20 00

1 60

1 00

1 20

1 50

o 80
3 50
2 00
2 50
o 05
o 12
o 12
o 07
o 50
o 30
o 10
2 00
1 50

AND AS IT IS IN lS77.

Sherry and l\fazanilla, 12! per cent. ad 1xt!orem,
and the gallon
Spanish Red, Denia, Sicilian, Figuera, Red Lis-
bon, Common, Cape and l\lalaga, the gallon
Claret, the gaBon
]Iock, Burgundy and Light Rhenish \Vine, the
gallon
All other wines, 12} per Cent. ad 'Valorem, and
the gallon
Ready-madt> clothes, viz. :-Coats, jacketg, trow-

ers, ,vaistcoats and southwe3ters, the 8100
Stockings, shirts and drawers, (made by hand
and not woven) the
1 00

lantles, drt'sses, cloaks, sacks, thf'
l 00
Candles, the 8100
Manufactures of wood, (exc
pt cabinet wares,
musical instruments, and agricultural im-
plements) the $100
Empty casks of all kinds, not containing mer-
chandise-including fish boxes and returned
casks, the $100
Packages in which dry goods are imported,
lOO
.Fresh meat and poultry, the :;100
Anchors and chain cables, copper and composi-
tion metal for ships, viz. :-Bar bolt, and
sheathing; nails; iron, viz. :-Bar, bolt,
sheathing and shpet; wrought nails; cord-
age and henl{J cables; oakum; canvass;
corks anù cork wood ; pitch, tar, rf'
in, raw
turpentine; fishing tackJe, masts and Rpars ;
sheet tin antI solder; machinf'ry and parts
of machinery, imported for tho use of foun-
dries, factories, mills, or other pnrpo::,t's;
stav
s, undleb
cd; oats, rice, ilHlian corn,
bran, barll'y, lllctlicilles, tlw
l 00
Goods, wa.rcs anù nlCrchanùize, not otherwisp
enumerated, described or cha.rged with duty
in this ,Act, anù not utherwise exempt, the
$100

347

o 90
o 70
o 40
o 50
o
O
20 00
20 00
20 00
20 00
20 00

O 00
13 00
5 00

00

13 00

4S

NE'VFOUNDLAND, A
IT 'VAS,

" LOCAL DISTILLATION.

Brandy, not exceeding the strength of proof by
Sykes's Hydrometer, anù so in proportion
for any gr{'ater strength than the strength
of proof, the gallon . 1
O
Gin, not exceeding the strength of proof by
Sykes's Hydrometer, and so in proportion
for any greater strength than the strength of
proof, the gallon . . . .. 1 00
\Yhiskey, not exceeding the strength of proof by
Sykes's hydI'OIneter, and so in proportion
for any greater strength than the strength of
proof, the gallon . . . .. 1 00
Rum, not exceeding the strength of proof by
Sykes's Hydrometer, and so in proportion
for any greater strength than the strength of
proof, the gallon 0 75

" TABLE OF EXE
IPTIONS.
Printing Presses, Printing Paper (Royal and DenlY), Printing
Types, and all other Printing Materials.
Printed Books and Pamphlets. :\Iaps and Charts.
Coin and Bunion, IIemp, Flax, Tow.
Fresh Fish, Bait.
Wheat, Eggs.
Plants, Trees, Shrubs.
Unmanufactured 'Y 001 and Raw Cotton.
Sp{'cimens illustrative of Natural History.
'V orks of Art, viz.: Engravings, Paintings, and Statuary, not
intended for sale.
Articles imported for religious purposes anù not intended for
sale.
l\Ianure of all kinds.
Agricultural Implements and lVlachinery iInported by Agricul-
tural Societies for the promotion of Agriculture.
Arms, cloth and provisions for Her Majesty's land and sea
forces.
Passengers' baggage, household furniture, and working tools
and inlplements, useù and in the use of persons arriving
in the island.

A1\ 1> AR 11' IS IN 1877.

34!)

Rpfusp rice, seeòs for agricultural purposes.
Vegetables of all
orts.
Hides and pieces of hides, not tanned, curried or dres3etl.
Coals (when not imported or brought into the Port of St.
John's ).
Articles of every description imported for the use of the Gov-
prnor.
Donations of clothing specially imported for distribution gra-
tuitously by any charitable society.
Cotton Yarn.
Pig Iron, Coke.
:Bark for Tanning Leather.
Sulphuric Acid, when used for the manufacturp of Inannre.
Twinpö, to be ut:)cd in manufacturing nets in this colony.
Dye Stuff8.
Junk, Old 11'011, old cOPlwr, awl composition-metal.
Articles for the official use of Foreign Consul
.
St
a.lll engines, boilers, propellers, water wheels and saws, wlH'n
used in the original construction of steam boats built in
this island, ulÌlls or factories, abo crushing 111Ílls for mininb
purposes.
Philosophical in5trumcnts anJ apparatus, inclutIing globes, wlwn
imported antI for the use of colleges and schools, scientific
and literary societie
.

laterials for sheathing the bottoms of vessels, such a.
zinc,
copl'pr, and composition-metal, together with nail
, paper
or felt, which may be used 111Hler the sanle.
Livc shepp, sanJ, woollen yarn, and corn for the manufacture
of hrooms.
" it shall not be lawful for any importer of (lrie(l fish to ware-
hOUbC the SaIne in any of the ports uf this colony or itR (h'pen-
dencics, without tlw paymcnt of the (luty hereinbefore illlPO
('d;
and the provibionð of any \ct of this colony with regal'll to the
war('housing of gooJs on the tir
t clltry tlll'reof, or to tIlt-' allo\\ -
ancc of clrawhackH ulJon exportation, shall not in eitlll'1' ca.se
apply to or hp cun
trl1t',l to apply tu such fish. Provi,I(',I, that
the sectil)u shall nut apply to such fish uf Britibh catch awl
curt', unleðs otllt'rwi
e ,it.clarell hy proclamation uf the Gover-
llor, puLli
hed in the llo!Ja.l Of(':: ,tic.
" All yacht/) bailing unùer warrant of the LurJ
uf the ,Allull-

350

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

ralty, or belonging to the Royal Yacht Club, shall be exempted,
on view of the said warrant, from payment of all local duties
whatsoever."

The Reciprocity Treaty between the United States and
the British Colonies expired in 1865, and has not yet
been renewed. The revenue in 1853 amounted to
$400,000.
Revenue and expenditure in 1856:-
REVENUE.

Customs revenue........ .... . ............
Light dues .. ........, ....... . .... . ....... .
Rents of Crown lands, &c.. . .......... . . .
License fund-fines and forfeitures ....
Fees from public officers. . ......... .........
North American clergy estimates .........
Consolidated Stock.................... ......
Paten ts .................. _. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .
Postal revenue. . . . . . ... . . ... . . . ... .. .. ... . .
Telegraph (labourers) ....... . ... ............
Duties on spirits distilled in the colony
Unappropriated penitentiary funds..... .
Premium on Consolidated Stock ...........
Miscellaneous ... . . . . . . . ... . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .

1:91,023 17 0
5,034 15 6
814 7 3
930 0 5
543 13 10
300 0 0
17,941 .5 4
15 0 0
565 2 0
56 6 8
305 19 8
150 6 6
465 19 6
688 2 0

Total.................. .f118,831 15 8
Or $574,158 00

EXPENDITURE.
Civil Department .............. ...........
Customs establishment ...................
Judicial Department-salaries and con-
tingencies . . . . . . . . . . . . , ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Police and magistracy. . . . . .. .. .. .. .... . . . .
Ecclesiastical establishment .... . . .. ......
Legislative department ..... .......... . ...

1:7,456 13 4
5,458 9 1
5,847 10 9
5,721 0 0
300 0 0
5,720 5 9

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

Pension
and gratuities. .........'... Q.......
Printing ana stationery ................ ....
Gaol ex pense
...............................
Corollers. . . . . . . ......... . . .... . . .. .... . . . ...
Repairb of court-house anfl gaol
..........
Rf
lief of the poor, including sick paupcr
,
lunatics, &c. '.... .......... . . . . ..... . .
Postages anfl inciùentab .. . .. .. .. ..... ..... . .
Roads and briflges .. ..... ........ .. ......
Light-houses..... .......... .............. ...
Fuel anfl light.... ..... ................... .
EÙ1lcation .. ..,....... . .... . ...... ..........
Interest on loans. . .... ........ . . ...... . ...
Public institutions... . . . ..... . . . . . . . ... ..
St. John's Rebuil(lillg Act. . ....... .........
Ejection expen:-;es and registration. . . . . .
Cro\vn Land,-; Act, including Govcrnll1Cnt
house. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Loans paid off ......... . . . . . .. ..............
Ferries and packets....................... . . .
Ship\vreckétl cre'vs...... ..... .............
Steal]} cOlllJIlunication.... ...... ............
Pu blic buildings ...................... .. ...
Break,vater and pu blir \vharves . .. ........
Postal Act........................ . . . ....... ...
Construction of pumps, &-c.. . ............. ..
Electric Telegraph COlnpany......... . . ...
Quarantine Act, &c............ ....... . . . ...
Protections of fisheries, &;c.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
St. .John's Hospital..........................
Insurance on public buildings . . . .........
Penitentiary UOllilllu:;::;ioners... . . . . ... . . .
Night 'vatch...... ........... ..... .........
J 11 ry Ac t ................................
.l\li
cel1aneous ........ ....... . ............. .

351

1,257
1,122
1,178
14

29

5 4
18 2
3 1
8 6
Ð 11

L3,72.) 0 8
41 :j 11
7,567 9 10
3,47:3 I;') 10
(j50 18 10
8,227 10 0
8,437 12 9
300 0 0
1,1!J2 0 11
11 13 4

1,399 9 6
9,591 12 0
286 2 6
107 14 11
300 0 0
1,.376 16 1
8li 14 0
2,Il
17 9
27
. 5 2
2,000 0 0
20 6 10
451 2 G
2 51:3 1:3 U
,
1
!) 15 4
1,:30.) 14 2
10
4 5
4'> 7 4-
:1,:
4:3 1 U 11

Total. .......... . . . . ;t 1 Uj ,S45 1 G 5
Or :;j29,

j

352

XEWFOUNDLAND, A:::; IT 'VAS,

Staten1ent she\ving the total aillount of the Revenue
and Expenditure of the Colony of Newfoundland, from
all sources, for the year ended 31st Decen1ber, 1875:-
REVENUE.
Customs, less dra\vbacks and bounty on ships
built in the colony... ....... . . . . . .........
784,553 79
Crown lands ......... ... .......... ............ 3,1 GO 70
Postal revenue ..... ........ . .............- 12,750 00
License fund. ........ ...... . ............... .... 5,532 87
Fees froin public offices.. .... . ............. ..... 4,373 15
Light house dues .................... ....... ... 28,216 73
$838,587 24
Loans received under Acts of the Legislature
and included in the present debt of the
colony for public works, hospital, school-
houses, &c. .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . .. 110,000 00

$948,587 24

EXPENDITURE.
Amount of expenditure, as per Financial Sec-
retary's statement . . ... . . . . ... ...... . . ... 861,646 92
Interest on debenture debt.. . .. $61,436 36
Ditto on floating debt... . . ... . . 2,065 10
63,501 46
CustOIllS expenditure...... . . . . . . .... .......... 46,235 53

$971,383 Dl
The staple articles of COlIUllerce in Newfoundland are
fish and oil. The following i
the value of iInports and
exports in 1862 :-
Imports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. :55,03.5,410
Exports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5,858,tn 5
Quintals of dried cod-fish exported in1862 1,080,OG9
Tuns of oil "" (16 637
- '
Seal-skins "" ,... 2{j
,(j24

\KD .AS IT IS I
1
77.

( P'J'Ollil tlu
C01nmercial .JV1.trJlal, Seplf'Jnbei' 1 U.)

"TABLE O
., EXPORTS;
Fr01l1 AUGUST 1st to SJ!:PTE
IBER 16th.

CODFISlI, qtls.
Portugal.................. ..
Spain ......... ....... ... . . . . . .
I tal y ... . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. ... . . . . . .
British 'Vest Indies
Brazils. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . , . . .... . . .
Scotland. .. . . .... . .. ., . ... . .
Other IMrts ...... .. .........
SEAL OIL, tuns
To United !{ingùom ... .
Other parts............. ... .
COD OIL, tuns
To United King( lonl. .. . . . ..
Other parts ............ .......

EAL SKINS
To U nitod ](ingclom . .......
SALMON, trcs....................
)IACKEREL andIIERlusGs,brls.

rOLASSES, pun .... ...........
:::; U GAIt, C w t. ..... ...............
S\LT, tOIlS...............,.......

1875.

1876.

4,392 ......... 2,100
7,220 ......... 11,566
9,870 ......... 10,146
2,14:9 ........... 4,162
20,542 ....... 22,457
......... 3
2,134 ......... 1,987
804 ......... 70U
339 ......... 114
9 ......... 30
......... 1
53,09() .......... t)70
810 9"'-
......... _.I I
590 ......... 400
fj-t2 ......... 79

50:> ......... 3, tOO
100 ......... 301

'l'ABLE OF I)[PO RT
.

Frolll JASUAH.Y 1st to SEPTE\lBI,:n 10th.

l
rpad. C\vt............ 0 ... . .
Flour, brl...... ..............
(jorn-lllpal, hrl...... 0 .... .. ...
Pork, 1,1"1........ ............
IJ....f, 1))0} ...... ..............
Butt...., cwt.......
BUill, pnns........... .........
1\lo}asses, pnllli,........ ......
"r

1
75.
17,416
11
,7
4
:3,
I 0
19,
:H
1,1 HJ
9, U. I
!)(.3
11,G33

... ....t

IH7G.
13,7j6
177,310
1 ,
t 1
18,370

,703
1
,
7U
óG5
7,5;),.

35:J

Sugar,cwt............. . ...... 11,918 ......... 8,912
Coffee, cwt..................... 540 ......... 703
Tobacco,lbs................... 213,254 ,........ 334,198
Tea,lbs........................ 481,945 ......... 429,568
Soap, boxes.... ...... ....... 9,636 ......... 8,539
Candles........ ............... 1,144 ......... 816
Salt, ton....................... 21,146 ......:.. 25,920
Coals, ton...................... 27,777 ......... 17,589
Pitch and tar.. .......... .... 2,168 ......... 2.549
Potatoes, brls................. 7,846... ... ... 7,655
Oats............................. 27,668 ......... 22,971
Kerosene oil, brls............ 3,125 ......... 2,973
Oxen and cows...... ... ... ... 1,853......... 2,811
Sheep ................ ....... 2,413 ......... 2,170
The exports of Newfoundland, just before the close of
the last war, were as follo\vs :-
1,200,000 quintals of dry Codfish, at
2 per
quintaL...... ......... ........ !2,400,000
20,000 quintals, pickled Cod-fish. at 128.
per quintal.. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
6,000 tüns of Cod-oil, at !32 per ton. ... .
156,000 Seal-skins, at 5s. per skin. ... . . . . .
4,666 tuns of Seal-oil, at !36 per tun. . . .
2,000 tierces of Salmon, at Æ5 per tierce
1,685 barrels of l\Iackerel, at !1 10s. per
barrel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . .
4,000 casks of Caplin, sounds and tongues
2,100 barrels of Herrings, at !1 5s. per
barrel. . . . . ... ... ... ... . . . . . . ... .
Beavers' and other furs......... .......00...
Pine tÏ1nber and planks. . ..... . . 0 . . . . 0 . . . . ..
400 puncheons of berries. ... . . . . . . . . ..

354

NE\V}'OUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS.

12,000
192,000
39,000
167,976
10,000

2,527
2,000

2,625
600
800
2,000

Total amount. ... . . . . . .. !2,831,52t;
Or $14,155,640
Tho value of thè irnports froln the United States in
I b49 alnounted to .f229 ,279.

\ND AS rr IS IN 1877.

355

Nlunher of ves::;els that entered in,vard:-; and cleared out-
,\\Tarcls of the Islan(l of N c,vfoundland during the year
1
5G.

I
w ARD:;.

O{)TW Alms.

COUNTRIES.

N 0,1 Tons. Men, X 0, Tons, Men,
j--,--I----
United Kingdom 191 I :
;
,:
o
1,82
114 17,:nß 1 1,033
Briti!olh POS:-;CHHiollS .. tj
6 59,4W 3,909 ü14 lì8,512 4,216
]i-'rance. .....,...,.. 23 1!Jl tj,
5 83 13
Hpnin. .... . . .... . . ... 93 1l,tJÛ8 80.) 71 8,;{:
0 617
Portugal .... _ _ , _ . . . . 112 14,8:N 911; I !)
12,211 784
Italy. .. . . . . , . .. . .. .. 1] 1,
16 !.I:)

fj 4,424 2!t5
Germa.ny . . .. .. . . . . . . 32 (),0
f4 I 316. . . . .. ..",.,'..
Denmark. . , . . . . .. . .. 2 411 1!J 1 120 7
C'nited Statea. . . . . . . . 174 2;
,782 1 1,181 7ß H,330 508
Hpani:-;h 'V CHt Indiel:!. . 48 6,4G2 40.) 30 4,479 253
Brazih
......... , . , . . 1 14 3,120 1(ì7 !.I
20,447 1,134
Au:-.tria ........,.... 1 338 IG. . . . .. .......,.. . . . . . .
St. Domingo ..... .. ..... .1.. .. .. . . . . .. . . 2 5:;0 19
Total. .. .. . .. .. . '1 13'27 I 161,640 9,716- 1HO H!;,h49 - 8,879

Rhips entered in l
tiO.......................... 1,4:!1
Hhips cleared" .......................... 1,2!)ß
The alllount of coin in circulation in N c\vfoun( Hand is
saill to la' usually over i:!OO,OOO sterling, or
l,OOO,OOO.
t;ilver coin froln ahnost every cuuntry is in circulatiun;
t he principal part of the silver, ho,\ ever, is
panish coin.
.t s. d.
c(lUal to 1 3 4 currency.
" 1 2 "

()l1è pound F;terIing is
A
hillin(' "
b

ixpence h" 7"
The rule is: to convert
torling into CUI'l"l'Jlt"'y, aùd 0ne-

ixth, an(l to convert CllITCJlC) into :;terling, suhttact olle-

'''t'nth. VolJars nud ccnt,-; 11:1\ Ü IH'v('r "('('ll Huhstitut "I
a
tlu.' CUIT('IlC),
Th,' fol1owing win slunv tlH' stat(' of tll(,
.L\'iJlg')' HaBl"
which is Huder the direction of thp T nen 1 UO\ ernIHl'llt;-

356

NE'V}"OUNDLAND, AS IT W A
,

Assets and Liabilities, 31st Dec., 1856.
Assets ....................................... $617,496
Liabilities ..................,....... '........ 545,425

Surplus of Assets. ....... ....... -. $71,071
There was a Branch Bank of British North America
established in St. John's for about seventeen years. The
first draft of this Bank was drawn on London, Decelnber
14th, 1836. It was closed in 1853, and the building occu-
pied as a Bank was purchased by the Commercial Bank-
ing Company of N e,vfoundland. There is now, be8ideb
the Savings' Bank, the COlnmercial Bank and the Union
Bank. These, with a b
anch of the Savings' Bank estab-
lished at Harbour Grace, in Conception Bay, are the only
banking establishments in Newfoundland.
The following is the number of vessels entered and
cleared in the various harbours of Newfoundland, engaged
in the Foreign Trade, during the year 1833, exclusive of
those entered and cleared at Labrador:-
St. John's, entered and cleared vessels - 455
Harbor Grace, &c. 105
Burin - 45
Trinity Bay 37
Fortune Bay 34
Twilingate and Fogo, &c. 30
Ferry land 25
Placentia 10
St. Lawrence 9
Bay of Bulls 3

Of these vessels- 753
298 To Great Britain.
193 Foreign Europe, and Brazilf;;,
182 British ,America.
72 'Vest Indies.

United Statp
,

753

.AND AS IT IS IX 1R77.

357

N HIll bel' of l'p(rister(\ù \,psspls that ent('f('f 1 anf 1 clpan'cl
ð
at the various port
of the island, ùistingui
hing the coun-
tries from or for \vhich they entereù or eleared, in each year
d uring the six years ending 1844, and for the year 1847 :-
rOU:KTIUES. 183a I I 1840 1841!18421184318-14! 1847 1 1847
-------1--- 1 ,
I I I Arri val. l Depart.
Unitecl Kingdom, . l
íì
:i
.
25 20ft 2:
0 203 2:38 115
13ritish Colonies .. . . . . . ., . t>û:3 IiI;.') 1 G4Uj 7!.O' 79.') 8731 41i:3 702
Forci;;n ,Europe ..........1 2.j

G:
I I 21i8
82 294 301 2Gtj I :mo
Foreign 'Vest Indies. . . . . .1 75 5fj 71 la 70 fj2. . . . . . .. ........
Unitecl States ............ I H5 ] 40 102 118 1:
;) 12:1 1Rfj G4
Coa<;twise ...... . . . ... . , . '1148
151J 1 157115:n 1f>4ti 1583 .. . . . . .. ...,...
TotalR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' I
28i7 288ß 298Ï 3õ7õ ' 3ill1 115.') 1181
NUlnher, tonnage anù cre\vs of vessels entered and
cleared at each port of the colony of N f'wfoundland, in
the year 1t).38 :-

ENTERED.

CLEARED.

COUKTIUES.

No.

Tou.-. Men, No.1 Ton.,. ,[en,

St. John's. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , U2;) l:H,!):J:
I
Twillingate ................ 3 ;
5

Fogo ...................... 18 2,:348

r
e!l
pOna .,..."........ 11 I 1,2
7
I runty ...... ., ,... 2
2,;"'>:3!J
( 'arbonear . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 2,.-,{)I;
Harbour Grace -..."'... 1;).'" I 22,R:?G
Brig\1B .....,......,'...... !)
"(j;
I
Little IJlacclltia ............ 4 I 173
OJeria .................... 8 4
H
I.amalint. ............. . . . 7 I ;
:!8
l
urin 4:! :
,277
Har1)();1
ïil'
t;I
'::.':
:::
:: n 4,5.,)fj

t. Lawl'cnco ..... , . , . . It
!.:i
Gaultoi:i. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . , . . 21 1,fi40
La ])ot"'lt. .'. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
!. f),
);3f;
Channel. . . . . . . . . . , , . ' .... . ..
I .,2,71:3
Totals. . . . .... . . . , . .... 11-10 It;8,100

7,770i 84n 1:!6,862 7,356
2') (j G!JU 4:

113 1 18 2,2.,)(j 112
7
1 12 1,:{:!1 81
1ti11 21
,:>>18 1f')()
1:3:' 2;; 2,!H 1 1ti()
1,378 13ð 21,17:! 1,
;)1)
55 H I,O:!
(jO
15 2 111
)
3.; H 7:37 4.'"
:!t; :3 :!1:3 1:3
2'2í 40 3,14(;
07
;3()()1 :37 4,874 300
:!(i . . . . .. ........ ......
l
O 10 ] .:!R 1
)2
5:
71 7H 5,77!J 4.")8
:!4h 11 704 ;'2

11,2:10 1')(j6 17;:),1;09 10,412

S;')8

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT ,V AS,

NUlllher an.I tonnage of Rpanish ves
eIs that loarlcft
,vith fish Hinee L834:-

æ rn
rn
rñ a3
rñ -

4-'>"': (J) rñ 4-'>'

7: m
s::1'"W
rL
s::1...s::
ce XI s::1 .a

u:. s::1 .aJi
(J) (J) 0 (J) (J) (J) 0 0.>

:> 8
Çj þof :>

Çj
--- -- -- - - --- ----
\
1834 10 I 1,489 lOr:) 2,5881 1841 24 2,841 262 55,141
183;) 11 1,505 140 3,1103 1842 28 3,344 313 67,306
1836 13 1 1 ,792 147 3,5944 18-t:
42 5,049 472 96,994
1837 19 2, (j18 220 5,1062 1844: 46 5,470 494 106,
{58
1838 18 2,190 200 4,270fi 1845 8'2 9,740 849 180,682
1839 cr 1 3 ,459 294 6,1:{9:,) 1846 28 3,146 279 55,969
...:)
1840 19 1,987 236 4,2(i97 1847 44 5,082 431 96,673

SHIPS BUILT IN THE COLONY.

1840, 1841. 1842. 1843.11844. 1845,11846,11847, 11<18. 18.)7,
------1------
I I I
No. . 1 31 33 1 32 1 24 1 25 :32 31 17 I 19 68
Tons 10591178;) 1553 1192 1281 11607 172;3 I 854 I 794 i 3377

SHIPS OWNED AND REGISTERED IN THE COLONY.

On 31st Dec., 1844,......., 8-14 On 31st Dec., 1848.........934
On 31st Dec., 1845........ 907 0n 31st Dec., 1857 ......1115
On 31st Dec., 1'347 .... ...950
There are twenty-six light-houses on the coast of
e'v-
foundlancl, besides the light-houses on the French iF;land
of St. Pierre. The following is a description of the
lights :-
"St. Joltn's.-Two red lights are exhibited, intpnded as lead-
ing marks for vessels entering the narrows.
" FOTt AmJMTst.-ThiR is a stationary light, on the southern
head of the entrance of St. J ohu's harbour, first established in
1813.

AND A:) IT IS IN 1877.

:
.) !)

" C(ljJC Spear.-This is a powerful revolving light, burning at
an elevation of 275 feet above the level of tlw Rea, and showing
a In'illiant flash at intervals of one n1inute. In clear weather
it m:1Y be seen frOIll sea, in any direction, at the distance of
thirty-five lniles.
"/IarbO'ltr Grace.-This is a powelful fixed light., situate on
Harbour Grace Island, in Conception Bay, extending easterly
or seaward, in a direction by compass from north to south-west.
" BonaÛstft.-This light revolves every two lninutes, showing
a red and white flash alternately; and it iH fllevatf1d 150 feet
above the level of the sea.
" St. Päer's.-A light house has been erected by the French
GovC'rtunent on Galantry HC'ad, near Cape N oil'. The light
is a fixed one. It burns at an elevation of about 210 feet abovf1
the level of the sea. It may be seen (in passing from N. N. \V.
to N.
. E.) at the distance of eighteen or twenty miles, in
clear weather. In passing by tlw north it is Rhut in by high
lanù from N. N. E. to \V. N. 'V.
" Ferryland Head Light.-First exhihited on the 1st Octoher,
1871. From sunset to sunrise, a steady white light of the 3rd
orùer, IHlrning on a brick tower 200 feet above the level of the
Hea, visible in favourahle weather sixteen nautical miles. It is
situated in lat. 47 0 00' 58" N, and long. 52 0 51' 07" \V. The
tower is of red brick; the keeper's dwelling, detached from the
tower, is painted white and the roof red.
" Cape ]Jiue.-This light-house was erected by the British
Government. The building is of iron. It is situated 246 feet
above the sea, and the light is 74 feet from the ground, making
it in all 320 feet above the level of the sea. The contractor
was A. Gordon, Esq., Civil Engincer, Grcenock. The. building
and light are similar to that erected by the same gentll
lnan on
the south-ea
tern end of the Dermuda Islands, and which is
said to be one of the finest in the world. The following are
the light dues :-Ono shilling per ton on all vessel::, entering
any port or harbour of the colony, except coasting and sl'aling
vessC'ls; but not to Le lcvied more than once in anyone yea.r.
Six pence per ton on registercd vessels of forty tons and up

wards. U nller forty tOlls, fifteen shillings pcr annum, or three
dollars. No gI'c'ater sum than t25 sterling is to bl- IcvÜ>(l in
any Olll' year for light dw':-, on anyone stl'allll'r or ,'cs:-;(,I I'utl'}"

360

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

ing any port in the colony; and no steamer vlying between
Europe and North America, aud entering any port of the colouy,
as a port of call, to be liable to pay any light dues, or other
port charges, except pilotage.
" Hærb01l't G9'ace Beacon Light.-This is a harbour light, placed
on the Point of Beach, at the entrance to Harbour Grace.
" Green Islcmd Light, at the entrance of Catalina Harbour,
Trinity Bay. Situate in lat 48 0 30' 16" N., Ion. 53 0 2' 4" \V.
This is a fixed white light, burns at an elevation of 92 feet
above high water, and in favourable weather will be seen E. N.
E. seaward, to S. 'V., If) nautical miles. Vessels bound north-
ward, hy kf'eping this light open with the north head of Cata-
lina, until Bonavista light opens with Cape St. Jean, will give
the Flower Rocks an ample berth; or, when cOlning from the
northward and bound for Catalina, by giving the N. Head a
moderate berth, you will clear the Brandies Rocks by steering
for Green Island Light. It was first exhibited in 1857.
"Cape Race exhibits a revohing white light. From sunset to
sunrise the light is visible to seaward, from N. E. by E. round
by the S. E. and S. to W. The light is elevated 180 feet above
the mean water level of the sea, and may be seen in clear wea-
ther 19 nautical miles from a ship's deck. The tower is striped
red and white, vertically. It stands close to the old beacon,
which has been cut down. The lighthouse is in lat. 46 0 39' 30"
N., Ion. 53 0 4' 30" 'V., and was first exhibited in 1856.
" Cape Race Steam Fog Al(
r1n.-A powerful steam whistle
has been placed on Cape Race, about 520 feet south of the
lighthouse, which is sounded during thick or foggy weather, or
snow storms, for ten secouds, with intervals of silence of fifty
seconds in each minute. The whistle will probably be heard in
calm weather, 20 miles; with the wind, 30 miles; and in stormy
weather, against the wind, from seven to ten miles.
"Doddinglwad, Great Burin Isl(
nd, Ligltt.-This light was
put in requisition on the 3rd August, 1858, and is exhibited
every night from sunset to sunrise. It is revolving cato-dioptric
of the second order, producing a brilliant white light evpry
minute, burning at an elevation of 430 feet above the level of
the sea, and in favourable weather can be seen 20 miles. Situ-
ated in 47 0 0' 26" north lat., 55 0 8' 43" west Ion.

AKD AS IT t
IN lR77.

3'-1

" 1872-Pllffill h;[fI}1(l, (';'I"t::ul
jJu"d.-Tlle light-house nn this
island is huilt of granite, with the tower and keeper's dwelling
attached. The illuminating apparatus is dioptric of the 4th
order, and a fixed red light is exhibited from sunset to sunrise.
It is 83 feet above the level of the sea, and in clear weather
should be seen a distance of 12 nlÍles. The light is visible from
N. by E. through S. to "? by
. by compass, and is situated
in 49 0 3' 37" N. lat., and 58 0 32' 27" 'Y'. Ion.
"J.to. 1, 1873-Ecllo'J'mn F01'iu1l
B(ly.-A fixed white light is
exhibited nightly at this place from sunset to sunrise, at an
elevation of 35 feet above the level of the sea, and in clear
weather shoulJ be visible seven miles. The building is a wooden
tower, painted white, and is Rituated in lat. 47 0 29' N., and
55 0 27' 15" 'v. Ion. The arparatus is dioptric of the 8th order.
with a single argand burner, and illuminates an arc of the ho-
rizon of 270 0 . In entering the harbour the light must be kept
on the port hand.
"No.2, 1873-Rose Elanchp POtllt.-This light-house is built
of granite, up on the eastern head. The tower and keeper's
d welling are attached. The illuminating apparatus is dioptric
of the 4th orrler, antI a fixed white light ið exhibited from sunset
to sunrise, at an elevation of 95 feet above the level of the sea,
and should hf' seen in clear weather 13 n1Ìles. Sha.g Island,
Black Rock, bears west from the light, and distant about one
mile; l{ose TIlanche shoals, \Y. S. 'V., half a mile; and Petit

Ðlack Hock, E. by S., 3 miles.
" No.3, 1873-_Pm't Point, Triniiy.-A fixf\d light is exhibited
nightly, from sunset to sunrise, upon a wooden- tower, painted
white, and at a height of 75 feet above the level of the sea., and
should he visihle in clear weather for 11 mi1es. The erèction
is situated in 48" 21' !)5" N. lat., and 53" 20' 51" ,Yo Ion. The
apparatus is dioptric of the t;th order, with a singl{' argand
}HIrner, and illuminates an arc of the horizon of 320. 0 In enter-
ing the harbour the light must he kept on the port hand.
" Off r TVadluun Island Light.- 'Yas first exhibitf\d on the 4th
October, 1858, and is lightc(l pvcry night from sunset to RUD-
risp. The light is a steady, fixl>ù lens-light, burning on a cir-
cular brick tower, 100 feet above the level of the sea, and can
b(\ s(\cn in a fa.vourable statt" of tlw atTnosphcl'<' I!) nautical

:j62

NE'\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

miles. Situated in latitude 49 0 36' 0" North longitude 53 0 45' 6"
'Vest.
" Baccalieu Island Ligltt.-This light is exhibited every night
from the going away of daylight in the evening to the return of
daylight in the morning. The light-house situated on the
northern end of the island-latitude 48 0 8' 51" North; longi-
tude 52 0 47' 50" West - the tower is of brick, the keeper's
dwelling (a square building detached from the tower) is painted
white, with the roof red.
"The light is cato-dioptric, first-class holophotal revolving
white light, showing a flash every twenty seconds. It is elevated
443 feet above high water, and can be seen in clear weather 30
nautical miles, and a lesser distance according to the state of
the atmosphere. When the southern end of the island bears
N.N.E., the light will not be visible when nearer the island
than 8 miles. It was first exhibited in 1858.
" Gape St. lJIary's Ligl/;t--Was put into requisition on the
20th September, 1860 ; it is a revolving cato-dioptric light of
the first order, producing alternately every minute a brilliant
red and a white light, burning at an elevation of 300 feet above
the level of the sea, and will be seen in a favourable state of the
atmosphere 26 nautical miles from the vessel's deck; situated
in 46 0 40' 30" N. lat., 54 0 11' 34"W. long. The tower is of brick,
and on each side of which stands the dwelling of the keeper and
assistant, the sides of which are painted white, roofs red.
"BrumetlslandLight, Mercer's Head, Fortune Bay.-First ex-
hibited 27th June, 1865. It is a powerful flashing white light,
and attains its greatest brilliancr every ten seconds. It burns
at an elevation of 408 feet above the level of the sea, and in
clear weather may be seen at a distance of 35 miles, and be
visible in every direction from North, round East and South, to
'V.N.W. Mercer's Head is a bold headland, and situated in
long. 55 0 59' 30" 'V., and lat. 47 0 16' N.
"No.1, 1874. Gann Island, Seldom.come-by.- A fixed wlâte
light is exhibited nightly at this place, from sunset to sunrise,
at an elevation of 85 feet above the level of the sea, and should
be visible 12 miles. The tower and dwelling are of wood and
attached, and are situated in latitude 49 0 35' 05" N., and longi

tudf' 54 0 10' 33" \\T. The apparatus is dioptric, of the 8th order,

AXD AS IT IS IX 1877.

:
()S

with a Ringle argand burner, and illuminates an arc of thp
horizon of 327".
"_\r o . 2, 1874. 1/0(11. Island, B1lrgeo.-A fixed red light is ex-
hihited nightly at this place, fronl sunRet to sUllriRe, at an ele-
vation of 240 feet ahove the sea, anù should he visible Reven-
teen n1Ïles. The tower anù dwelling are of wood, and attached,
and are situated in latitude 47 0 36' 12" N., and longitude 57 0
35' 13 ' / 'V. The apparatus is dioptric of th
Rixth order, with
a single argand burner, and illuminates the whole of the hori-
zon of 270 Q .
"No.1, 1875. Cltannel IIead, Port-a1J.ì;-Bas'lues.--A wooden
light tower haR heen er
cted on this h
ad, and on and after this
date a fi::J"Æ3d 'red light will he exhibited thereon, at an elevation
of ninety feet above the level of the sea. Lat 47 0 33' 47" N.,
and long. 50C\ 07' 10" 'Vest. In clear weather the light should
be visible twelve nlÍles. The illunlinating apparatus is dioptric,
of the eighth order, with a single argand burner. The whole
horizon is illuminated.
" Rocky j'oint, Harbou'J. B'Joeton, Fortune B(ly-situated in lati-
tude t7" 27' 30" N., ]ongiÞ.1df> 55 0 47' 45" \V. .l\. S(\,lare
wooden towel' carrying an octagon and lantern, in which a whitf'
light will bf' exhibited nightly, with a red light to mark the
] [arbonr Rock.
" Garnish, Fm.tune Bay.-A beacon tower of wood, carrying an
octagon and lant<:>rn, in which a red light iR exhihited nightly.
Latitudo 47 0 1-1"
-, longit\1<le 55 0 24' W (approxiInate).
" Beacon, Ireland Eye, enlratlce oj La ]>oêle Bay.-A square
huiltling of wood, painted white, with three hlack bantIs, has
been erected on this island. It is Rev{'nty-fiv
feet high, and iH
Rupporu'd on four chainR.
" A light-house has been erected hy the Governnlent of Canada
on the western side of Cape l-lay, on t]w sonth-we::)t const of tho
Islaml of Nf'wfoundlawl. Latitudp 47 0 37' N., longitude 5f)0
l
' 'V. ,A poworful f1aHh whito light is exhiLitell, making a.
c()mplet(
rf'volution in two anù a quarter minutes, and flashing
pvery tpn seconds: àt a long llistance, however, it has the ap-
pearance of a steady light. Tho light can l'rohahly be seen fit
a (hstancc of twenty Jniles in clpë\r \\ pathl'l".
" Th
to\VPl' lR a woollen huiLlillg, hexagonal in Hhape, forty-
ont' feet high, aud painted white. Thf' kCt.I'("r'R .1\\ pIling, nhm

364

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

of wood, stands at a littlp distance fron) the towf'r, anù is also
pH. in tf'd w 1 Iite.

"Thp illuminating apparatus is catoptric, and consists of
twelve lamps and reflectors.
" A fog whistle is in 9peration at Cape Ray. It will be blown
in thick and foggy weather, and during SHOW storn1s, for ten
seconds in each ll1inute, leaving an interval of fifty seconds be-
tween pach blast. It can be heard frorrJ three to fifteen nlilf's.

.AND A
rl' IS IN Ib77.

;H.i5

CHAPTER XVI.

POPUL \TIOY, RELIGION, AND EDUC.\TION.

HE following was the population of Newfoundland

at different periodB :-

Year.
17ü3 . . ...... . . ... . . .. 1 1 :
)

3 ;')
f 'Vintcr population.
1784. . . . . ... .. . . . . . .. a,.....) _
1
06......... .... ..... 2ü,.jOO
1
23 ............ ......... 52,157
182t) ............ ... ...... 58,08t)
In 183ü, the population was as follows :-
District of Ht. John's _............ .... ...............
" Conception Bay..............................
" Trinity Bay ........................'...... .
Bonavista Bay - . ............. . ...........
Fog () ... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .

.,errylallù .. .......... ............... . . . ...
Plact\ntia and St.
Iary's... . . . . . . . ... . .
Burill ....... . .... . ..... ....... . . . . . . . ...

'ortuI1e B:t y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . .

"

IH,920
23,
lj
G,t;03
5,lt53
4,SHü
5,111
4,701
3,140
3,1
U

"

"

"

"

Total. . . . ............... 75,OU4
I
ELIGION.-The population of the Is]an(l consi
tc(l of
nearly cliual 1l1l1Ilhcrs of ROlnan Catholics HJlIl Prutt
s-
tant
-t1H')'e lH'iug, of the fonncr, :J7,71H, ana uf thp lat-
ter', 37,:J7fi-of \VhOl0 2G,740 \v("\re Epi
r()paliaHs, an(1
J (),O:3f. \Vps)t'yaHs.

366

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

According to the Returns of 1845, the population was:
District of St. John's ........ ............. . ........... 25,196
" Conception Bay ........ ....... . . . .. 28,026
" Trinity Bay .......... . . . ............ ...... 8,801
" Bonavista Bay. . . . . ................. ,.. . . 7,227
" Fogo ..........................-.............. 6,744
" Ferryland ............. . .......... ......... 4,581
" Placentia and St. Mary's.......... . . . . . 6,471
" Bllrin.......... ...... . . .............. ... ... 4,3.57
" Fortune Bay... . . ...... . . ... . . ............ 5,100
" Extreme West.............................. 2,200

Total.................. ........ 98,703

RELIGION.

Church of Rome.... ...... .........
Church of England...... ..... .........
Wesleyan Metholists ........ . . . . .
Pres byterians .......... . . .. . . . . .. . .
Congregationalists... . . ......... ......
Remainder unknown.
The ROlnan Catholics are Irish and descendants of
Irish, the Episcopalians, ltlethodists, and Congrega-
tionalists are English and the descendants of English and
Jersey; the Presbyterians are principally Scotch and their
descendants.

46,983
34,294
14,239
578
394

..")
00
.-4

rn

o

Eo<
2:

<

o

o
t.tJ

-<
c:::

"

U'J

o

e,;
.:d
"
o

-<

Q:.
o

J
II
,

.AND AS rr IS I
1877.

0
0

.n
..:i J
<
g:

,.J

0
;:
0
-<

::;,

Q
Z
<
It)
,.J
0
g
:;)
00
I
ñ
,
0
(:
<
z
;.
0
z

rn
Õ
Õ

CiIJ
cz::

l

M
t-

M

\
'

"S
U()Ð PU'B au!.\\S

g
;g8
gs
8

CQ

r-I C'J r-I
C'I :-::

ooo

o
oor-llo l

"daaqs I
00

aC ...,. M M 1'- r-I L") Co 00 ..... t- I t- C
çz .-4
1-
.-4
.fj C'I M
C'I çz ;g _

I C.C'lC
O
OOOt-t-t-

C'l I
I

'S38.10H G

0 C'I gs
00
C'I
- - 1 -1' r-I r-I""'.o t-r-I 0 :I)
Moooot- r-I 1 r-I- \

"S1AOO q
m

t3

g

M
;;
I ...,.t-
t-M

OOO

-O- I -

"an
t'o
'8aN :

f;1
"'"
&>
C'I
r-Ir-I

1 r-I
""'
r-I""'
1'-0.
r-I0000

I r-I
"sa<;no q
U1 II
" u :-::
C":! t- '"'" r-I 1:-1 ..,. CO 00 j)

r-I L") 22 '"'" I ...,.
". C'.t-OOC:l)Ot-M.....oo':'loo
LQ

':'1 .... r-I r-I r-I r-I r-I r-I .-4
r-I
I
1 I .
l if

Ot-

1'-
I
'sndnd 2t
;.:g

6

"

I r-I
r-I

r-I
.sIomps ,
::1

1'-

;::

I
...,.,
r-I 1'-1"

I .
GIC'I
...,. ;:::!.-4

I

I

I

..")
'''r-I
g 1

C'I
I>t:)

IOO

- l g l

It:' P""'4
..-:.
r:;- ,
- I

C":! 0-1 .-4

I
-' I -

,

".uonVU!ttlouaa .Iaq10 I
"r-I."

\ "BI ad'Uqo u'U Áa l8a Ml
-: r-I
C'I

00 r-I"'" : r-I CQ

'H..!o
3q;).Inqo I t- 0-1
C'I
r-I"'"
...,....,. 00
.c:.
5 puvP:fu3)0 saq;unqo I
eN r-I M 1'- r-I r-I
;:::

C":!
'S.I,n.no pU1I s':J1:inù'U
rr: 1'- ----::

I .r'
I "
eN "<I'
"1B!I'UUon'B.I"ìa
uoo
c:. '.-4 r-I
I
C. .Mr-Ir-I""'
1'-
'>(.InL 33.1.'1

't-
1 Cf)C'I'='I....C'I . . . " .
1m1!I1()
S )0 >(.I!}{

: : : : :
I M

c., ':'1
":' -=--", CO 00 en 0 0
"BUV.(:JI8:J.\\

1- ::: :::

gs

00 C";)
,r-I C'lr-Ir-I""'C":!r-IC'I r-I
1 '- Cf) M 1'-

,
':";) 0 '='1

(,0 ...,. t-
'smIul[1U;) C M .

JJ 00 .
':";) ..,. 8

'"1'
" ·
8
r-IM

I r-I
__
I M/;,1 0",:)
r-I

...,. C'11_ 8
-t-
.puuI
U3: JO q;unqo
'H

g

0

1
;10
t-

9
:?3

"uOl
uInrluJ Cì3
-.
""'.

o-
0-1. t-

C'I

""'.
. t-M

O

O

OO
M
.-4 r-I r-I r-I
.

. r-I

í.I.Ï
f-4
o
;:
f-4
'!:.

. "
" .UJ
" : ;:.
::Q)
. '&:
Q)
":-

fS:.,; :&:....

::::tfè5"'; :-0.00 :;

"'C?"'

::;:"O ...:I
A,,=,Q):::

. "
.....
I rñ
"9
..8"9
. .

as :
-g
.d

.c:c

:::"
"Q) as
-3 w :r:: Co. ::: '-'
t."; -=

ã

.. C":!..o(,01'-";:j

t:
'Ët:

I .J '---y-<;::Q
Q) - =' 0

00 'J11fT lion t--<
E-t tJ,., ;.. :;::) tJ,.,

r-I C'1 -tI,):Juu;) -X>

:::

;!:

i
o
E:--

367

Q)
'"
ø:S
r-I

...;

s
.â

-
o
0"

...;

:::. ..
J1
.....
:::.
õ

f)
=3
='
]

Q)

.r
]

.c
Õ
.::J

ç::;
.c
"

co::
rn
o

ë
:2
d
rn
='
d

f
o
i
.c

S
'"
tJ,.,

<

.
...

d,_
0-
'" c
-.c

"t:!ø:S
.so

o
d

"-C":!

J1-O
Q)-
...a
o -
]

.oS
j

o
'"
ø.

36t->

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS I
'tV AS,

POPULATION, &C., IN 1869.
146,536-consisting of Roman Catholics 61,040; Church
of England, 55,1
4; Presbyterians, 974; Congregationalists,
338; 'Vesleyan Methodists, 28,990; other denon1Ïnations,
10. Number of churches, 235.

POPULATION I
1874.

The Electoral Districts............... ....... .. .. .. . 148,919
French Shore..................... _ . . ...... . . . . .. ... . .. . . . 8,6.51
Labrador .................................................. 2,416
Twellingate and Fogo Undertaken..... ............ 1,450

Total ............................................ 161 436
The following is a brief sketch of th e rise and progress
of the different religious bodies of Newfoundland:-
CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

Mr. Aikins says:
"The missions of the Church of England in the present
British North American Provinces were set on foot, and sup-
ported principally by the agents of the Society for Propagation
of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. This Society, originating in the
pious efforts of Dr. Bray, was incorporated by Royal Charter,
from '\Villiam III., in 17tH, with the avowed object of provid-
ing for the maintenance of ministers of the Church in the dif-
ferent 'Colonies, Plantations and Factories' of Great Britain,
by means of gifts and contributions to be obtained in England.
" The following particulars, gathered from the published pro-
ceedings * of this Society, will suffice us in tracing the progress
of Church missions in these Provinces from their commence-
ment in the 18th century to the establishment of the first Colo-
nial Bishopric :
" The spiritual destitution of the settlers in N ewfoundlanù

.. Hawkins'
fisRion of thf' Chl!rC'h- RepurtH
. P. 0,

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

369

was anlong the earliest objects of the Society's solicitude. \Ve
find the following remarks in their first report, publish(1d in
1704 :
" , Newfoundland has several settlements of English, with
many occasional inhabitants as workers, mariners, &c., at the
fishing seasons, to the amount of several thousands; but no
public exercise of religion except at St. John's, where there is a
congregation, but unable to sustain a minister.'
" In l\lay, 1703, the Rev. 1\1r. Jackson, then residing at St.
John's, ,vho had been previously depending for his maintenance
on private subscriptions, was adopted as a missionary of the
Society, at a salary of .f.50 per annum, assigned to him for a
period of three years.
" In 1705, a melIlorial was presented to the Society by several
merchants trading to Newfoundland, praying that two mission-
aries might be sent to St. John's, and engaging that the people
of the country should contribute to their suppurt. The Rev.
Jacob Hice was sent out about this time, by the Bishop of
London, whether in accordance with this request or not, is
uncertain.
" Again, in 1729, we find the inhabitants of Trinity Bay, in
N ewfounùland, petitioning for a missionary to be sent among
them, and at the same time offering to contribute towards his
support, and to build a church. The Society sent them the
l{ev. Robert l{illpatrick, with a salary of Æ30 per annunl. After
remaining there for a short time, he removed to
ew York.
About thc year 1736, htj returned to Trinity Bay, where he was
wf'lcomed by a numerous congregation, and remained among
them till death in 1741. He represented the average numbf'r
of his congregation at 250 in summer, and tbat at Old Perlican
at 200.
"The Rev. flcury Jones was settled at Bonavista in 1723,
and received a gratuity of .f.30 from the Society that year, which
was afterwarùs continued to him. In 1734:, he rcpr(,scllted his
congregation to be in a flourishing condition, and the numher
of his conullunicants increasing. \Vithin the period of eight
years, he baptiscd 114 persons, five of whom were grown-up
persons.
lr. Jones was engaged for twenty-five years in mis-
sionary labours at Newfoundland. l-Ie estahli
he(l a schuul at
JJonavista in 172(), and in 1730, he ha.d nea.rly completed the
À

370

NE'V:FOUNDI..AND, AS IT WAS,
erection of a church. After the death of Mr. Killpatrick
he
officiated at Trinity Bay until the appointment of the Rev. l\Ir.
Lindsay to that mission in 1749. The Rev. Mr. Peaseley, of
Trinity College, Dublin, was appointed resident missionary at
St. John's about the year 1745. 1\'11'. Peaseley officiated to a
crowded congregation at St. J ohu's, and occasionally visited the
out-harbours. He was removed to South Carolina in 1750.
"The Rev. Ed ward Langman, of Baliol College, Oxford, was
appointed to succeed Mr. Peaseley, as missionary to St. John's
and the out-harbours, at the request of the inhabitants, among
whom he had been residing for some time previous. * On taking
possession of his cure in 1752,
Ir. Langman found the number
of comillunicants to be thirty. Of the two hundred families
which composed the population of St. John's at this time, forty
were of the communion of the Church of England, fifty-two
Roman Catholics, and eight Dissenters.t In 1759, he visited
Placentia Bay and baptised fifty persons, nearly all adults. In
the summer of 1760, he again visited the out-harbours, and by
his report it appeared that there were in Reneuse, twenty-five
families of whom ,vere Protestants, and the Irish Romanist
population 140 souls. In Fermense, nearly the whole popula-
tion amounting to 100, were Roman Catholics. Ferryland. 64
Protestants and 86 Roman Catholics. During this visit, he
baptised 38 children. In 1 761, he found at Bay of Bulls, 45
families, of which 37 were Roman Catholics. About 1762, a
church was erected at St. John's, under the direction of ]\lr.
Langman, which was not completed until 1773. This indefati-
gable missionary continued to discharge thew laborious duties
until his death, which took place in 1783. His allowance from
the Society was .{:50 per annum, and he represented the little
gratuities he received from his flock as being inconsiderable, and
that 'he had to go and beg from them as a poor man would for
alms.' He appears to have lived on terms of Christian fellow-
ship with his neighbours of other denominations; several
families of Dissenters attending on his ministry, and receiving
the holy communion from his hands. He was succeeded at St.
John's by the Rev. Mr. Price.
"In 1768, the Rev. Laurence Coughlan, who for three years

* Heport S. P. G.1745.

t Reports S. P. (;.

AND AS IT IR IN 1877.

:
71

)Þl'f.\riOHsly hatl hoon residing among the inhabiLallt
uf Harhour
Grace and Carhollcar, W(l:-) appointed a IniHsionary of the Suci-
ety, and pr('ached in Irish. His congregation frequently included
1Hany Irish R01nan Catholics. The natives attended his preach-
ing very constantly, and he a(hninistered the sacrament once a
Inonth to frmn 150 to 200 communicants.
"The Hev. Jan1es Balfour was appointed ll1issionary at Trin-
ity Bay, with the out harbours of Old and New Perlican and
Bona,ista, in 1765. In acknowledgulent of his services his
pariHhioners, soon after his arrival, built him a how.;{'. But after
nine years' labour in this Illission, which Was not IN.;s than forty
Il1iles in circuit, he was removed to the more important sta.tion
of Harbour Grace, left vacant hy the resignation of 1\11'. Cough-
lan in 17730* In a letter dated 1778,
Ir. Balfour reported tbe
population of Tlarbour Grace to consist of 4,462 Protestants
and 1,306 Homan Catholics; the nUlllber of communicants
varying from 150 to 200. ·
" He was succeeded in this n1Ïssion hy Rev. .J ohn Clinch. In
1787, a 11H-'ll1orial frUln the inhabitants of Placentia Bay was
laiù before tho Society, stating their willingness to contribute to
the support of a clergyman in their sottlenuont. JIis R. I-I.
Prince \Villiam Henry, afterwards T(in
'Villiam IV., then
in command of a ship of war on the station, contributed hand-
Homely towards the erection of the church, a.nd presented them
a. set of comnllinion plate. t
" The conùition of N ewfoundla.nd at the pcrio.I treatC'd of in
the foregoing pages presentpd dangers and diHcourageulPutH to
missionary entf'rprisc far surpasHing any <lifficnl ties experienced
by the IllesHengers of thp Cross in that country or any oth('r
portion of British America at the present day. The population
of tho island wa.'i of a 1l1uch TIlOre fluctuating ch:uoacter than at
pr '..,ent: it consisted of a few thousands, principally poor fish-
4.'1"111('11, thinly Hcattere(l among the innumerahle l)ays and ha.r-
honrs of more than a thOllS<lwl u1Ï]cs of northern Ht'ahoard, in-
åcc 'ssihlc. pxc('pt by water, frOln the rough face uf the lanù and
th · total ah:,cnce of all roa(ls. Tht' missiuHi l"Íes \\('1 0 (' cOllll'4.'llt.d

* I [u,wkiuii' )(isHiou".
t HiM \\itlow, the present (l\1
en Dowager .Atlelaidl', is !-Iaill to h:1.\l' Jatply
coutrihutpll to\\a.rù
the rebuiMin,., of th
churcho .

372

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

to tloavel groat distances by water, passing round headlands and
prOlnont.aries exposed to the swell of the wide Atlantic, in OpPll
boats and small fishing vessels, in order to reach the scattered
stations under their spiritual care. In addition to the hardships
and privations attendant on the performances of their duties,
many of these men had to subsist on the scanty pittance of 1:.30
or 1:.40 assigned to thenl by the Society for Propagating the
Gospel, then in its infancy.
"In 1798, the Society for Propagating the Gospel having
taken in consideration the state of the missionaries in N ewfound-
land, their labours and dangerous dutiea, were induced to in.
crease their salaries, not however in equal advance, but accord-
ing to the situation and circumstances of each mission. This
year we find the Rev. John Harris zealously engaged in forward-
ing the erection of a new church at St. John's, the first one hav-
ing been erected in 1 790. The Rev. 1\11'. Jenner was in charge
of the missionary stations of Harbour Grace, Carbon ear, and
Port de Grave, Conception Bay. Mr. Clinch, then at Trinity
Bay, had charge of Old Perlican and several other stations, and
Mr. Evans was resident missionary at Placentia Bay. The
church schools at Bonavista, Burin, Scilly Cove, and Harbour
Grace were in a prosperous condition.
"In 1814, David Rowland was stationed at St. John's j F.
H. Carrington, Carbon ear and Harbour Grace; J. Clinch, Trin-
ity Bay; the mission at Placentia, vacant. There w
re also six
Church schoolmasters in the island.
"Tn Newfoundland, the Churc4 during this period can
scarcely be said to have kept its ground; there had been no in-
crease in the number of missionaries for ten or twelve years,
and for a great part of the tÌlne but three resident clergymen in
the island. Each missionary had a salary of about 1:.100 per
annum, in addition to the Government allowance, and there
were also four or five schoolmasters with small stipends. In
181 ï two new Inissionaries came out and the salaries were in-
creased to æ200 pelt annnm by the Society.
" The Bishopric · of Nova Scotia had been resolved on in 1784,
and Dr. Chandler, of N ew York, fixed upon to fill the see. He
declined the dignity, and reconlmended his friend Dr. Charles
Inglis, formerly rector of Trinity Church in that city, who had
for Inany years taken an active part in the discussions relating

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

373

to Anlerican episcopacy. Dr. Inglis waR accordingly consecrated
first Bishop of K ova Scotia, in 1787, with eclesiastical jurisdic-
tion over the Province::; of U Pl'er and Lower Canada, New
Brunswick and the IsI
nd of N ewfoundlancl.
" On the death of BisllOP Inglis, which t.ook place in 1816,
the neve Dr. Stansel', rector of St. Paul's, Halifax, was elevated
to the Bishopric by the recOlnnwndation of the Governor,
Council and Assemhly, and Dr. John Inglis appointed to the
yacani rectory, and, at the Sèlnle titne, 111ade Eccle
iastical Com-
missary. At the period of the Bishop's appointnu.nt there were
hut fourteen clergymen of the church in the Province of Nova
Scotia, and six missions vacant. Duriug the following seven
Yf'ars the clergy had considerahly increased, their nUlllber in
1824 heing as follows-vu.,
4 in Nova Scotia, 14 in New
Brunswick, two in Prince Ed ward Island, and one in Capf'
Breton, all nlissionaries of the Society.
" A l)Ollt the year lR22, tho Hev. Rohert Willis, Hector uf
t.
John, was appointed Comn1Ïssal'Y of New Brunswick, and the
Hev. John Leigh, Commissary of N ewfounJ.land. Each made
a. tour of visitation through the various luissions under his
supcrintendence.
" Hishop Stans('l"s hf'alth declining shortly after his appoint-
lueut, he went to England, and the carf' of the diocese devolved
on Dr. John Inglis, Ecc1esiastical COIJunissary of Nova Scotia,
who was appointpc.l 1.isl1op in 1
25, on the retirPlnellt ofTIishop
Staus(>r from the Sep.
" The new hishop inlul{'(liatf'ly c.lividc(l his ùiocc
e intu four
Al'chdeaconri(;:::i. The !tcv. Dr. \Villis was appoint'd Archdea-
con of Nova Scotia anc.l Rt'ctor of St. Paul's, Halifax; the Rcv.
1\11'. Best, Archdpacoll of Kcw Brullswick; thp ]:('\. A. G.
Sppnc('r, Archdpaeoll of n('rul\Hla, and the I
ev. Gt'orgc Cosh'r,
.Archùeacon of Ncwfoundlanù. 1JlC lattcr geutlclllaU was after-
warùs removc(l to N 'W Brunswick. "'IF

In 1 H
7, 1)1'. I n,g-lis the Bishop of Nova Hc()tia, yisited

e".fuulldlalld. It \vas t 1)(' first tiulc a Protestant 1 )i:-\hul'
('Ycr \\.as in the country. \ t th(' ti1lH' of t1H' l,i",hop's \ isit

J ;'1(, "A Hketch of till. I
i:-.c a.wl Pr(l
rl''''!01 (If lit" ('11111'1,11 IOf Ell or hl\fl ill
the Briti:ch !\orth Al11c1Ïc:L11 I-W\ illct,:-.."

374

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

there were 600 communicants, 23 schoolmasters, and the
following clergymen:- Venerable Edward "\Vix, Bona-
vista, Archdeacon of Newfoundland; Rev. 1'. Perring,
Fen
yland; Rev. Allan Coster, Green's Pond; Rev. John
Burt, Harbour Grace and Carbon ear ; Rev. Charles Black-
Ulan, Port-de-Grave; Rev. F. A. Carrington, St. John's;
Rev. Willianl Bullock, Trinity Bay; Rev. Otto S. Weeks,
Assistant; Rev. John Chaplnan, Twillingate; Rev. James
Robertson, station unassigned.
Newfoundland "vas erected into a separate dioceße, in-
cluding the Bernludas, in the year 1839, and Aubrey S.
Spencer, Archdeacon of Bermuda, consecrated to the new
see. Bishop Spencer canle fronl England to Newfound-
land as a missionary about the year 1819. He was
appointed Archdeacon of Bermuda in 1827.
" At Iny consecration," says Bishop Spencer, "to the See of
Newfoundland I found only eight clergYlnen of thp Church of
England in the whole colony; the Church itself in a 1l10St dis-
organized and dispirited condition; the school
languishing,
nlany of thenl broken up. The clergy of Newfoundland are
maintained lllainly by the noblp Society for the Propagation of
the Gospel in Foreign Parts, but the people are called on by
the bishop to provide a house and a slnall stipend, according to
their resp
ctive llleans, for their several missionaries."

On the arrival of Bishop Spencer, he imlllediately
established a Theological Institution for training young
lnen for the Ininistry. He also di vided his diocese into
three rural deaneries-Avalon, Trinity and Bermuda. In
his letter to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel,
in 1841, the Bishop says :-

" In the course of nlY visitation during the present year, I
have tra vellpd by land and water 1,118 miles; visited 35 sta-
tions; confirmed 1,136 persons; consecrated six churches;
originated or assi
ted in the bnilùing of 21 UPW churches;
ortlained two pl"ie
ts aud eight tleacollH ; aUtl founded or restor(,tl
more than 20 day-schools and Sunday-schools. n

.AND AS rr IS IN 1877.

375

The following Returns are given in the Report of the
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, in 1843 :-
N EWFOUYDLAX D. BERMUDA.
Number of clergy - - 27
Teachers and readers - 51
Bpt'd. church memLers 30,054
Communicants - 1,491
Pupils in Sunday-schools 3,253
do. in day schools - 2,397
Schools - - 66

9
20
- 9,728
- 1,122
- 667
- 838
19

In Bennu(ln there i
a school-house in every parish,
principally designed for the instruction of the coloured
population. Four clcl'gyulcn receive assistance fro In the
Society for the Propagation of the Go::;pel; five are paid by
the Local Legislature, and three are paid as chaplains to
the convicts and dock yarù.
On the
lst of August, 184:3, Bishop Spencer laid the
founflation stone uf a Protestant Cathedral.* To,vanls
the erection of thid 1uilding the sum of !4,OOO was raised
in St. John's, anù !2,OOO in England. In 1843, Bishop
Spencer \vas reInoved to Jaluaica, and left St. J uhn's in
Sept. of that year, the
ee relnaining vacant until 28th
April, 1844, \vhen Dr. Ed,vard Field, of Queen's College,
O
ford, and Rector of English Bicknor, \vas consecrated
bishop and proceeùed imlncdiately to take charge of the
dioce::;e. He arrived at St. John's on the 4th July follo,,"-
ing, and the saIne season Inadc a \ isit to sOlne of the
distant settlClfients of the islanfl, in the church ship, a
IJeautiful schooner expressly fitteù up in Lonùon for the
use of the Ijishop, and the gift of an English cJergyman.
,.An account of the l,ishop'8 visitations \vill be found in
various parts of this vohune.
Bishop FieJcl increà
cd the Deancries of N e,vfollndJand
frOUl t,vo to siÀ. TJu lo l}is11op sppnt t,vo '" inters in Ber-
Illttfla alld greatly eXÌt'nflt.d the interests of thp chur('h

t'1' .. \\r:lIllll.dJl
Tholl .-lltH," l,y H. 'l'Ol'll'lC. )la' C :Ufj.

376

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

there. In 1846, after the great fire at St. John's, Bishop
Field visited England, and obtained the consent of the
Secretary of State to the appropriation of Æ15,OOO towards
the completion of the Cathedral, which had been com-
menced by Bishop Spencer (St. John's church having been
burnt the saIne year). The money was collected under
the sanction of a Queen's letter, in the churches of Eng-
land. The nave of the Cathedral is alJ that has yet ,been
finished. It was opened for ,vorship by Bishop Field in
185û. It is built of beautiful cut stone, and estimated to
cost $200,000. Bishop Field proposed that each Inember
of the church should annually subscribe five shillings, or
one penny per week, to assist in the maintenance of the
clergy. The church has a beautiful cemetery at the head
of Quidi Vidi lake; at the entrance is a little chapel. In
this cemetelY repose the dust of the Rev. Charles Black-
man, Yen. Archdeacon Bridge and the R.ev. G. J. Moun-
tain. The salary is derived fronl an annual grant of f500
made by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel,
and .f:500 from the annual vote of the British Govern-
ment for the North American Clergy, making, altogether,
a Ralary'of .f:1,000 or $5,000 per annunl. The schools of
" The Newfoundland and British North America School
Society," established in 1823, are all church schools.
In 184ü, SOIne n1odification of the rules of the society
were n1ade, and the society constituted the "Church of
England Society for Educating the Poor of Newfoundland
and the Colonies." The society at this time bad 44 prin-
cipal and branch schools in Newfoundland, with 3,593 .
scholars. The Rev. T. F. H. Bridge, A. ]\tI., was superin-
tendent, and the schools were placed under the control of
the bishop. In 1848 the Society appointed a new super-
intendent, the Rev. Thos. Dunn. In 1853 the Society was
constituted the "Colonial Church and School Society,"
with the Rev. J ohnstan Vicars as superintendent. In IR54
the Society eInployed the following agencies:-Clergy-
men, 3; ('atechists and schoohllasters, 28; female teachers,

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

377

14. In 185G the Rev. Dr. Helhnuth, of Cana(la, '\-va,;
appointed General Superintendent in America, and in
18.'58
Ir.
larmiott \vas appointed superintendent in
N c\vfoundlana. The follo\ving is from the report of the
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel :-
"This diocese has been exposed to severe trials and 10sHes
during the past year. For nearly a quarter of a century the
Rev. T. F. H. Bridge, promoted in 1850 to the honorary Arch-
deaconry of Lahrador, was the most active and energetic clergy,
n1an at St. John's. He was Vicar-General and .Ecclf'siastical
Commis:,ary to two succeeding Bishops, and took a leading part
in every schen1e that was set on foot for the Jì10ral and religious
wclfitrf' of the island. This lahorious clergyman, whose life
Was prolmbly shortened Ly his unsparing devotion to hiH high,
and, at tiInes, overwhc1nlÏng duties, died on the 28th of Feb-
ruary, leaving a hlank not soon or easily to ùe filled.
"It is right that the following tribute to his men1ory, though
printed elsewhere, should he also recorded here. It occurs in a
letter fronl the bishop, dated :àlarch 5th, 1856 :-
" , I have just perforrned tho sadùest and n10st painful duty
that can fall to a bishop's lot, by consigning to darknøss and
inaction his eye and his hand,-in the person of the most fond,
faithful, and efficient Archdeacon that ever any Lishop was
sel'vc<l1JY.
" 'The newspapers which J }ulve sent will supply an Dl'CCS-
sa.ry information, and "pare TIle the pain of enlarging on a sub-
j
ct so distressing.
" , T had gone (on the 10th ultimo) to take th
place of one
of my overworked clergy to the l\Iission of Island Cove aud
Conception Bay-a n1isHion wit}, four churches and 2,000 souls,
kft without sheplwrd and without service. The missionary
(C. Walsh), who had been laid np for tw'o months with a lla.n-
gt'I'OWi Hprain, was rcmoved to Jlarhour Grace for rest and
IIl{'aical att('naance. [ }I<u]lmrl'osct] to 1'eInain, if 1l<'ce:-;sary, till
Easter, in the fisllCrman's cott'lgC in which 1\11'. \V alsh rt'sid('

W}U'T1 at 110111('. r hat], howev('r, scarcely h 'Cll alJscnt froln
t.
.John's a fortllight. wlu'll I \\as sHllllHolle<l Lack L) a rt'pOl't uf
lIlt' ..\J"t'JIII,,:u'()Jl'H clan
t'I"Ow; ilhu ".;. I èll"l'i\(.cl 011
ltlHtIa), tIlt'

378

E'\V:F'OUNDLAND, AS IT '\v AS,

25th ultinlo, and had the melancholy satisfaction of watching
by his bed three days and three nights, till he passed, I trust,
into that day which is not succeeded by night. ..
" , Never was a more real case of a man worked to death.
Finding that he could no longer afford a curate (and, if he could,
I know not where he could bave procured one), he laboured
more abundantly and unceasingly than ever; for nothing could
prevail with him to lay aside a single service or duty once
entered upon. The consequence was foreseen, I believe, by
nlany, and foretold by more than one; and by myself repre-
sented to him repeatedly, but to no purpose. His sun has gone
down while it was yet day. It is impossible to describe the
sensation, the grief, and distress, caused by his death, though
you may gather something from the account published in the
paper.' "

The Society now employs (1873) thirteen catechists
and teachers, sixteen female teachers, and five trained
pupil teachers.
Schools in operation :-
St. John's.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Outports . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Total number of pupils on the books:-
Boys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . .. 1,204
Girls. . .. .......... . . . .... . .......... . ........ 1,157

Total . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . ... 2,361
The following is an extract from the rGt)ort of the
Education Committee of the Legislature:-
" The Conlmittee learn from the report of the Local Associ-
ation in aid of the Colonial and Continental Church Society
(fornlerly the Newfoundl<tnd School Society), that it has com-
pleted the fiftieth anniversary of its establishment in this colony.
To that Society the people owe a debt of eternal gratitude, as it
was the pioneer of popular education in this land, and admit-
t(.d to its schools the youths of Loth sex('s aml of all dasses, at
<L time ,vhen no public provision was made for all) kiutl of pn h-

.

A
n A
1'1' I
I
lR77.

:37f)

lie bchools. Instltutf'd by benevolent foundprs in the old coun-
h'y, it supported, unaidel1, for many years, the cause of popular
education here; it continues to contribute to the colony nearly
86,000 per annunl. and expends those funds, supplemented by
a grant of ëC500 t:)terling frOlll the Legislature and private sub-
scriptions (in all nearli $10,000), in a nlore successful nlanner
than any local institution. Its schools are attended by nearly
2,000 pupils.
"The Committee desire to draw special attention to these
facts in connexion with the above-nanled Society, so that any
step may he carefully avoided which may tend to detract from
its usefulness and value to the colony."
" In answer to the bishop's appeal in behalf of the widow
and childrf'n of the late archdeacon, a sunl of Æ250 wa
voted
as a contribution to the fund which has been opf'ned, both a.t
81. .J ohn's aud in this country, for the benefit of the family; a
vote which has been acknowledged by the bishop 'with sincere
and deep gratitude,' in his own nanle and in tha.t of all the
parishioners of St. John's, as well as, l110re especially, of l\1rs.
Bridge and her fdmily.
" Ahout the same time that the church in N ewfonndland was
df'prived of the ser, ices of Archdeacon Bl'idge, another nlission-
<try, on the opposite side of the island, was lost to the church in a
manner
till more awful. It is thus that the bishop announces
this sad event :-

" , June 25, 1856.
'" 'VitI) wearied J)and and eyes, and a heavy heart, I have
now to infornl you of another sad vaca.ncy in our Rmallmission-
ary hand. Poor :\11'. Bolan(1 was caught in a (Irift, SOlUO timp
in tllf' month of March, and frozen to death. t
" The Socipty haH anticipated the usual application, and re-

olvpa that :\lr. Boland's salary be continued to
Iidsulllmer,
and that a gratuity of .flOO be made to his widow.
"
\ thh'd death, though not of a pcrson in :Lptive TniH
ionary
S('f\ ice, rcmainR to hl' recor(lp(1-that of I
al1ihirlla, a nativo
Esquimill1x, hrou
ht fivc years ago from .Damn's .Day to this
(.oHlltry, It)' Captain ()wmaw.y, and I'hW('l1, hy the' lilJt'l'ality of
the Adlllil'alty, at St. J\. u
ustiun's College, a1HI transff'lTl'll, ill
Octol'cr last, to tIll' TIU'ulugical In..,t itlltioll of Ht. .J ohn's, \VlIc'rc

380

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

he died on the 14th of June of this year. 'We miss him,' says
the bishop, , greatly; he was so gentle, kind, and submissive;
so regular in his devotions, that he spoke by his actions what
he could not express by his tongue.'
" The Rev. Jacob G. l\iountain was called away last October
(1857), from the midst of his unsparing ministerial labours, at
the early age of thirty-seven. He died of fever, caught in the
fulfilment of his ministerial duty as Rector of St. John's, in
which charge (after seven years of solitary and self-denying
labour on the rugged shores of Fortune Bay), he succeeded
Archdeacon Bridge. N ever did anyone devote himself more
sin1ply to the toils and privations of a missionary life tllan 1\11'.
Mountain; and short as that life was, it was rich in evidences
of devotion to God's service. It is needless, however, to dwell
upon this subjpct, aR the Society has recently published a nar-
rative of his missionary labours, drawn up by himself, together
with a very touching memoir written by one of Jlis intÏ1nate
friends.
"The bishop was not only weighed down by sorrow at the
loss of so dear a friend, but also much embarrassed by the diffi.
culty of supplying his place, both in the parish and the college.
Ultimately, Archdeacon Lower, of Montreal, accepted the Rec-
tory of St. John's; and the Rev. H. Petley, M.A., of 'Va(Ulam
College, Oxford, was sent by the Society to fill any of the va-
cant n1Ïssions for which the bishop should consider hiIn best
suited. The bishop held an ordination on Trinity SunJay, when
the Rev. Josiah Darrell was ordained priest, and 1\11'. 'V. W.
Le Gallais, deacon. Both had been students of the Theological
Institution of St. John's. The Bishop: at the date of his last
letter (June 11th), was about to enlbark in long and perilous
visitations by sea. He proposed taking with him the Rev.
Messrs. Grey and Le Gallais. The visitation, including the,
missions on the Labrador, would involve not only a great expen-
diture of time, but also of money.
" On both accounts, and for the further purpose of securing
a nlore effective superintendence over every portion of his ex-
tended ùiocese, the bishop strongly urges its subdivision; and
if this cannot Le done by detaching Bf'rIDuJa, then by the ap-
pointment of an assistant or suffragan bishop. The Homan
Catholics have already two bishops for the Island of Newfound-

AXD AS IT IS IN 1877.

:
Sl

lan(l only, and aro Inaking (uTan
en1entR for thp consecration of
a. third.
" 'I need not,' says the biHhop, 'point out the iInmensp ad-
vanta.g
they obtain by this arrangement, in having their head
bishop always at head-quarters, and others at each of the two
extreznities of thic; willI country, without roa.ds, and the conl-
mnnication by sea (never very Hafe or certain) closed for half
the year.
" 'The relief, then, which I would suggest and request for my
(lioceHe, is the appointn1ellt of a second bishop (call hilll suffra-
gan or coadjutor, 01' any other nilllle nlOst correct and ol'(lerly),
not in the least with a view to my absence fronl the diocese, hut
rather for multiplying, if I may so speak, my episcopal presence,
as in that case the proverb well applies, qui fecit per alill1n fecit
p r se. A suitable person n1Ïght probably be found in one or
other of the North American Coloni{'F;, and he might be conse-
crated at Quebec, or l\iontreal, or Halifax, by three bishops of
those provinces.
" , I should he quite willing to give up for his support all I
now receive from the
ociety, .-f500, or, if necessary, all I receive
from the Society and Governrnent, f:lOOO a. year. Or I should
he quite willing, and in some rCRpects prefer, that another bishop,
as 1 ;ishop of Newfoundland, should be appointed, "Hul I act as
his coadjutor or assistant, retaining the place of H.ector of St.
John's (which I have assumed) without any stipend, except that
of a missionary, and wha.t I could ohtain in "ul<lition by fees and
assistance frOlll onr Church
ociety.'
,
\Vlla,tever lllay be the result of the bishop's efforts to hring
a.bout a subdivision of hi,:; (lioceso, it is impossible not to adu1Ïre
tho noble generoRity of th
proposal"
In is?)!), the n.eport of the Society for the Propagation
of thl: Go
pel again says :-
" Long journeys in dog-sleighs over ice, or on foot through
SwampS and across brooks, BOllletimcs for the sake of '\ isitillg a
Ringle sick person, arü ff('CPlellt illCi(l<'nts ill tlu' lift' of a N ew-
fouucllalld lItissionary. But their labours are not in vain in the
Lord; and the kind welcOlne of the poor tishcl'luen, as well as
their readincss to assist in tIlt" work of hniltling new chun:ht"H

3k2

NEWFOUNDLAND, AR IT 'VAR,

aJHl school-houses, attest the real value which tllOY spt npon the
ministrations of the Church.
" The hest evidence, however, of this is to be found in the
largely-increased contributions' to the funds of the Diocesan
Church Society, which, as will be seen by the following extract
frmn a letter of the bishop, written while he was recently in
England (April 25th) was far from representing the whole of
the nloneys raised by the people themselves:-
" 'When I first went to Newfoundland' (1844), says the
Bishop, 'almost all the Society's tnissionaries were receiving.t200
a year from the Society; a few, some three or four (deacons, I
believe), only .t150. The late bishop (Spencer) had insisted
upon this (the larger amount) as necess'1.ry, and I am not pre-
pared to say he was wrong. But the Sluns contributed by the
congregations were wretchedly small. Since 1846 no fresh
missionary has received from the Society more than f:lOO a
year ; and the general contributions of the people have risen
frmll between .t400 and .t500 a year, to upwards of .f:2,OOO
This reduction was made by the Society, and these contribu-
tions required of the people, on the understanding that the SU111S
saved by the reduction should be applied to the creation and
support of new mi!3sions; the contributions of the people going
to make up the missionary's incolne. And this has been faith-
fully acted upon. New missions have _been formed, and n:;1is-
sionaries placed and supported (without, I think, any additional
drain upon the Society's funds) at Channel, La Poêle, Hermi-
tage Cove, Harbour Breton, Burin, Portugal Cove, and Her-
ring Neck in Newfoundland, and at Forteau and Battle Island,
on the Labrador. New churches have been built and conse-
crated at all those places, aod many (sixteen or seventeen)
others. Parsonage-houses have been built, or purchased, at
Channel, Hermitage Cove, Burin, Portugal Cove, Port de Grave,
Bay Roberts, Bay de Verd, Heart's Content, Catalina, Herring
Neck, Moreton's Harbour, Forteau and Battle Island. A new
school is just cOlnpleted, and ready for consecration (at a cost
of f:3,OOO), in St John's, and a house for the clergyman, with
some tenements towards an endowment, at a cost of ahout
.tl,080. All these works, and others of a like kind, done and
doing without any assistance from the Society for the Propaga-

_\Xl> .AS IT IS IN lR77.

3S:J

tiOll of the Gospel, ahllost entirely Ly the piuple, with assistancp
frolll illY own fun&..;. Thw
then we have-
'" Since I8-1G-Nine npw missions; four once served by
school-Inasters, now serveù by missionary priests.
" 'Twenty-five or twenty-six churches finished and conse-
crated.
" , Thirteen parsonages built or purchased.
" , New stone church built in St. John's, with parsonage, and
part! y endowed.
" , College built and partly endowed.'
"The bishop l"f'mained only a short time in England; and
fonnd, on his return to his diocese, two or three of his nlOst
efficient clergy disabled by over-exertion and exposure. There
is, therefore, the 1l1Ost urgent need for an immediate reinforce-
Incnt of 111('11. One only,
Ir. E. Tucker, a student of the
Theological Institution, had hecn added by ordination; and he
was about to accompany the bishop on his voyage round the
island. He reports two encouraging events-a Ineeting of the
Church Society, at which an increase of incOlne over that of
former years was announced; and the consecration of tho
new church of St. Mary's, on the south side of the harbour-a
church long contemplated and much needed."
" (1.)*1 hdieve we have for several years raised in N ewfound-
land (I omit Berrlluùa, whore thero is legislative provision)
upwards of .f:2,OOO for Church purposes. The Church Society
expects every clergyman to send to the treasurer one-fourth of
the amount collected in his Inisf1ion, as the condition of obt(âning
a.ç;si.'itance fron
tlte Societ!J
. but if any chow;c, a
Illany do, to be
indept'ndent of tho Society, I cannot dema.nd either return or
report. Uut what are .t2,OOO or ,:C3,OOU for all church purpo
es
in a colony and country like
ewfoundland, whero there are
no rateH, no cndoWlnt'llts, no glcbc
, no kindly fruits of the
earth; nothing hut seals and fish, and of thoso an uncprtain and
prpcarious supply 1 If a clcrgyulau with .f, 1 00 a. year from your
Society coulr1 r.1.Ísc anotht'r øCIO) in his mission, a portion
woul(l be rc(pÜred f,)r his church, a portion for his parsona.ge, a
portion prohahly to 'H.Ip ft school; awl perhap
not IIlore than

* Bishop J;'ie!d'R I
ettt'r, Hocicty for the Vrop:t,
ati()n of the UO!ipcl'R He-
pllrt.

384

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

half would remain for his personal use. But .tlOO is consider-
(tbly above the average raised by each clergynlan.
" (2.) There is 110 synod in this diocese. The difficulty of
comillunication with the capital, occasioned by want of roads
and want of means, and the paucity of persons able and willing
to assist, have prevented any attempt to form and constitute a
synod. The acts of the Church Society consist of grant s nlade
at my recommendation. We have lately formed a fund for the
relief of the widows and orphans of the clergy, in connexion with
the Church Society.
"(3.) There ar
foul' clergymen (officiating) entirely sup-
ported by local contributions (there are no endowments), two
wholly engaged in and supported by tuition, and one who re-
quires no assistance. When I came to the colony, there was not
vne supported without aid from your Society.
" (4.) In the year 1843, when Bishop Spencer retired, it
appears by the Society's Report (1844), there were twenty-
seven missionaries, receiving together fronl the Society æ4, 12 7 ;
in the year 1860 (by the Society's last Report, 1861) there
were thirty-five missionaries, receiving together from the
Society.t3,975. There are now forty-one clergymen, seven of
whom receive no assistance from the Society. This of New-
foundland. In Bermuda, in 1843, there were five missionaries
receiving from the Society æ234 per annum; there is now only
one r"eceiving .t60 per annnm. "
" (5.) In Newfoundland and Labrador there are eighty-two
churches, forty-seven of which have been consecrated by myself;
about twenty are addiLional, the others new in the place of old
ones. There are five on the Labrador shore, and two parson-
ages, where sixteen years ago no clergyman's voice had ever
been heard.
"(6.) The last census was taken in 1857 :-Church of Eng-
land, 44,285 ; ROlnan Catholics, 56,895; Wesleyans, 20,229;
Kirk of Scotland, 302; Free Kirk of Scotland, 536 ; Congrega-
tionalists, 347-Total, 122,594.
" (7.) The increase per cent. has been, in twelve years-
1845-1857-Church of England, 29k; Roman Catholics, 21! ;
\Vesleyan, 40.
"(8.) No immigrants, except youngsters engage(l in the

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

:1
.3

fisbery-sonw. few of whom remain and settle, or rather remain
without settling."
"The want of an Orphans' Asylum at St. John's, Newfound-
land, in connection with the Church of England, was, until
lately, much felt. Perhaps in no other country in the world can
be found so large a proportion of widows and orphans, at least,
of those who are so by their husbands and fathers being drowned
at sea. Instances are constantly occurring, where a vessel sails
either for or from Newfoundland, and is never heard of again.
Anà owing to the dangerous nature of the coast-the deep
water close to the clifl.s, which allows a ship in a fog to run
unwarned right upon them, owing to the treacherous currents,
and the ice which comes down in the spring, shipwrecks are
events with which the inhabitants of the country are only too
familiar.
"As the need of a refuge for widows and orphans was so
much felt, the Bishop of N ewfoulldland purchased a piece of
ground near the Cathedral, and on Ash \Vednf'sday, 1835, eight
orphans of various ages, between twelve and four y(
ars were
admitted, under the care of a widow, as matron, into a tempo-
rary tenement fitted up for their use. Since then, a substantial
stone building has been erected for them, capable of enlarge-
ment, which has been now occupied for nearly two years by
eleven orphans and two widows, one of them the matron; near
to it is the residence of
lrs. O. Johnson, and a small chapel
used for family prayers by the households inllnediatelyadjoin-
ing it; besi<le th
se is tho Bishop's residence, formerly the
Itectory, where the lamented Archdeacon Bridge lived and
died. Immediately opposite these four buildings is the northern
side of the Cathedral. Behind them is a piece of ground on
which will shortly be erected schools for boys and young laùies.
On the opposite side of the road which runs past the west front
of the Cathedral, and immediately opposite the old I{ectory, is
the IlPW one, now occupied by the \r enerable Archdeacon Lower,
Gospel mis::;ionary.
" (hi Christn1as Eve, in accorllance with thp ancient charita-
blu custom of tho Church, a large quantity of excellent beef
(l,G 1 Glbs.) wa
ùixtributcd, unùer the directions of the cburch-
warùen
of the Cathedral, to two hundred ..nù fifteen fan1Îlies
with a loaf of bread to each. And on Christtnas day a pi{\c
of
y

3
ö

NE\VFOHNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

plum pudding to every child, attending the Cathedral Sunday-
school, who chose to receive it, immediately after the morning
service. The meat, bread and pudding were all distributed in
the Crypt of the Cathedral, by a kind lady who takes an active
part in all our local charities.
"Several presents of meat, cakes, fruit and preserves were
sent at the same time to the children of the Church of England
Orphan Asylum, by various benefactors."
According to the returns in 1857, the number of
clergymen belonging to the Church of England was
41; churches, 72; population attending church, -t2,638.
:French shore, 1649 ; Labrador, 1,000, and three churches.
In 1t;72, the population had increased to 158,417. ]y[em-
bel's of the Church of England, 54,413; communicants,
5000; clergy) 55; parishes or missions, 49; local contri-
butions, f:2,360. Colonial Treasury (Bennuda), .1::900.
The expenditure of the Society for the Propagation of
the Gospel, from the general and appropriated funds
was .f:4,478. In 1867, Archdeacon J. B. Kelly ,vas con-
secrated coadjutor bishop. On the death of Bishop
Field, Dr. Kelly became the Bishop of Newfoundland,
according to the act of the Synod, which in 1873
secured to him the right of succession. The bishop
says :-
"I am just returned from the consecration of a new church-
yard at Topsail, on the south shore of Conception Bay, twelve
miles frOlll St. John's. The church has been built and partly
endowed by the liberality of our most kind and excellent
friend 1\1rs. Johnson, who has given a very neat parsonage and
æl,OOO for the support of the clergyman. These gifts are be-
sides, and. in addition to, Æ300 towards thp erection of the
church, which has been brought to completion by the Rev.
Charles Palaiser, who has taken charge of the church and dis-
trict attached."

The Diocese of Newfoundland (patent 17th July, 1839)
cOlnprises the Islands of N
,vfoundland and Bermuda, and

AND AS IT IS IN IH77.

3R7

part of IJahra.(lo].; it was fUJ'Hw.l frolli tlw,t of N ova Scotia..
N C,vfOlUltlla] Ill, with Labrador, has a population of
1:)8,717, of whom .54,713 are Illeinbers of the Church of
England, antI 5,000 are cOlunlunicantH. BernlU(la has a
population of 11,4ül, of \vhom 9,477 arc melnbcrs of the
Church of Englan(l, and up,vanls of 1,400 are COlllllluni-
cants. There are in N e\vfoundland and Labrador 52
n1issions or districts, :
7 l)cing ai(led hy grants frotn the
Society. Eleven are unprovided with parsúnage houses.
Seven Inif'sions, fonnerly aided Ly the
ociety, are no,v
self-suppopting, but progress in this direction is very slow,
o,ving to the poverty of the inhabitants, ,vho are nearly
all fiHhernlCn. The Bermuda
, or SUlncrH Islands, contain
nine parishes, under five rectors; and there arc t,vo
chapels of casc. Only one clergYlllan in Bernltula no,v
receives aiù froin the Society. The 8ociety's cxpenditure
in the diocese in 1875 ,vas 1.:4,.32.3. Local coutrihutions,
.f:2,:300; Colonial Treasury (Bcrniuda), 1::1,100.
BISHOPS.-Dr. AulJl"ey G. Spencer, 1t):
!J; Dr.
E. Field,
184-1<, coadjutor; Dr. J. B. K
elly, lKG7..
The follo\ving are the ]ullisionaries in 1 b7 5 :-

* Hi
hop Kclly has nuw resigned.

388

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS ITlWAS,

Thirty-seven Missionaries
of the Society.

Station.

coo
:

::s
1<ð

oo

s::

c;J
'3
0..
o

.:=

. .
u:
I a3
i:15 Q)S::: S-o,j::: S

S S'11] ...
cê .

õ
8 so;:: 'ß.

o 0 8

THE BISHOP.
DEANERY OF AVALON. (1841.)
Dobie, R. T. ...... 1863\ Petty Harbour
Ellingh 10m, C., . . . .. 1873 Portugal Cove
Fleet, B.... .' (dec.) 1843 South Shore
u,J ohnson, R.
I. .... 1859 Pouch Cove .... _ . . .
Waghorne, A. C.... 1875 Ferryland ...',.,...
tWood, T. 1\1., .... ' 1832 St. Thos. in St. John..
DEANERY OF CO
CEPTION BAY. (1800.)
Chamberlain, G. S. 18G4 Bay de Verd ..... .. 1825 16
Godden, J. ........ 1873 Harbour Grace.. _... 1767' 8
tHarvey, J. C. .. .... Port de Grave ......
IIoyles, W. J.., .. .. 1843 Carbonear ..........
Noel, J. M. ,....,.. 1865 *Upper Island Cove ..
Shears, W. C. . . .. .. 1868 Bay Roberts .... . .,
Ta)'lor, R. H... .. ,. 1863 Brigus............,.
DEANERY.OF TRDIITY BAY. (1735.)
Netten, W. .. ., .. ,. 1843 / Catalina ............ U
:
2 .... 1706 808 340 491.. 21
Petley, H.. .. .. , . .. 1857 New Harbour.. , . " ., 1824 .... 1500 1200 380 54, .. 53
tSmith,B......,.... 1841 Trinity.............. 1735.... ..,... .... .... ........
DEANERY OF BONA VISTA.
Ba.yly, A. E. C. " .. 1850 1 Bonavista.........,.. 1742 .' ..
Crag-g, J. G.. .. .. ., 1864 Greenspond,......... 1819 ...'
Kirby, W ... . .. .. 1859 King-'s Cove.. . . .. .. .. 1822 .... ...... .... ...,.......
Skinner, H. M. .... 1868 Salvage............. 1822 240 16ü61365 650 195.. 52
DEANERY OF NOTRF. DAME BAY. (1848.)
Hewitt, J.. , . .. . . .. 1876 Exploits ............
Meek, C. .....,.... 1871 Fogo..... . , . . . , . . . , .
tMurra..r, F. R.. .. .. 1874 Twillingate..........
Smith, W. R...... 1871 Exploits ..,........
Temple, Robert.. .. 1862 White Bay.. .. .. .. ..
Winsor, A. S. H.... ]873 Herring Neck........
DEANERY OF PLACENTIA BAY. (1789.)
Darrell, J. ......._ 1855 ( Herring Neck........ J851 .... ...,.. ...' .... ..'. " ..
Kingwel1, J.. .. .... 1841 Harbour Buffet...... 1848' 100 70001390 814 195.. 48
Lockward, J. ...,.. 1873 Burin .............. 1794 .... 4052 951 .... 1509964-
DEANERY OF FORTUNE BAY. (District. 1841.)
Colley, E.......... 1854' Hermitage Cove ..'. 1854 ,. .. 2400 1800 320 260 73 93
Cunningham, J.... Ib49 , tThe ßurgeos ........ 1818 .. .. ...... .,.. .... .... '. ..
Goode, T. A. ...... 1870 Channel ............ 1Sbl .... 24381494 750 1501892
Netten, T. G... .. .. 1869 La Poêl
............ 1847 .... 1573 1058 500 53.. 47
Warren, A. C. 1872 St. George's Bay .... 1842 ....
tWhite, W. K..,.... 1848 Harbour Breton .... 1848 .... ...... .... .... .... ., ..
LABRADOR. (1850.) I
Bishop,G. ........1871 1 Battle Harbour...... 1871 .... ...... .... .... ...... ..
rJeffery, C.......... 1876 Flower's Cove ...... 1876.... ...... .... .... .... " ..

1819 .. . ,
1841 ...'
1840 ....
1792 '...
1703 ...'

. . . . .. .... .... .... .. ..
2405 116 58 32.. 4-
1286 655 510 6899 75
2180 523 140 833213

. . . . ..
... ..
. ...oo. oooo oo.
288,>;0 1 1370 6(j() 2708748
l3000 1 530 290 130.. 25
1052 662 590 95.. 31
2712 1792 610 223.. 66
1767 .,.. ...... ...' ,... .... .. ..
1861 12 3000 2287 725 255 90 94
1818 .. .. ...... .... ,... ...' .. ..
1812 ,... 5600 1694 1160 127.. 73

1871 .... ...... .... .... .... " ..
1823 65 444122981300 165 .. 74-
1817 42 3362 1636 850 202 .. 51
1871 300 457015001300 922665
1873 .... ...... 600.... 46.. 16
1851 30 17591367 1000 160.. 54

* Bishop's Cove and Island Co\'e, 1841. t Burgeo Islands, 1843.
Retired Missionary.-Martin Blackmore.

t Rural Deans.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

389

DEATH OF BISHOP AUBREY GEORGE SPENCER.
" The memory of this gifted young English clergyman, who
so bravely endured exposure to snow and tempest in the dis-
charge of his duties, at the out-harbours of Newfoundland, in
spite of delicacy of the lungs, is still cherished by the survivors
of those remote times in that inhospitable climate, where he
laboured unflinchingly for two years-1819, '20-until warned
by his physician that he must leave the colony or die.
" His next move was to Bermuda, where he still worked as a
missionary, sharing the income which he received in Newfound-
land, with the Rev. George Coster, afterwards Archdeacon in
New Brunswick. Soon after !\lr. Spencer's arrival in Bermuda,
he was appointed rector of two of the sInaU parishes of that
islanrl, and his being made a member of the Council increased
his usefulness as a missionary. \Vhilst urging on the island
)pgislature, the necessity of educating the }Juor siaves, he spared
nu opportunity of advancing education amongst all classes of the
colullists, so that, when the blesseJ clay of elnancipation came,
thert' were no heart-burnings between masters and slaves-the
former giving up the vexatious system of apprenticeship, and
the latter in most instances returning as hired servants to th('ir
former masters. In the year 1825,jhis nomination as Archdeacon
of B('rnlUda :Hldt.d to his power of doing good. Bishop Inglis,
in whose diocese of Nova Scotia, nermuda was at that time
included, placed implicit cunfidence in the zf>al and judgment of
his young archdeacon and comnlisRary, leaving all ecclesiastical
n1atters COllllt'cted with Bermuda in his hands, and availing him-
splf of his sl'rvices (when on a brief yisit tù Halifax in 18
G),
in a journey through Nova Scotia and Nt'w Brunswick
" \Yhilst on thi
tuur he Haw many a scene of intt'rf'st amongst
the' churches in tlw wiJdl'I'IH'ss,' hut none wa
l'Ver Illore strik-
in
than t}w peaceful joy of t11(' 1th of Au
ust, 1834-, in Ber-
Il1wla. In a short time, throu
h the aid of the Society for tilt'
Pr()pa
atioll of th(; Gu
pd, and the free labour of ('mallcipah'd
::;lavl's, he built bchuo]-houf;es to serve as chapels fur their u
(',
until furthe)' accommudation coul(} he provided for them in the
churclH'S. } I is t'x4'I'tions ill the caus' of rt'ligions educatiun
ea]](.d forth warm prab's frum tilt' Uulonial "Iini:-.t4'r of that
perio(l. 11(' M'rvl
d as Ini

i()llary fur t\\('llty year
, till. ill thl"

390

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT W A8,
year 1839, he was appointed first Bishop of Newfoundland and
Bermuda. Through the generosity of the Society for the Pro.
pagation of the Gospel, he was enabled to increase the number
of clergymen in Newfoundland from six to twenty-six, all paid
by the Society. In Bermuda, the clergy were provided for by
the island legislature. Small as were the revenues of the little
colony, a part was set aside for the maintenance of their pastors.
The bishop's first work in Newfoundland was the establishment
of a training college in St. John's, and again the Society placed
the means at his disposal for a small building to serve that pur-
pose, granting at the same time assistance to the parents of the
scholars for their support. During the four years that he was
Bishop of Newfoundland and Bermuda, he divided his time
between the two colonies, visiting the distant settlements in
N
wfoundland (including Labrador) in a large sailing-boat, and
the nearer out-harbours in sleighs during the winter, braving
all the dangerous discomfort of fogs and icebergs during the
summer, and of ice and snow drifts in the winter. He collected
æ7,OOO towards a Cathedral in St. John's; his idea was to erect
a building much less imposing than that since raised by the
present indefatigable Bishop of Newfoundland and Bermuda;
still he collected the first money for it.
"In the year 184;3, on his return from a visitation of Ber-
nluda, he found a despatch fronl the late Eàrl Derby, then Lord
Stanley, appointing him Bishop of Jamaica The translation
was providential, as he had again been warned that he must
not pass another winter in Newfoundland. The bishop passed
at once from one diocese to the other, and two years afterwards
visited England. At the time of his translation to Jamaica,
the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel gave generously
and freely to that diocese, which included at that time the
Bahamas, EritiKh Honduras, and the Turks' Islands. The ex-
tension of their labours in other parts of the world has caused
the withdrawal of these grants from poor Jamaica, though the
cry for help which was wrung from the Church of that colony
when suddenly disf,stablished was responded to. The bishop
felt that he could never be sufficiently grateful to the Society,
and during his year's visit to England, he continually pressed
its claims in meetings and sernlons. It was owing to him that
the first meeting for the Society wa
held at the l\Iansion

A:KD A
IT IS IN 1877.

39]

House, and on Good Friday, in the year 1846, he preached the
first sel mon on behalf of the Society in the Church of St. Panl,
Kni.ghtsbridge, which produced Æ200, and hets passed into an
anniversary sermon.
" Years passed rapidly away, and with their wear and tear
strength departed; yet in 1854 he nlade a thorough visitation
of the island, sawall but one of the 112 clergy employed in the
104 churches of Jamaica, and confirmed 8,370 persons in sixty
of these churches; travelJed 1,640 miles by land; consecrated
twelve churches and burial-grounds; held three ordinations,
and preached between seventy and eighty sermons, besides ad-
dressing the congregations and candidates for confirmation, and
examining the pupils in many schools. He r
turned to Eng-
land too late to see a beloved daughter, who had entered into
her rest, after years of patient suffering, a fortnight before his
arrival. Utterly debilitated from the strain of body and nerve
in a tropical climate, the bishop prayed for the relief of a coad-
jutor. \Yith much difficulty this was obtained, and, in 1856,
Archdeacun Courtnay was consecrated Bishop of IGngston.
"It wassometimp before Bishop Spencer, exhausted by thirty-
six years of labour in the colonial church, regained sufficient
strength to resume work. '''hen able, he took confirmations
for Bishop Blomfield. In 1860, after a series of confirmations
undertaken for the Bishop of 'V orcester, his health again failed.
lIe was ordered to Torquay, and was told to abstain from
preaching or public speaking for the reluaindcr of his life. This
injunction was, however, set aside when the balmy air of South
Devon had in some measurp restored his health. I-Ie gave fre-
quent and valuable help to the then aged Bishop of Exeter.
,V ords fail when I try to express how sinct'rely and deeply he
was luved in Tonluay. Long after he had ceaspd to perfornl
the nlore exclusively episcopal functions, bis voice wa.s heard
in its solemn tones from the altar of GOD blessing His people,
and feeding them with the Fooù ordained by Him for their
support.
Iany are tlw sick-beds which he has soothed and
cOlufortcd.
" There was much happiness in his last days. Such èntil'c
reliance on the Saviour's love and nlCrit I never baw. He had
wurkC'cl as ff'W rn.\n work fur GÚD, and) f't hi:-. fpc'ling \\ as-

., 'r\othill
ill lilY h:LIlII.. 1 IJrillg-,
Hillll'ly to Thy ('w:-':-I ] dill
:

392

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

Submission to that holy \-Vill-the great crucible in which the
world is tried and purified-had long been his staff and stay.
It '\-vas like a voice from the dead to find in Hymns j01' the Sick
and Suffering, a mark in one, which must have been the last he
read in his peaceful study :-

" , 0 Thou, whose wise, paternal love
Hath brought my active spirit down,
Thy will I thankfully approve,
And prostrate at r.rhy gracious throne,
I offer up my life's remains,
I choose the state my God ordains.

" 'Cast as a broken vessel by,
Thy work I can no longer do ;
But, while a daily death I die,
Thy power I may in weakness show;
My patience may Thy glory raise,
My speechless voice proclaim Thy praise.'
The summons came within a few days. The life-long prayer
that he might be spared a lingering death-bed, and that his
mind might be clear to the last, was graciously granted. The
shadows of this changing life had passed for him, for his Lord
had need of him. Even so, good Lord."*

THE LA
E BISHOP OF NEWFOUNDLAND.

" At Bishop's Lodge, Hamilton, in Bermuda, on Thursday,
June 8th, at about half-past ten in the morning, the Right
Reverend Edward Field, Lord Bishop of Newfoundland, closed
his eyes in death, while the Trinity Church bell tolled forth
the sad tidings, '\-vhich were respond ed to by the bell of the
Parish Church. His Lordship had just reached his 75th year.
His death, though not unexpected, '\-vill be a sad bereavement,
and an event of serious importance to the colony. His suffer-
ing had been long and severe. Under it he was remarkably
patient, but the summons to the next world '\-vas, doubtless, to
him a welcolne one.
"He was educated at Rugby, and afterwards at Queen's Col-
lege, Oxford, w'as ordained deacon in 1826, to the curacy of
Ridlington, near Oxford. In 1833 he was Rector of English

* l\Ii:;;sion Field, 1872.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

393

Bicknor, Gloucestershire, when he was the first Government
Inspector in England. He was consecrated Bishop of N ew-
foundlanrl, in Lanlbeth Chapel, by Archbishop Howley, assisted
by the Bishops of London and Rochester, Sunday, April 28th,
1844.
"The bishop's character was of the true English type, manly,
honest, and courageous-never shrinking from duty at what-
ever cost. There was always visible in him an entire surrender
of himself to the work he was sent to accomplish. He paid a
minute attention to detail, especially in Divine service, and in
a perfect obedience to the rules of the church. He exhibited a
perfect sincerity, warmth of affection, a tenderness and courtesy
which bccame nlore ohservabl
in his declining years. The
example he set of faithfulness, earnestness and diligence in dis-
charging the duties of his office, showed that he thought not of
himself, anù had no shrinking back when hard work was to be
done. Not only did the duties of his episcopal office receive
their proper attention from him, but he was always ready to
fill a vacancy which might occur in his large diocese, through
the illness or unavoidable absence of the pastor.
" He chose for himself the simplest food, and sometinles thp
barest necessaries of life, in order that he might be prepared to
undergo the fatigues, and perhaps the actual want which might
be expected in his long absence from home, and on the perilous
voyages in which several months of each year must be spent;
awl, also, that he Inight have to give to tlwm that r
et'ded.
There was never a good work to be carried on in his diocese
but he would ofrer to help it ; no church or school was built but
his contribution headed the list to an amount beyond lllust of
thuse imnlediatt'ly jntel'e
tt-'d in the work.
"IJikf' all men occupying high and responsible offices, the
bishup was sometimes called to take a ßtep which would pro-
bably lay him olJcn to criticism and call forth animadversion
and censure; but when it becanlc f.>vidcnt that it was
hi
duty to act, conscioud that to hig own l\[a
tpr he
lllust
tand or fall, at all hazards he would do that which
he thought would best promote tho interests of the C'lUSC
entru!:ltcd to him, being thmic of the church of which he Was
thp chipf pastor. TIp W:t:-; IH>Vt>r tlt.tt'lTCtl l)y tIlt' f(>eling that
it wa
difficult tu hinu;df. ur that it was ol'PU
l'tl to the opiniollR

.

3D4

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'tV AS,

and wishes of those whom, under other circumstances, he would
have liked to gratify.
" Soon after his consecration, in 1844, as is remarked in the
Bermuda Royal Gazette, when he paid his first visit to the Ber-
muda Islands, everyone there ,vas impressed with the appear-
ance of his rohust and powerful frame of body, his apparent
strength of constitution, and his capability of endurance, which
served to fit him in a remarkable degree for the arduous sphere
in which his labour lay. And yet so heavy and trying did he
find his work in Newfoundland, so apparently beyond the
possibility of being performed by one man, that his courage al-
most gave way before it, and he consulted the ecclesiastical
authorities in England, as to whether they did not think it his
duty to resign, and allow the office to be entrusted to some one
stronger than himself. But they encouraged hinl to persevere;
and, with what results, let his faithful and prolonged episcopate
testify. In a more favoured spot and climate, but little idea
can be entertained of the greatness of the task imposed on him
in Newfoundland, of the toil and exposure he underwent in his
yearly visitations along those rock-bound coasts. The great
and important fruits of his labours have never been sounded
forth to the world for purposes of ostentation or display; but
by those who are very familiar with them, they are said to have
been very remarkable. We have not material before us, just
no,v, to enable us to speak particularly of the Bishop's work in
his large diocese; but as we expect to receive them from our
correspondents shortly, ,ve hope to be able soon to lay them
before our readers.
"Everyone who knew the departed bishop was able to speak
of his personal holiness and devotedness of character, of his
consistent walk with God, of the time spent by him in private
devotion, of his exemplary employment of the public means of
grace, of his humble trust in the lIlerits alone of the Saviour.
"Ve cannot doubt that he is one of those whose works do fol-
low them; first in the grateful remembrance of those for whose
spiritual welfare he so diligently laboured; and, in the faithful
record of the Most High, whose gracious declaration respecting
the man ,vho acts from love to Him is this :-' Verily I say
unto you, he shall in no wis{' lose his reward.' "*

.
Dominion Churchma
.

.

AND AS IT Ib IN 1877.

395

The follo,ving account of the late bishop is written by
G. M. J., in the Lonùon GOCL1,r7i((;n:-
"His Lordship arrived at St. John's during the summer of
the saIne year of his consecration, the greater part of which was
spent in making himself acquainted with the needs of the dio-
cese, and in the performance of duties in St. John's and its
neighbourhood. Next year the bishop entered upon the first
of those visitation voyages, in prosecution of which, with few
exceptions, tIle summer seasons of his wide episcopate were oc-
cupied, and continued to be occupied, till the appointment of a
coadjutor-bishop, in the year 1867. His first voyage was along
the south-we
t shore of :Newfoundland, and he was accompanied
as chaplain by the late Archdeacon Bridge, then RectoI' of St.
John's. For several years, his voyages in the well-known
Church ship Hawk, given him by the present Bishop of l\Ioray,
in Scotland, then Rector of I....eigh, in Essex, were literally
voyages of discovery-not indepd in tJw ordinary sense of the
term, but voyages which led to the revelation of much spiritual
dt'stitution, and resulted in the discovery of tlu:) means of lessen-
ing, if not entirely removing the wants disclosed. To give any-
thing like a complete record of what was done by the late
hi:-;hop would be impossible. This will be never known till the
day that shall discover and makp all things known. 'Vhen the
writer of this record first came to the colony there were, on the
long coast range, west of Cape Race, but dupc clergymen,
whpre now therp are thirteen. On the Lahra(lor shore, the
:French shore, and in \Vhite Bay there were none, nor was any-
thing then known about those places. On the northern coast,
which alone remains unmentioned, cl(>rgy have likewise been
increased and multiplied. In St. John's, during the
anlC titue,
a catllt'dral has hf'cn built, which, though yet unfinished, is even
HOW sf'cond to no ecclesiastical edifice on this
ide of the Atlan-
tic. During the ::;ame time a theolugical college hetS hcen estab-
lislwd, good schools for girls and hoys in St. John's, and
ol'phanag('s for ùestitutp children of both sexps have bl'l'1l
fonntled on a :-;eCllrP basis. Endowmcnt funds ha.ve been ob-
taincd for the pcrpetuation of the cpi
copi\te, and for the
tlwological COl1l'gP, fUll 1 TIl:ttl) otlH'r \\ ol'ks of n religions
('hal':lct('I'. iu ('orllu,(,tiofl wit It flu' clUIl.(.1t {'stah]jsJlt'd. It \Vol!]d

396

NE'VFOU:8DLAND, AS IT WAS,

not be easy to ascertain how many churches and parsonages
have been built under Bishop Field's episcopate, but it may be
stated that of the nUlnber of ninety-four churches returned at
the time of his last visitation voyage, as distributed among the
seven deaneries of the diocese, and six additional ones on the
coast of Labrador, undoubtedly a very large number were con-
secrated by him. Under his auspices, also, the very important
step has been taken, within the last five years, of establishing
a diocesan synod, and, we doubt not, very beneficial results will
follow to the church in Newfoundland from this measure, of
which, in fact, the benefits are already beginning to make them-
selves felt in thé increased interest taken by the laity in the
affairs of their church.

WESLEYAN METHODISTS.

Methodism in Newfoundland was introduced by the
Rev. Lawrence Coughlan, a clergyman of the Established
Church of England, in connection with the Rev. John
Wesley, as appears from the following account given by
Mr. Miles, who says:-
"In the year 1765 :1\11'. Lawrence Coughlan was a travelling
preacher in connection with 1\11'. Wesley. He was in the year
1768 ordained by the Bishop of London, at the request of the
Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge, that he
might be qualified for the office of a missionary in the Island of
Newfoundland. He accordingly went thither, and for three
years and upwards he laboured in HRrbo
r Grace and Carhonear
without any apparent success, and in the midst of great perse-
cution. He was persecuted in the chief court of the island,
but {'scaped the fury of his enemies. In letters to the Society
for the Propagation of the Gospel, he was accused of alnlost
everything that was bad. \Vhen his enen1Ìes found that those
methods were not sufficient to remove him. they employed a
physician to poison him, who was soon afterwards converted to
God, and discovered this wicked design. At length the Lord
was pleased to visit this miserable people, and poured out His
Spirit abundantly. l\Iany were soon turned to the l\Iost High.
Mr. Coughlan immediately united the truly sincere in regular

AND AS IT IS IX 1877.

397

dasseH. On thiR the persecution grew hotter; till at last ho
was HUlIlJllOne(1 before the governor; but tho governor (lpdarccl
in his favour, and a.ppointed him a justice of the peace, on
which the persecution ceased, and he laboured for four years
in nluch quietness and with great success. He then returned
to England for want of health. *' On
t:r. Coughlan's departure,
1\]1'. Stretton, a local preacher from Limerick, and :\ir. ThOlllay,
another local preacher, both in connection with !\tIre 'Vesley,
and at that time nlerchants on the island, undertook the care
of the societies which l\Ir. Coughlan had f01'lned; but those
gentlemen IJ(,
ing nluch engaged in nlercantile business, the
societies soon fell into decay. Some years after this
Ir. 'Vesley
appointed 1\11'. John l\IcGeary as a luissionary to Newfoundland,
who went over accordingly. In 1790, 1\lr. i\lcGeary, who had
returned to England was appointed a second time to that island,
with two travelling preachers from the United States; they
were rendered useful to the public. In the Yf'ar 1791 a favour-
able change took place in thf'ir hehalf. 1\11'. \VBl. Black, who
was horn at l-Iwldf'l"sfip.ld, in Yorkshire, A. D. 1760, visited
Nova Scotia. lIis labours were attended with great success.
In the year 1792 he was appointed Superintendent of the whole
work in Eritif h A_llwrica."
" The year 1791," Hays the Rev. Dr. Richey, " was one ofthf'
nlOst memorable in l\lr. Black's life. About three weeks after
his return from the States, in pur:{uance it ,vould seeln of an
arrangement snggc:-3ted by Dr. Coke, he sailed fr01n lIalifax for
Newfoundland. The remarkable outpouring of the Iloly Spirit
which attended hb lahours, transient though they werp in that
island, form a now era in the history of his nlinisterial useflùness,
and was among the nlost refreshing ren1Ìniscenccs wi th which
, the gay relll('Inhranco of a life well spent' solaced tho evcning
of his (lay!. He arrivccl a.t St. John's on the 10th of ,t\ ngnst,
awl illullctliately waited on the Rev.
[r. Jones, the Congrega-
tionalist
Iinister of that place, a Jua.n deeply pious and of a very
Catholic spirit. .After spending a day at St. JolIn's ho repaired

· On :\Ir. Coughlan's return to Englanrl, he hecamc mini8tcr of the ( .um-
h 'rland
t. Cha.pcl, London. und whilo tlll're puhlished a. hook, briving.tn
account of hi
work ill N c,\ fOU1uU:uul, clt.dicatcd tu till' (.()Ulltt:>
,J of
II untillgdoll.

398

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

to Carbonear, where IVlr. l\lcGeary, a Methorlist mIssIonary,
Was then stationed."

During his visit to Newfoundland, 1\ir. Black visited
Barbour Grace and other parts of Conception Bay. The
writer has conversed with several old persons at Carbon-
ear, who well remember 1vlr. Black's visit.
In the year 1814, Newfoundland ,vas made a separate
district, wiih a superintendent. In 1817 the Rev. John
Bell was appointed chairlnan of the district. About this
time several very able n1Ìnisters were on the Newfound-
land District, among whom were the Rev. George Cubit,
late editor of the "vVesleyan lVlagazine and Y outh'sInstruc-
tor," published in London; the Rev. Dr. Richard Knight,
after,vards Co. Delegate of the Conference; the Rev. S.
Busby, of the New Brunswick District; the Rev. William
Ellis, ,vho died at Harbour Grace, in 18:?7 ; the Rev. John
Haigh, and the Rev. John Richardson, who died in Eng-
land, ,vhile superintending the Third Leeds Circuit, in
1847, and who was for nearly twenty years Chairman of
the Newfoundland District. In 1824, the Rev. William
Croscom be was chainnan of the district, and was suc-
ceeded by the Rev. John Picka vant, who held the office
until his departure for England in 1843. In 1844 the
Rev. Richard 'Villiams was sent from New Brunswick, as
chairnlan, succeeded, in 1847, by the Rev. W. Sprague; a
short time after succeeded by the Rev. Henry Daniel and
Rev. S. Peach. The largest church and congregation be-
longing to the Wesleyans in N e\vfoundland is at Carbo-
near. The number of persons belonging to the congrega-
tion is about 1,500. The number of ministers throughout
the island in 1840, was 14; local preachers, 10; full
members in church fellowship, 2,733; Sabbath school
Teachers, 170; scholars, 2,018; day schools, 9; the num-
ber of persons attending the Ivlethodist ministry, upwards
of 15,000.
The following is an extract frOin the London report:-

AND AS IT IR IN 1877.

S9f}

"The Con1mittee report with much satisfaction that Day-
school,,; connecteù with the missions at C((/J"bone(tr, Bla('khc(1d,
Br'iy'lts, BOltavista, Grand-Bank, and other places, constitute a
valuable and useful part of the missionary operations of the So-
ciety. These institutions are decidedly religious in their cha-
ract.er and design, while all possible attention is paid by their
conductors to the mental improvement of the pupils. Reading,
writing, English grammar, geography and mensuration are
taught in then1. The Scriptures are daily read, portions of them
are committed to memory, and catechetical instruction from the
\r esleyan Catechisms is regularly given. The scholars attend-
ing these seminaries are of all ages from childhood to mature
age, and at Carbonectr they amount to one hundred and ninety.
The Sunday-schools in Newfoundland, as in all the North Ame-
rican Districts, have been productive of great good to the rising
generation, especially in those cases in which Bible-classes have
been established."
The lllinisters have lJccn luainly supported by the \Ves-
lcyan l\lis
ionary Society of London. A single man
recei ves an annual salary of 1:80, and a luarried Ulan frolH
.f100 to .f150, according to th(' number in fan1Ïly. The
missions are no,,, nearly all self-supporting. In 1855, the
Ne\vfoundland Di
trict ,va
incorporated \vith the Confer-
ence of Eastern British Alnerica. The Rev. Mathe\v
Richey, D. D., being the first Presi{ lent.

,' According to the returns of 1857, the nunlber of Ininist-
en
was 17; churches, :J7; church luel111.ers, 20,229. The
alllOtwt contributed for the 'Vesleyan n1Íssionary in Lon-
don ,vaH -Cl;fJ8. The minutes of the Conference of 1858
Hays :-
" That the thanks of the Conference arc due and are llC'r
by
tendcr('d to the Hon. J. J. Hogerson, of St. John's, N ewfouud-
land, for a free passage of the Rev. James A. Duke, to Nc,v-
foundland, and for his exprt-'sscd reaùÏ1wss to give a free passage
to any other \Y csleyan minister who may at any other time be
appointed to Newfoundlanù, when his vessels are conling out.',
\\T c take the follo\villg extract froul the report of lR.)7 :

400

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS,IT WAS,

"Through the liberality of the Parent Committee, the means
have been provided and a brother has been designated for our
new home mission on the Labrador coast. Every year nunlbers
of families leave the Island to pass the summer on this coast,
and these have hitherto left behind them the valued means of
grace. N ow their own pastors will accompany them, to watch
over their souls, and to preach to others who otherwise would
perhaps never hear the Word of Life."
In 1876, there were 50 ministers and 30,000 persons
belonging to t.he Wesleyans in Newfoundland.

CONGREGATIONALISTS.

The following account was written by the late Rev.
D. S. Ward in 1842, who was the pastor of the Congre-
gational Church in St. John's :-
"This church was instituted in the year of our Lord 1778,
at a time when there was the greatest imaginable destitution
of religious means in this island, as appears from its early
records. It is identified with the Independent or Congrega-
tional churches in England, by whose benevolent exertions it
was originally founded; it has always been supported by its
own pew-rents, and the voluntary contributions of its friends.
The first minister ordained in England to take the pastoral
charge was Mr. John Jones, who laboured successfully among
them for twenty-one years; and although since his decease it
has suffered many vicissitudes, in consequence of its peculiarly
isolated situation, it has always maintained a steady and re-
spectable position in St. John's. Its present minister left a
pastoral charge in Devonshire to take the oversight of this
church, in the year 1824, and since that period has continued
his labours with encouragement and success. There are three
public services on the Lord's day and two in the week. There
is an annual fast-day observed, and also a day of annual
thanksgiving. The members of this Christian communion are
respectable in character and number, and their place of worship
is well attended. Their Sabbath-school, supported by volun-
tary contributions, is large, and well-conducted by respectable
superintendent':) and teachers. It may be but justice to say

AND AS IT I
IN 1877.

401

that several other places of worship, situated in different parts
of the district, originated with them, and were maillly erected
l,y their exertions, viz., the old place of \vorship at Portugal
Cove, the place of worship at Petty Harbour, now Episcopal;
the church at Quidi Vidi, raised wholly by the exertions of the
minister of the Congregational Church, and constituted the
joint property of the Episcopal, Congregational and \Vesleyan
bodies in this town."

On the IGth of August, 1843, the death of the Rev.
Daniel Spencér \Vard took place, after having presided
over the Uongregational Church, \"ith distinguished piety
and aLility, upwards of nineteen years. In 1834, the Rev.
Daniel D. Evans arrived froIll England, and took charge
of the church until 184
, ,vhen, in con
equence of his
health failing,he returned to England. In 1849 the · Rev.
George Schofield arrived froIll England, as pastor of the
congregation. The Congregational church in St. John's,
in 185H \vaS the only one in N e\vfoundland, the nUlnber
of Versons attending \vhich ,va
aLout 400. This church,
in addition to the support of it
n1Ïnister, annually raised
fronl æ
50 to .t300 for other purposes-out of \vhich
1.:120 ,vas sent to the Lon<lun l\lissionary Society. l\lr.
Schofield ,vas succeeded in the pa
tol"ate of the Queen's
}{oad Chappl by the Rev. Uharlcð Pedley, ,vho ,vas suc-
cee(le(l in l
(;(j by the Rev. \VilliaIll Ho\vell, the present
lllinistcr is the ltev. ThoIuas llali. The Rev. George
I [arl'ingtoll has charge of Pendell Harbour, SlllÏth'
SOUIHl,
anù Trinity Bay. The Rev. J. B. Sear i
General
li
-
sionary. Then:; are six day-&chools in operation.

PRESln
E RL\XS,

The first l>resLytcrian church ever fcrectcd in N cw-
foune Hane I ,vas COH1IllClLcec1 in 1
43, ane I openeJ. for public
\vorship, a.CCOf( ling to the f loctrine ane 1 discipline of the

.. Now a.<< 'lcJ!.,yul:m of the ('hurch or En
lal\ll in tIll I )iut'."';" of Fr,.t1t'!'idull.
'\ .It

r

402

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

Established Church of Scotland, by the Rev. Donald A.
Fraser, A.1\i., on Sunday, December 3rd, of same year.
(This church was destroyed by fire in 1876). On the
7th of February, 1845, the lamented death of Mr. Fraser
took place, in the 52nd year of his age and the 31 st of
his ministry. The congregation was temporarily supplied
with ministers of the Church of Scotland from Nova
Scotia, and occasionally by the Methodist and Oongrega-
tional lninisters, until the appointment of the Rev. }\ill'.
King in 1849, who was sent out from Scotland, by the
Oolonial Oommittee of the Ohurch. He after some tÏ1ne
returned to Scotland, and ,vas succeeded by the Rev.
Francis Nicholls.
As Mr. Fraser "vas the first Presbyterian minister ever
settled in Newfoundland, (although it is said onc lived in
Newfoundland in 1777,) the following sketch of hÜn
written by his friend, the Rev. John l\iartin, in 1845, one
of the principal ministers of the Church of Scotland in
Halifax, N. S., will interest the reader:-
"Mr. Fraser enjoyed in early life the important advantages
of a liberal and religious education. A native of the Western
Islands of Scotland, and a son of the Rev. Alexander Fraser,
for many years minister of the parish of Torosay, in the Island
of lVlull, he received the l'wliments of learning under the paren-
tal roof and at the narish school, until he entered the U niver-
sity. After passing-through the regular course of academical
education in literature, philosophy, and theology, he was
licensed to preach the Gospel, and soon afterwards ordained,
whilst only a very young man, to the office of t.he holy
ministry. He officiated for a short time in different places in
Scotland, and gave striking indication, even at that early period
of his life, of that powerful and persuasive eloquence for which
his future public ministrations were so highly prized. Previous
to that time petitions had been sent home, to the mother
country, from Pictou, for Gaelic Ininisters, and recent emi-
grations from th

ighlands and Islands had opened up a very
wide field of mIssIonary labour throughout all the eastern
tlistncts of this Province. This was the place which t.he all-

AND A8 IT IS IN lS77.

403

wise Providence of God had allotted for !\Ir. Fraser's ministerial
labours, and thither in the course of events, he was soon after-
wards led to direct his steps.
" In the year 1817, nearly twenty-eight years ago, a year long
to be remenlbered in the aunals of our church, being also the
year, if we rightly remember, in which the R
v. Dr. George
Burns commenced his ministry in the City of St. John, 1\11'.
Fraser landed on the shores of Nova Scotia, and took up his
abode in a humble log cabin, among his countrymen in the
thick, and then alnlost impenetrable forest
of l\IcLennan's
Mountain. There, and in the neighbouring settlements in the
County of Pictou, he found a great number of warm-hearted
Highlanders, from the mountains and glens of Scotland, ready
and willing to welcome him, and delighted to meet with a min-
ister of their own church, so well qualified to instruct them in
the Gaelic as wcll as the English language.
"]
eing the only Gaelic nlinister of the Church of Scotland
at that time in Nova Scotia, he was called to perform not only
the work of a stated pastor to his own congregation, lIP had
also to untlertake a vast antI almost iucrpdible amount of mis-
sionary (luty of the nlost fatiguing description, oftcn at an im-
mense distance from his place of resi.1ence. Franl his journals
and his òaptismal and marria.gt' rcgistcrs, which we have exarlll-
ned, it appears that in the years 1817, 'IR, '1 Ð, '
O, when he

tood alone awl lahourell without assi
tance, he visited in suc-
cet'sion, almost cvery Ga..lic settl..mcllt from St. l\Iary's to
'Vallacé, and frOln Salmon River to Merigomishe, an..] also
found h.isure to cr(J

the channcl to Prince Edward Island.
Tlw t'arly settlers in thesp placeH, Jllany of whom are still alivp,
can l)('ar testimony to his zeal and activity in visiting an(l in-
structing their families, in prcaching t.}w Gospel, and in lJiS-
pcnsing thc or(Iinanccs of religion amon
tlwnl.
" \Y 0 arc nut of till' nU1ll1wr of tho:-;e who wish to depreciat .
alltl UlHlt.rvalue the lahours of our predecessors in a past genera-
tion, :uuidst tuils a.nù privatiolls of which "c can fortn no
a(lc(luate conception, Incn of no urclillary CIH'rgy and decision,
men of faith and prayer, whu have now I'pct'iVt.d th.... pud of
their faith amI patiellce, cvcn the salvatioll of tllt'ir souls. 1\lr.
Fraser had his full Hharc of these arduous awl splf (Jenying, hut
hOllüurahlt> and l1sd'ul lahours. If not till' first PresLyterian

404

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

minister settled in Pictou, he was unquestionably the clergy-
man to whom the Gaelic population felt most attached, and
from whom they derived most instruction for Inany years.
"Presbyterians themselves are not sufficiently acquainted
with the extent and utility of his missionary labours, either in
that part of t.he Province or in Cape Breton. From documents
now in our possession, it appears very evident that 1\11'. Fraser
was one of the principal instruments in providing the High-
landers of Cape Breton, as well as his countrymen in Pictou,
with acceptable Gaelic ministel's. IIis attention was frequently
directed to the spiritual destitution which so long prevailed
among the Presbyterians in that extensive island, and amidst
his varied and multiplied avocations he was enabled to render
them no small assistance. \Ve are inclined to believe that he
visited the island several tinles during his residence in Picto l },
although we have only the authentic account of one missionary
tour which was so useful in itself and attended with such im-
portant results to those islanders that it would be irnproper to
pass it over in silence.
" In the month of September, 1828, nearly seventeen years
ago, 'ðIr. Fraser, accompanied by the Rev. John l\IcLenuan, of
Prince Edward Island, proceeùed on a missionary tour to Cape
Breton, at that time one of the most neglected and destitute
spots in British America. Separating from each other at the
Strait of Canso, Mr. McLennan proceeded through the settle-
lnents in the southern part of the island, whilst }\tlr. Fraser
travelled in a northerly ùirection through the settlements on
the Bras Ð'Or Lake, visiting in succession River Inhabitants,
St. George's Channel, Baddeck, and Boularderie Island, whence
he proceeded to Sydney. After a stay, which was delightful
in everything but its shortness, Mr. Fraser returned again by
Boularderie and finally bidding adien to his countrymen in this
sequestered spot, who followed him, to use the language of his
own beautiful journal, with prayers and tears, he proceeded by
water to the head of the north-west arm of the Bras Ð'ûr
Lake, visiting in his progress the coasts and islands of that
superb expanse of water, and pursuIng his journey to the Straits
of Canso, where after many toils a.wl pleasures he once more
met with his fellow lahoul't,l' Mr. !\1cLennan, and accompallÏt'd
him tu N ova Scotia. The lamentable state of destitution in

AND.AS'IT IS IN lR77.

405

which 1\II'. Fraspr found his cuuntrynwil 011 that \ iRit apppars
to have produced a very ùeep impression upon his min(1, antI
his earIlcst and forcible application for assistance will not soon
be forgotteno
" A t a ycry early periorl of his life. long before he had arrived
at that lllaturity of understan(1ing and experience which his
later mir.istration displaYf'd, soon after he was ordained by the
PrèsLytery of )Iull, in the year 181-1, his discourses were not
only rpHlarkahle for tIle beauty and elegance of their composi-
tiOll, Il11t for thp earJwstnf'SS anlll'athos with which they were
fldivPlocd. But we have seen that JUr. Fraser was much Ulon"
than an eloqupnt and accomplis},cd actor; he was a most effi-
cient and faithful pastor. The value of his public ministrations
in Pictou, where hp spent such a large portion 9f hiH life, is so
w"l} known, and so universally acknowledged, that it is unneces-
sary fol' us to dwell at I're
ent upon tl1Cir excellence and
fidelity.
c. , .As he occupif'd,' Rays one of t.he attached Inemll{>rs of his
flock in Kewfoundlaud, 'a most inlportant station in Rociety,
and was a man of rare gifts, a few hrief remarks on llis peculiar
conformation of nlÌnd nlay not be uninteresting to thosp who
kllt'W him. One of itH lpadiug characteristics appears to us to
havf' l)cen a compf('hensiye power of intellect that mad(\ the
discussion of religious and philosophical qUf'stions at all titnes
easy to hiIIl. On ev('ry sn bject that Clune within the sphpre of
his puhlic (1iscoursps, h(' woul(l powlpr with a. dcel' earlwstlwss
that imprilltf.d thp l{';uling fpatures with vivid distinctness on
hiH own mill{l, anù fitted hi
11 to impa.rt a strong ,uul pprmanent
idea to th(\ nlÏnds of others, while the wi(le ran
e of his mental
vision ena}Jled hin1 to expatiate ov('r tlw whole extent of his
topic, lpaving no portion of it untouched, and the keen pPlwtra-
tion of hiH thou
bt prol)cd its very inmost rect'ss{,s. Enriched
with the varied and p('cnliar learning of llÌs profession, and with
a kppn relish for the classical lwautif'H of ancient and mockrn
writers, IH' was usnally aV('rHe to (lisplay the EJl.tent of his uc-
({uirecl r{'source's; awl in (lischarging the sol('mn duties of hiH

lÏgh calling he neyer lost Right of tlu> CXIUO(\SH pnrpoRt' awl
Intpnt-that of enforein
the trnthH of Christian (lnd.oilw, awl
of Ulorp ('''1'' l"ia.l1y n.'
ing OIL his }H'arprH to hclit'ye, a.wl to COll-
form their Ii Vl':i to tll<' Lclief, tha.t it is only through faith in the

406

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

all sufficiency of Christ's atonoment that thp sinner can (lepond
for acceptanco with his God.' "
During the life-tilne of 1\11'. Fraser, the question had
never been raised, as to whether the congregation should
belong to the Free Church of Scotland or not. He has
told the writer, however, that if he were in Scotland, he
,vould belong to the Free Church, but that the congrega-
tion over which he presided, had an the rights and privi-
leges of the Free Pre
1yterian Church of Scotland.
After the (leath of Mr. Fraser, the question was agitated
as' to whether the building ,vhich had been erected be-
longed to the EstabliHhed or the Free Church, which was
eventually decided by the Supreme Court, declaring that
the building belonged to the Established Church of Scot-
land, in consequence of the Government having given the
land for the
ite of the building for that purpose. The con-
gregation at that time consisted of about .500, alnong whom
,vere SOlne of the wealthiest and most influential persons of
N ewfouncllancl.
]'lore than half of them separated, and comlnenced ser-
vice in connexion with the Free Church of Scotland, and
in 1848, the Colonial COlnmittee of the Free Church sent
theln over frolll Scotland, a young nlan, the Rev. A. S.
l\Iuir, as minister. In 1849, a site having been obtained in
Duckworth Street, the erection of a church was cOlIllllenced,
which was opened for worship in 1850. It was built of
wood, and said to be one of the neatest churches in the
country. It was destroyed by fire in 1876. The number of
Presbyterians at present throughout the Colony, is t:>22,
viz. :-302 of the Established Church of Scotland, and 520
of the Free Church. Each of the PresbytBrian Ininisters is
allowed towards his t)upport annually, .f:100 fronl the res-
pective churches in Scotland, in addition to what he re-
ceives from his congregation.
The Rev.
lr. 1\Iuir, after SOllle year:.; resigned the pas-
torate of the Free Church, and ,vas succeeded by the
present minister, the Rev. Moses Harvey, who haH for his

AND AR IT IR J
1877.

07

w....sistant the Rev. Neil 'Forsyth. The minister of the EH-
ta1.lished (
hurch of Hcot1and is the Rev. J ëLll1f'S Patterson.
"fhe Rev. AleÀander Ross is pastor of the Free Church at
Harbour Grace Conce ! )tion Ba y -conO'reo'ation froln 70 to
, ð ð
100 persons. There are four day-schools.

RO
IAN CATHOLICS.

In 1774, Dr. J aIne') O'Donnell \vas sent to N e,vfound-
Ian.l, ,vith the title of "Prefect and Vicar Apostolic" of
the ROIHan Catholic Church. He was after,varcls raised to
a l.ishop. Aftcr spending twenty-three years of his life in
N cwfoundland, he returned to Ireland, where he passed
the rmnain( Icr of his days. In testiInony of his patriotic
conduct, the British Governlnent, presented hilll ,vith a
pcnsion of fifty pounds a year. In 180G, he ,vas succeeded
hy Dr. Lalnbcrt, as bishop. In 18:30, the Right Rev. Dr.
Scallan, ,vho "ras the successor to Dr. LaIn l)crt, died. His
kind and conde
cending deportInent, rendered hiln gene-
rally helovcù, and his loss ,vas deeply and uniyel'sally
lalllCnte<l. IT e \\Ta
succeeded in the 1ishopric by the late
Right Rev.
[ichacl Anthony FlenÜng, D. D., as Bishop of
Carpasia and Vicar Apostolic. In consequence of the fail-
ing health of Bishop FlelI1Ïng, the Rev. John Tholnas

Itlllock, D. D., \vas in IH48, appointecl co-adjutor hishop.
Un 8unday night, th
14th of July, 18.30, Dr. FIClning
expirc( 1, at the Franciscan )[onastery in St. J ohn\" after
a prolonged illné:;
ûf t,vo years, ,vhich ht.
bore ,yith pati-
ence an.l resignation to the Di vine will. lie ,vas Huccceded
in the hishopri(' by IJr.
I ullock. The follo\ving l.ricf
notice of Bishop :Flelling, ,vill thro'v
Olne ]ight upon the
hi
tory uf the }{,oJuan Catholic Church ill this cuuntry :-
" The Right neve subject of this obituary Wa
born at Car-
rick-an-Suir, in the County of Tippprary, Irp](lIH1, in the year
1 'i9
; hence, waH he at the period of his decea:5e in the tifty-
cighth year of his age. In early life he was ùistingllislwd
mnangst hib
dlOol-fellows for an agreeable lwr
on, t'ngagillg

40R

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

nmnlu'rs, an aptitude for learning, and a mild disposition; his
thoughts were directed towards religion by the instructions of
his uncle, the Rev. lVlartin Fleming, a zealous and pious clergy-
man of the Order of St. Francis; and at his sixteenth year he
was received as a novice of that Order in the Franciscan Con-
vent of \Vexford, at the hands of the Very Rev. Dr. Scallan,
then superior of the house, and subsequently Vicar-Apostolic of
Newfoundland. Having finished his studies at an early age, he
Was ordained some months before the canonical time by special
-indulgence from the Holy See, and placed at the Convent of
Carrick-on-Suir, under the government of his uncle; here he
passed some eight years as an active missionary, distinguished
by his zeal and earning the love of all around him. \Vhile at
Carrick-on-Suir he re-edified the old Convent Chapel, replacing
the delapidated buil(ling by an erection remarkable for the taste
with which it was executed; and although this was the first
exertion of his singular architectural abilities, its beauty has
hardiy been eclipsed by any of his subsequent efforts, however
numerous.
" 'Ve have noticed before that his former superior, the Very
Rev. Dr. Scallan, had been subsequently raised to the episcopal
dignity, and was appointed to preside over the Roman Catholic
population of this bishopric ; and it will not appear surpris-
ing that, finding so few priests in Newfoundland, he should be
solicitous to induce a young gentleman, whose progress in col-
lege he had witnessed, and who had even then awakened his
esteem, to join him; but although for years he sought to bring
about this happy consummation, it was not until the year 1823,
that he finally succeeded; but so tenderly was the Rev. Father
Michael Fleming loved, not only by his good and kind old uncle,
his beloved parents and family, but by the entire population of
Carrick, of every religious persuasion, that in order to save the
finer feelings of his nature, he secretly took his leave of his
native country.
" In the fall of 1823, therefore, he first set his foot on the soil
of Newfoundland, who was pre-ordained to advance in an un-
measured degree, the general interests of the country, and until
the year 1829, he continued to win the love of all around him,
in the zealous discharge of his arduous duties of missionary in
St. rJ ohn's.

AND AS IT IS IN J.877.

40H

,
C( On the 28th of October, uf the last-mentioned )'(';\1' I... was
consecrated Bishop of Carpasia, in partiblls in fideliUl'i, awl ap-
}Jointed Coadjutor 'Ticar Apostolic of Xewfoundland, the Right
Hev. Dr. Scallan having previously postulated for him, and.
shortly afterwards, on that Right Itev. Prelate having died,
Dr. Fleming assumed in full the onerous duties of the epis-
copacy.
" From that until the present period Dr. Flen1Ïng lived not
for himself but for his people; for their advantage he put forth
every energy; all his exertions were devoted to the ameliora-
tion of their moral, their religious, their social condition; he
was amongst the earliest to arouse by his example the puhlic
attention to the importance of agriculture; his unwearied eft'orts
to procure the formatio!l of roads, when land communication,
even between the nearest settlements was all but impossible;
his noble f:acrifice in establishing schools, in multiplying the
m(
ans of communicating religious instruction to his people,
even in the most remote districts; his great untiring exertions
to promote a taste for architecture, both civil and ecclesiastical;
his labours to caB the attention of distant countries to the con-
dition of long neglected, and almost unkno,vn or forgotten
ew-
foundland-all these testify the deep debt of gratitude due to
the memory of this truly great man.
"How coul(l we, in a Inoment, review his touching letters,
teaching nIl countries the story of the wants, the neglects of our
poor colony
IIow shall we be expected to delineate the single-
mindf'd prelato, attracting to our rude shores, awl f'ntirely at
his own expense, those prous and giftf'(lladies of the P-resentn-
tiou Onh1", and again of the OrdLT of !lIrrfey, to diffuse a sound,
a virtuous, a religious, and withal, an elegant education amongst
the female portion of the conl1nunity
But above all. and be-
fore all, how is it pm;sibk to illlpart OYOl1 an idpa of the sêtCri-
fiCf'H madn by _Dr. Flpming in the erection of churchl'R? I3tÆore
his time there was not in thp entire island an edifice that merit-
eù the name; a.ll were of wood, antI, iutlecd, of the most unpre-
tending character.
" ,\ 0 have Hl't'n how, in a yery few YC'êU'H, lIP raiHt'(l vcry
heautiful churches at Petty llarbour, Portugal Cove, and Tor-
bay; anù how unùer him rose the exquisite churches of Brigns,
Bay Bulls - -nay, in almost evC'ry di!1trict of the island. The

410

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

cathedral, however, has been that building npon which he seems
to have staked all; for, in his zeal for its construction, we havf'
little hesitation in saying, he sacrificed a life so valuable. '\Ve
have seen him living weeks togp.ther at Kelly's Island assisting
the labourers in quarrying building stone, and then, up to his
middle in water, helping them to load the vessels with Ina-
terials; we witnessed his voyages across the Atlantic, wherein
he sailed over sixty tlwusand miles of ocean for its accomplish-
ment. Could all this bave been, anrl not wear down even an
iron constitution
He has at length failed under these super-
human exertions; and when he insisted on being brought to
assist at the public opening of this magnificent temple, in J anu-
ary last, we saw, bowed down before his time, and as if seeking
a place to deposit his remains, the wreck of ltim who had sacri-
ficed all for the good, the welfare, and happiness of his people,
for the prOlnotion of the knowledge of his heavenly Master.
Shortly after this he resigned all the temporalities of the See
into the hands of his distinguished coadjutor, the Right Rev.
Dr. Mullock, and retired into the beautiful monastery which re-
mains as an additionallnemorial of his piety and taste. And
now it only relnains for us to turn to profit by all his instructions,
and ,to endeavour to fulfil his wishes, by lendin
our cordial co-
operation to the successor he has especially chosen-a prelate
distinguished alike in religion and literature.
"The remains of the Right Rev. Dr. Fleming, after lying in
state in the cathedral this day and to-morrow, will, on Thurs-
day next, at half-past one o'clock, be borne to his vault in that
edifice, after having been carried in procession through the city
by his congregation."
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Newfoundland was
allowed Æ75 per annum by the British Governlnent, but
on the recomlnendation of lVlr. Sheil, M.P., SOlnc years ago,
it was increased to .1:300 per annun1. In 1856, the north-
ern part of the Island was forlned into another diocese,
when the Rev. J ohn Walton, D.D., ,vas constituted the
first Bishop of Harbour Grace-the new diocese-and was
succeeded b.y the present bishop, the Right Rev. Henry
Carfagniui, D.D. In additiun to the schoolH estaLlisheJ

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

tll

I.y the Local OOV'Cl'nlnent, the Catholic" have five princi-
pal school", t\\ro of ,vhich are conducted by lllouks êtllf L
nuns, and contain a great nUlnl..cr of scholars. In IH.50 the
numl..er of clergyulen in that Islan(l ,vas 30; churches, 45;
the nUlllher of CatholicR uIHvards of 47,000. There,' ere
G IHonks of the Franci:..;can Order; 13 nuns of the Presen-
tation Order, and b of the Order of )Iercy.
The follo\ving is an account of the death of Bishop .i\[ul-
lock, taken frOllt the St. John's Ch./ì'onicle of
Iarch 30th,
1 HG
J.
" The melancholy duty devolves upon us of noting the sud-
df'n death of his Lordship, the Hight Rev. Dr. :\Iullock, at half-
past eleven o'clock yesterday morning, in the ü2nd year of his
age. Though his Lordship had been ailing for a considerable
time, his sudden demise was altogether unexpected. He slept
unusually well the previous ,night, and took a hearty breakfast
Yl'sterday. Soon after ten o'clock he visited the Presentation
Convent to makp arrangements in reference to some ecclesias-
tical business, and proceeded thence to the Convent of the
Ri
terg of 'I ercy. ,After ren1aining there a short time, he stated
his intf'ntion of walking into towIl, and proceeded lei:-;urely
down the hill in front of thf' l\Iercy Convpnt. He then con-
tinued on towards the Orphan Asylum, when finding himself
growing weak, he abandoned his intention of going into town,
amI walked slowly up Garrison Hill to\Vard
hi,; home, on
reaching which, an(l being assisted up stairs, he in a short time
becamp convulsed, and soon expired, living just long enough
to rf'cl'Í ve the last sacramen ts of the ch urch.
"Hi:; Lordship \V as a most kind antI gt'llC'rous-heartf'd lIlan,
and was truly and sincerly beloved by his congregation. He
wa.s a man of rClna.rkable erudition and sonn(l judgment, and
possessed of grt'at energy of character. In losing hin1 his peo-
ple lo
t one who had tlH'ir interests continually at heart-all
his thoughts 1wing how best to benefit them."
Bishop
[ullock Hays:
" Newfouwlland is at prC'scnt dividl'<l into three eccleRiastical
districts-the diocese of
t. John's; diocese of Harbour Grace;

412

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

nd Prf'fectnre Apostolic of St. Pierre's anrl Miquplon. The
uumber of clergy in St. John's is 29 ; in Harbour Grace, 6 ; anù
in St. Pierre's 3, of whom one is Prefect Apostolic. In this Pre-
fecture, there is a large convent of Sæurs de Cha'ì'ité, and there
is also an establishment of F1'ères des Bcoles Chretiennes, both sup-
ported by the Imperial Governnlent of France, which also sends
two priests annually to the French shore-one stationed at Le
Seie,and one at La èonche-are also in operation in the Íslalld.
In St. John's we have one college, twelve convents, and over
fifty churches and chapels; in Harbour Grace, there are two
convents, and over fifteen churches and chapels."
In the rear of the City of St. John's, the ROlnan Catho-
lics have a large and beautiful cenletel'Y, in the centre of
which stands a neat chapel.
According to the census of 1857, the number of clergy-
men was 32; churches, 61 ; and the number of Catholics,
55,309. In 1869, 61,040. In 1874, 64,018. (For a vie'v of
the churches of the different denominations, see" W an der-
ing Thoughts," published by the author in 1846.) The
following are the stations of the clergymen in 1876 :-
Bisltop.-Right Rev. Dr. THOl\IAS JOSEPH POWER.
Vicnr-General.- Very Rev. THOl\lAS O'CONNOR, P. P.
Deam.- Very Rev. PATRICK CLEARY, P. P.
St. Jokn' s (Ccdlwdral).- Very Rev. T. B. McGrath, Adm., Rev.
W. Forristal, Rev. Patrick Delaney.
St. Eonaventure College.-President, Very Rev, P. A. Slattery;
Dean, Rev. Willianl Fitzpatrick.
St. Peter's Chapel (Queen Street).-Rev. John Scott.
St. Patrick's (River Head).-Rev. John Ryan.
Petty Harbour.-Rev. John 'Valsh.
Portugal Cove and Torbay.- Very Rev. T. O'Connor, P. P.,
V.G., Rev. M. J. Ularke.
1Vitless Bay and Bay Bulls.- Very Rev. Dean Cleary, P. P.,
Rev. N. Roach, Rev. 1\1:. 0' Driscoll.
Fe'ì'1'yland and Cape B'ì'oyle.-Rev. M. A. Clancy.
Fermeuse and Reneous.-Rev. John 'Valsh.
Trepassez.-Rev. Thomas Hennebury, P.P.

A
D AS IT IS IN 1877.

413

St. J.1Iary's (tad Salnwnier.-Rev. Richard O'Donnell, P. P.,
Rev. John St. John.
Great J
lacentia.-Rev. Charles Irwin, Rev. James 'Vhelan.
Little Placcntia.-Rev. R. Brennan, Rev.
1.
IacCnllow.
St. ](Yf(tn's.-Rev. L. Vereker.
BUì.in.-Rev. 'Yillianl Born, P. P.
Oderin.-Rev. :ftL
Iorris.
St. Lawrence.-Rev. 'Yilliam Doutney.
Lauudine.-Rev. J ames 'V 41lsh.
IladwwJ" B?eton.
St. Jacques.-Rev. Vincent Reardon.

PREFECTURE AI)OSrOLH '.
St. GLvrge's Blty.-Prefect Apo
tolic, Very Rev. 'f. Sears.

COl'\VENT
.
St. Jultn's.-Presentation Convent, .L\Iilitary Road; l\lercy
Convent, l\lilitary Road; Presentation Convent, Patrick Street;

Iercy Cun vent, Belvidere.
Turùay.-.Prescntatioll Convent.
1Vitl :;s ]Jfl!l.-Preselltatioll UOllvellt.
lJU?Ùt. - ùlercy Con vent.
p, rr.
lllJtd.-Prt'sentation Cunvcnt.
F, r"tf IlSC.- Prespntation Cun vent.
St. LaWTtJ ce.-l\lercy Cunvent.
Great Pi . ntin.-Presentation CUll\'eut.
St. J1ar!l's.-Prl'selltation Convent.
llarùour IJrf'foJl.-Preseutatioll Convent.
All Orphanage for girls, at Belvidere; Orphan \.sylUUl

cllUul, Cathedral } lill.

!HOC.Ð)E OF IIAUHOUR (;RACE.
The l
ight I:ev. IlE
H.Y CAnFAl;NI
[, D. D., O. S. :F., Lord
Bishup of I Iarhollr Gracc.
V cry l{pv. J cremiah O'Donnell, V ica.r-UclH'ral uf the Diocc:5e.
I [((11m/( ,. () "(f(' .- Very l
cv. D. Falcullio, Admini
tratur; Hc,.
Hteplwn Flynn.
Ca?'
OJlt ar.- I:pv. \rillialH l)olll1plly
!Jrifl"..,.-l
ev. E. F. \\Talsh, P. P.

414

NEWFOUNDLAND, A
IT 'VAS,
Harbour Main.- Very Rev. J. O'Donnell, P.P., Rev. P. O'Don-
nell.
NO'Jothern Bay.-Rev. \Villiam Veitch.
Bonavista.-Rev. J. Carolan.
King's Cove.-Rev. M. Hanley.
Tilton Harbour.-Rev. James Brown. P.P.
Fortune Hal'bour.-Attended from Tilton Harbour.
La Gonclie.-Attended from Tilton Harbour.
Labrador.-Attended once a year by a priest from Harbour
Grace.
Convents.-Three of the Presentation Order; and two of the
Order of Mercy.

EDUCATION.

In 1835, the Local Government passed an Act for the
encouragement of education, but, owing to the objection
of the Roman Catholics to the reading of the Scriptures,
in many places the schools failed.
In 1844, the late Mr. Barnes, a leading menlber of the
House of Assembly, introduced an Education Bill, which
gave great satisfaction. The Bill passed into law. It
provided that the ROlnan Catholics should receive half
the Education Grant, and that Roman Catholic Boards
should be appointed to manage their own schools.
Education in Newfoundland is not yet fully appreciated
by a considerable majority of the population, The com-
n10n school system was miserably defective. Persons
possessing a mere smattering of the rudirnents of learning,
and fit for nothing else were considered cOlnpetent to con-
duct the common schools. Too frequently the schools
,vere Inade a refuge frolll destitution-the lost hope of the
unfoTtunate. And many of the teachers felt and acted
the yel'itable saying of the EnglÜ;;h dame, "It is but little
they pays me, and it is but little I teaches them." One
obstacle in the way of obtaining COlnpctent teachers \\'as
inadequacy of cOlllpensation. Another waf-) the low esti-
'Jluäiún in which the occupation was held., eHpecially in
the common schools. The establishment of a N orIual

AKD A
IT I
IN 1877.

41:5

School is greatly needed in order to prepare teacltel's for
the conuuon
chools of thè Island. * :For béveral years the
Local Govcrnmcnt atteillpted to establish a College, llut,
o",ring to the conflicting interests of the different re1igious
bodies, nothing ,yas done. In 1845, ho,vever, an acadeIllY
,vas e
tablished in St. John's, presided over by three
teachers, each having a salary of .f:300, !250 and .f100
per anntUI1. Secretary, !:(jO per annUlll. In 1848, there
'\"ere sixteen pupils in the academy, each of ,vhom payed
an annual fee of!K In 1
4!) the fee frolli each pupil was
reduced to .E.") per annum. There was, however, no in-
crease of pupils. The pupils in the acadelllY were taught
writing and arithlnetic, geography and n1athen1atics,
French, Greek, and Latin. The acadelny was a complete
fail ure.
It is a grcat mistake to suppose that well-infornled nlen
must, as a lllatter of coursc, l..e capable schoohllasters.
Experience has proved other,visè. It is necessary to in-
quire not lllcrely, (( IIol" {noc/! doe,
he know?" but (( HÙ1U
Tnuch ca L he iJnLJ(trt!" and" Huw well can he i1npf.1/rt it ?"
The efficiency of the teachers of the acadclny, ho\vever,
had never been (luéstioned. Its failure luay ùe attributed
to the following circullstance
-the heaÙ-luaster \\"a:::; an
English Episcopalian, who ha(l only ùeen a Tllonth ortwo
in the country Lefore his appointlIlent, on the recúlllnlell-
dation of Bishop Ficld, To this Jllost of the other de-
nOlllinations of Protestants ha(l strong objections. The

eton(l )Ila
ter "\\ra.... an J ri
h ROIHan Catholic \vho had
resided SOlne years in the (;oIony, and had Lccn a InClnLel'
of the ]rou
e of A-
selllLly, \-vho is said to have l,een
recollllllcnùea to the appuintJnent by thp l
onHLn Catholic
Bishop. To his appointment the lllajol'ity of Protestants
of all denolninations \vcre strongly oppw,wlI on the ground
of the ("ours!' in politic:::; ,vhich the secollll Jlla-.;ter had
pursueù. The thir(lluastel' \vas an T rislt Catholic; and

XUl'Iual HchnuhI are HoW t'
tu,hli
he(1.

416

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS rr '\V AS,

the Secretary was an Irish Episcopalian, who had been
but a few weeks in the country before his appointInent.
The great Inajority of the native population objected to
the Board of Directors, amongst whonl 'vas 'not one native
of the country. And the Roman Catholics objected to
send their children to a school having a Protestant as
head-master. And in addition to all this was the fee of
.f8 for each child. Under these circumstances it was im-
possible that the institution could prosper.
In Newfoundland, education has now become \vholly
denominational.
In 1850, the St. John's Academy was broken up, and
three acaden1Ïes formed-one for the ROlnan Catholic
,
one for the Episcopalians, and the other between the
Methodists, Congregationalists, and Presbyterians.
The number of schools throughout the island in 1836
(th
returns being nlade up previous to the establishment
of schools under the" Act for the Encouragement of Edu-
cation in the Colony") is stated at 79-59 of which were
in the districts of St. John's and Conception Bay. At
these schools there were 4,614 pupils, being about a six-
teenth part of the whole population. In St. John's dis-
trict about 1 in 8 of the population attend the schools;
in Conception Bay and Ferryland districts, 1 in 21 ; in
Trinity Bay, a fractional part more than 1 in 24; in
Bonavistct Bay, 1 in 20; in the district of Fogo (there
being only one school), 1 in 57; In Placentia and St.
l\Iary's, 1 in 26: in the district of Burin (1 school only),
not 1 in 150. In the extensive dist,rict of Fortune Bay,
not a single
chool.
N early all of the above schools were private schools.
According to the returns of 1b45, the follo,ving was the
number of schools throughout the island, including all
the denon1Înationalists, private as well as public, as well
as those éstabli:-;hed uncler the Governnlcnt educational
"'YHV>Jll :-

AXD AS IT IS IN 1877.

Rt. Julin's...................... ......... ...... .. .
COllception Bay........ ....... ..............
Trini ty Bay . . . .. ..............................
Eo na v is ta Bay......... . . . . .................... .

'()go ............... . . ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

'errylan(l .............. . .. .. . . . . .. .. . .. .......
Placentia and St.
Iary's............ ...... ......
Burin ................. .. . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . .. . . .

'ortulle Bay.... ........... ... ............ . . ......

417

HchooIR.
:; .)
"-

54

2
17
10
22
11
i1
10

T()tal. ......................... 209
Scholars.................. 10,2üG
The teachers of the conllllon
chools reccive froln .t18
to .1:80 per annuru, in addition to ,vhich a fee of five
shillings per annunl for each child is re<luired.
In addition to the General Education Grant, the local
Governnlent annually vote
J,:.300 to the schools of the
Ch urch of England School Society for N c,vfoundlancl and
the Colonies; alJout .1:2.,)() to the 'Iethodist schools, .f40
to the Pre
Lyterian :::;chool; and the follo\ving ROIJlan
Cathulic schools :-.1: 100 to the ()rphan Asyhllll
chool;
.f:lOO to St. Patrick's Free
chool (HarLour Grace), and
1:100 to the Presentation Con \'ent School. COlllluercial
School, .Placcntia, i::4-0. TheGovcrnlllcnt also supports two
very efficient acadeu1Ïcs at llarbour Grace and Carbon ear.
A
lcchaniès' Institute ,vas established in St. John's in
FelH'lutry, 1
4
, ant! a cour
e of lccture
cOlllulenccd in
th
fall úf the HaUle year.
. There were elcvcn nc\vspapcrs puLlishcd in the island,
VIZ. :-
In
t. John's, 1'1 llù?Jrtl Gazett 't th,-
first nc,vspaper
publishctl ill the island, in l
()i. It is a ,,"cekly llC\\oS-
paper, anù publishcc I l)y thl' late John H,yan, ESt h \\rho
was the father of the press in the British Uolollie
. )lr.
Ryall ,vas an _\.lllcrican Ilo'yali
t, ,vho, at the COlll1lll'IlCl'-
rnellt of the \lIlel'icau l{,evolntiun, \vas the proprit'tur uf a,
A.\

41R

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT '\VAS,
paper in Ne,v York; shortly after \vhich he renloycd tu
:St. John, New Bruns,vick, and estahlishe<l a," Royal Gazette
there, and became King's printer. But on the removal of
the local Governlnent froln St. John to Fredericton, Mr.
Ryan resigned, and removed to St. J ohn'3, Newfoundland,
where he ,vas the Governnlent printer till the time of his
death, in 1847. A few years previous to his death,
fr.
Ryan took into partnership Mr. 'Vithers, who still con-
ducts the paper.
The Public Ledger, a semi-weekly paper, established
about 50 years, and conducted '\vith great ability by it"
late editor and proprietor, H. \V. "Vinton, Esq., "\vho waR
succeeded in the proprietorship by his son Henry.
The Times, a semi-weekly paper, established about 3.3
years.
The Pat1"iot, a weekly paper, established about 35
years.
The ][orning Post, established about 17 years; defunct.
The ]!oT'ning Oourie?", a semi-weekly paper, established
about 30 years; The .llewfoundland ExpTess, a selni-
"\veekly paper, established about 2;3 years; Oomme'ì'cial
Journal, containing priceR current, and shipping list, pub-
lished on tbe arrival of every mail packet. The Tele-
graph, a weekly paper, established about eight years.
In Conception Bay, at Harbour Grace, the Standa1"d, a
weekly paper, .established about 10 years. Several other
papers have been established, both at St. John's and Har-
bour Grace. The Rising S'gn, J.lle1'cury, He1'ald, Ooncep-
tion Bcty ][an; and at Carbonear, The Sta'}', and The
Sentinel, all of "\vhich are now defunct. The above papers,
toO'ether with the .ft'r ew fou71dland Almanac, and Temper-
a;ce Journal, published monthly, are the only publica-
t.ions issuing from the Ne"\vfoundland press. Of the edi-
tors, several are natives, t"\vo English, one Scotch, and one
Nova Scotian. The following are newspapers published
in the colony, 1876 :-

AND AR IT IS :rn lR77.

4lH

Arl,.prf;sfJì'-Pnhlish('(1 ('very "Tednes(lay nn(l Ratu1"(lay
JIlOrnlng.
(too t';'J1,-Pub1i"hcd every 'Vednesday and Satunlay
lI10rnJJ.lg.
(YulIlmct'cial JOll.,J''ìHtl-Pnl)lishc(l every fortnight, iUl-
Ille(liatel.v previou:-; to the closing of the
Iail per Halifax
:-;teallicr.
l

"ïJt'(S,
-Puhlishe(l every Tuesday, Thur
day and
Saturday lllorlling.
11fo1'H l ìl!J CJ, t
()n iclp-Published every Tuesday, Thurs-
day and
aturday.
l''Y''('ofOII?ull(f tidp'ì'-Pu1)li
he(1 cYery Tuesday anc1 Fri-
<lay rnorning.
..tvodh Sl{lì'-Puhlished every Satunlay lllorning.
})ott iot- PnLlished every
Ionday ulorlling.
RO!Jl.tl Ga.:-etle-Pul)lishc(l every Tuesday.
1Ve(Jl>Zy C/''iYJ/I icle-Pul ,lished cvery Friday nlOJïling.
ù[(
oclurd ella/rho 10' Gl'uce)-PuLLisheù every Saturday
11l0l'111ng.
l'il.n(J.'J-PuLlished every \\T eÙlle"day and Saturday
HIOI'Jllng.
l'elltjl 1'( nce Joul'nal-PuLlishecl on the 1st and l:jth
of every Jllonth.
E(lucation is in :t transition state in Nc\\ foun(1]:1n(1. In
187.) the Le
rislaturc voted
40,O()O for school-houses :1ncl
property, :1JHl appointed the R(.v. 'Villialll Pilot, Inspec-
tor of the Church of .England School
, an( 1 the l{(\\....
G('orge )[illigan, Inspector of the )Ict]lodi
t RchooIs. The
relig-ious in
truction given in the Church of .Englanel and

l('tho(list
chool
is as follo\vs :-

CH\:'RCH OF E
nLANV.

l\IETH01JIST.

Tlu' Ca.t('chism, with an ex-
planatiun of its tl
rms, and an
outline' of OleL ancl XP\\ Tpf;ta-
nlCut History.

No.1 Ca.techism, ;Ul(] an out
line of 01el anei !\c>w Tp
ta-
n1pnt J I istory.

420

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT W A
,

CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
The Church Catechism with
Scripture proof; historical
parts of Olù Testament to the
end of Joshua and Gospel of
St. Matthew.
Catechism as in first year ; No. 2 Catechism, Judges, I.
Judges, I. and II. Samuel and and fl. Samuel, Gospels of St.
the Gospels of St. Luke and Luke and St. John.
St. John.

1\'IETHo DIHl'.
No. 2 Catechism, historical
parts of Old Testament to the
end of Joshua and Gospel of
St. l\Tatthew.

Catechism as above; 1. and No. 3 Catechism, I. and II.
II. l{ings ; Review of the Gos- Kings; Review of the Gospels
pels and Acts of the Apostles; and the Acts of the Apostles.
Outlines of Church History.
The follo,ving is the number of schools for the several
electoral districts throughout the island in 1857:-
Schools. Scholars.
St. John's, East . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 45 ........ 2,848
St. John's, West. . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2.5 ........ 1,455

íHarbour l\laine ........; 14 ......... 793
..3 . I POl't-de-Grave. . . . . . . .. 17 ........ 992

l Harbour Grace .. . . . . .. 24 ........ 1,295

ÇQ Carbonear........ . . .. 7........ 436
8 Bay-de- V erds . . . . . . . . .. 18 ........ 1,047
Trinity Bay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 20 ........ 1,035
Bonavista. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 19 ........ 812
TwillingateandFoga.......... 16 ........ 675
Ferryland .................. 23 ........ 834
Placentia and St. :rYlary's. . . . .. 25 ........ 982
Burin ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 12 ........ 476
Fortune Bay ...... . . . . . . . . .. 10 ........
59
Burgeo and La Po
le. . . . . . . . .. ;)........ 107

Total. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 280 ........ 14,136
According to the census of 1869, there were attending
school, 16,249 children, and 18,813 non attendants.

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

t21

CHAPER XVII.

AGRICULTCRAL RE
OURC}'S AND 111 \NU}'ACTURf:R.

q1t! IIITBOUR
E an(l other earlipr aåventurers \vho
'-V V' visited N e\\rfounùland, speak in high terms of
r--,(!j t1le product.iveness of the soil. As early as IGI0
John Gay, "rho had estaLlished a colony in
Io:-,quitto, in
(10nception Bay, speaks of the clinlate not heing
o severe
as in Englan(l; he also raised garden vegetables. In 1üz3,
Governor 'Yynn in his COl1l1l1unications to Sir George
Calvert, froIn :Ferryland, speaks of \vheat, harley, and
oats lming care(l on th.. 17th of August, and that the
garùen vegetaLJes had arrived at perfection"
Sir Richard Bonnycastle says :-
"\Vhitbonrnp was ridiculed when he talked of the prodnc-
tivenPRs of Newfoundland, and Lord Baltimore 'V:ìR almost
ruined by choosing to build his castle on a Llcak ancl d('Rolatp
part of the coast, inRt('ad of npon th(' western shores, or in the
interior. II.ul he chosen the fine he1.Ithy climate of
t. Ueor
e's
Bay, or the Bay of Islands, for the s
at of the Calv('rts, Npw-
foundlan(l would now have pORResRed a. eapital. I iyal1ing that lw
aftprwards fonnde(l in t}l{' l'pxtiw'rouR swalHp
of
Iarylawl,
an (I which, hy dint of pprxcvprau('e and laLour, haf
since rist'll
to .'ank as the. fourth city of the Union, notwithRtanding itR
alH'ipnt inRalullrity. _\las! its cal'ahiliti(>x have Iwvcr Le(,1l
truly apprpciatt'll; they intprft'rf'(l with the ('prtain gainq
df'l"i va.hle from the Ball k fiRhery; a false policy PI' 'vented the
s('t tl('Jl)eHt of the' fairPRt half of the Ixland, Rup<,rior to parts uf
tJlP oppoxitf' contiupnt ; and thi
has continup(luntil Iwarly tIlt.
I,,'('sent monlf'llt, because Grt'at Britain wax ullllpet'Rs,n"ily
gPIlP.'OUR to thf' cOlHl'H'r('d Frt'llch. awl hpcausr it was origin-
:tHy tht' <'pf'n ntHI \mdiRguiR('d policy of a f.w rid. In"l"(.hallts
to ku.p tlH' l."ad(, limitf'd to tht' Ba.nk tislwry, tlH'n'by cHsnriug
Wt'alth to them at lImoe, and to thosn th('y employed in thf'
il:31and as their c1lÍf'f factors."

422

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT ,V AH,
Again, Sir Richarrl says:-
" The climate is less severe on the western side of N e wfound-
land, the land more rich, in consequencp of limestone prevail.
ing there; and it is now known to be quite as capable of
cultivation as Nova Scotia, Cape Breton or Prince Edward
Island. I t is therefore to that portion that we nlust hereafter
look as the seat of a population dependant upon an inexhaustible
field of agricultural resources. But with all its natural advan-
tages in the scale, we must not allow it the whole weight; for
assuredly the eastern half of :x ewfoundland is cultivahle to the
extent of supportin
a population which can be gradually thrown
into it, either for the fishery, or for settlement; and, at this
day, notwithstanding the COnl:3tallt fog of misstatenlent which
has been so sedulously cast over it, there is no colony of
England which can produce a better fed, a healthier, a better
clothed, or a more industrious and better behaved population,
tLan the fisherman settlers and natives of N ewfounùland."

The first settlers in nearly all the British Oolonie
were
aided by the lnlperial Government to cultivate the land,
whereas not a single shilling had ever been expended on
Newfoundland, either for cultivation or any other im-
provement.

Ir. :ß.'lorris says :--
"The ancient Bl'itil:3h Colonies were aided, if not by the
Governnlent, by the capital, skill, and industry of private
) )arties, in their progress towards settlmnent and colonization.
It was for the nlûdern Colonies that the munificence, I may
say the profusion, of Government was reserved.
"In 1748, the parent governlnent commenced the coloniza-
tion of Nova Scotia, advertised for settlers-large grants of land
were offered-and all:3o means for its cultivat.ion, and subsistence
until the land nlade returns. }'Ol" that purpose 3,760 adven-
turers with their families were entered for eluLal'kation accord-
ing to the order of the Board of Trade. Application having
been nmùe to ParliaTnellt, Æ-tO,OOO wt're voted to defray the
ex pen Sf'S of their removal, ' tliP liberality of this grant t:'nal)lin

Guvernment to make alliple provision for their COlllfol't and

.A
D AS IT IS I
1877.

423

support.' They set
ail in the beginning of l\lay, 1719, under
the command of the Honourable Edwarù Cornwallis, whonl the
l{ing had appointed their Governor, and towards the latter end
of June arrived at Chibucto Harbour (now Halifax), the place
of their destinatioll. At that time the whole of the country
IJordering 011 Chibucto was covered by woods to the water's
e{lge. The colJ and sterile soil on both sides of the harbour
was clothed with the beautiful verdure of the spruce and fir,
who
e ulnbrageous limbs concealed the rocks that were scattered
in profusion OIl its surface, and which were doomed to disappoint
the hopes and defeat the labour of the inexperienced settlers.
As they passed up the harbour they noticed several canoes
tilled with savages, who approached within a convenient dis-
tance, to oh
crvl' the ulOtions of the strangers; and then fled
withinconceivaLlc rapidity.-llalivurton'sJlistory, 'Cul.1,pll[Jp 138.
" IIi 1750 and 1751, Government iuduced by great Pllcourage-
Inent a nnnlber of German Protestants to en1Ïgrate to Kova

cotia" In these Yf'ars near j,OOO persons embarked at Rotter-
dalu, and wpre settled down a.t Lunenburg, now a populeus
thriving settlernent. In spven years, from 1748 to 1755, tho
SHIll uf ;f:4:4:>,584 14s. lId" was expended in the new settle-.
mente 1\lr. Burko had SOllte leason to (--'xclaim, in his speech in
17t;O, on economical refoI'lll: 'The Province of Nova Scotia was
the youngf'st and the favoulÌte child of the .Board. 'Vhat. SUIllS
the nursing uf that ill-thriven, hard-visagl"d, and ill-favoured
IJl'at has cost to this u;itlulllatioll.
ir, this Colony has stooù
us in a sum not less than seven hundred thousand poulHls. To
this day it has Dlade no rcpaynwnt, it dOtt:) not even support
thOM' othccs of expf'nst' which are miscalled its G-OVCl'H111 cnt.
The wholp of that joh lies upon tho patient, callouH sboulders of
tht' ppople of England"'
" It cost Engl.tnù upwarùs of a million for the colouii'ation of
N ova
cotia.
" The cost for tho coloni.'.êltion, protpction, :Inti sf'ttlemellt of
tlao Callëulas, go{'s LeyoIHI counting. It lllay he stated by tt'llS
of milliolls, without reference to the vabt cxpt'ndit11n' at an
c'\rlicr p'rioù. H(nne idea. may Lù furnw(l uf the facilitit's for
s .ttle111cnt and coluni.latiou in Canëula, frolll t 110 followin
S11I11-
11l:l'"Y of \ëlst ."eel'Jlt puhlic: Ì1llproVt'IIU"uts in Call;u1a, talü'll'frulH a
-.;tat"IIH"lIt of "';i.. Francis Bowl Ell'ad.

424

NE'VFOUNDliAND, AR IT 'VAS,

h 1\f agnificent harbours have been fortified, valuable fisheries
and tinl her trade established, and nlines in operation. On
macadan1Ïseù roads upwards of two hundred thousand pounds
haye already been expended, also an Ï1nlnense sunl in plank
roads.
" On tIle Rideau Canal upwards of a miHion; on the WeHand
Canal half a Inillion; on the St. Lawrence Canal nlore than
1 hrf'e hundred thousand pounds; on the Lachine about one
hundred thousand, besidps large sums on the Grand River
navigation, Tay navigation, innumerable nliUs of various
descriptions have been constructed; lastly, and in addition to
the above, a n1ÏHion and a half sterJing, the loan fronl the mother
country, either has been expended or is at this monlent expend-
ing on public works and improvements of various descriptions."
Sir F. B. Head's Emigrant, page 86.
" About the year 1806, the late Dr. 'Villiam Carson arrived
in Newfoundland; he at once saw the great injustice that was
done, both to the country and the resident inhabitants, by the
semi-barbarous policy that prevailed which prohibited the culti-
vation of the soil. He raised his voice against it, wrote some
excellent tracts on the suhject, denounced it in the strongest
terms, incurring no small risk of being transported for his teme-
rity for arraigning the "enerable system that had prevailed for
ct.nturies. He became the most strenuous advocate for the
cultivation of the soil, which he represented as fully equal in
quality to that of his native country, Scotland; he was opposed
by the local authorities, by the merchants, and a great portion
of the inhabitants; he was ridiculed as a visionary. N otwith-
standing, in good report and in evil report, he persevered until
he saw, for some time before his death, his views and doetrines
almost unanimously approved of by all parties. Dr. Carson
may be called the parent of agriculture of Newfoundland; he
not only eneouraged it by precept, but likewise by example. In
the year 1818 or 1819, he obtained a large grant of waste land
from the then Governor Sir Charles Hamilton, which he cleared
and cultivated at considerable labour and expense. The land
cleared and cultivated by Dr. Carson forms one of the most
valuable farms in the vicinity of St. John's.
"Though Dr. Carson, like most such proprietors, men who
devote thernsf'lves to the public scrvice, may not have gaincd

\ND AR IT IS IN 1877.

t2.")

by his agricultural speculations, however, his efforts for the im-
proven1ent of the soil were eminently successful."
Tn the year IR27 or 182H, during the governnlf'nt of
Sir Tholnas Cochrane, onc of the principal Tllcrchants of
St. John's, H. P. Tholna
, E
(h ohtained a grant of 2.")0
acres of ,\\raste land, distant SOlne four n1Ïles froIH the town
of St. John's, which he cleare(I and cultivated, allfl occu-
pie(I for some years, until he ,vas repaid for the \vhol('
cxp..nsc of the outlay; he then let the ground on l(.ase to
an intelligent Scotch fanner (the' saIne pcrson "rho had
the supcrintendence of it froln the heginning) at a rent of
.:f::!oO sterling pCI' annUll1, who in a fe,v years, SOllie twelve
or fourteen, after paying his rent, realized a SUln of not
]('ss the t4,OOO. T\venty years before, this land "ras a
,\\rildernc:-,s, not producing one shilling a year, unapproach-
alJlc even l>>y a footpath. Since that tinle nurnerOUH fanus
havc l,een cleared, rnany Tlliles lJcyond it. I lllay say
,vith truth, that within a circuit of t\VO or three nlÏles from
this fal1n, there are no,v SOBle thou
ands of acres in profi-
tahle cultivation, and in th0 occupation of S0nìC hundreds
of illllustrious f;unilies.
()n the arrival f)f
ir Tholnas Cochrane as Governor of
N e\vfouncllatlcl in 18=!5, he became the advocate of agricul-
ture, open....] a line of roa.} frolll St. John's to Portugal
Cove, an.l Cochrane Street, in front of Governlllent Hou
c.
J Ie abo cultivatetllan<ls sUITouncling his private rcsi(lence,
" Virginia \r' atl'rs,"
ituatcd ahont three Inilf\s fronl thü
town. During the :L.hninistration of Captain l>rescott, in
It):U
, lR39, ahout "'17.;,000 \va:-, y()te.I hy thc Legislatnre
for oJH'ning up l'oa.Is, and the Governor gave SOIlH' hun-
(11' oIls of pounds fronl his private pnr
p to as:->ist
lr. Ourrie,
D
cotch fanllpr, to cnlti vate a slllall fann.
On the arrival of Hir John TTarvl'Y, the UO\ l'l'nor in
1 K41, hc CIl( lea,Vollrpd to dispel the P1'l111dice \\
hich had
t'xistc..( 1 for c('ntnrips a (J.a inst t hp ('nIt i \
:Lti()n of t 1)(' soil. (hl
tIlt' I :hh of .ranl1ar
:: IH t=!, an AgTi(.tdtl1ral
ct(..i('ty W:t'-'

426

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT ,V A
,

formed under his patronage. The foHowing is an extract
from the speech of Sir John, delivered on the occasion :-
" N ewfoundlalld is in reality something more than a nlere
'fishing station,' and possesses resources beyond the mere
'rocks on which to dry the nets of the fishermen;' in a word, I
saw in it the undoubted evidence of a capability for agricultural
pursuits far beyond what I had inlagilled to exist; and I like-
wise saw that by no other means can the great staple of this
island, its fisheries, and the great national objects, the nursery
of seanlen and the consumption of the manufactures oÎ the
parent state, he so effectually pronloted as by bringing the
homes of the fishermen nearer to the scene of their pursuits and
operations; in a word by encouraging settlement. and the culti-
vation of the soil-an encouragement which contelnplates the
rapid increase of its population, consequently of its fishernlen
and mariners as well as of brave, hardy, loyal, and permanen(j
settlers, who ,vould constitute the 'constitutional defence' of
the colony, and whose labours as auxiliary to the fisheries,
migh t, at no remote period, go far to render the island inde-
pendent of all foreign countries for the means of feeding those
engaged in them.
" 'Vithout entering into speculations regarding a subject with
which we are as yet impelfectly acquainted, but upon which it
will be the duty of the Executive Governlnent, through the aid
of the Provincial Legislature, to acquire more accurate informa-
tion- I mean the adaptation or otherwise of the extensive
prairies of the interior of the island for cultivation and settle-
ment -it may be sufficient for Iny present purpose lllerely to
advert to a fact which is within the knowledge of you all, viz.,
that this island, throughout almost the whole f'xtent of its bays,
harhours and inlets, is skirted by a belt of cultivable land, vary-
ing in depth fr0111 one to several leagues, wpll calculated to
reward the labour of the agriculturist--of which no 1110re con-
vincing proof can be required than the specimens of produce
now before you, consisting of wheat, barley, oats, turnips, pota-
toes, &c., equal in size, in weight, anù in quality
o the produc-
tions of any other country, El1gland not excepted.
" It may be asked (elsewhere) 'how iH this to Le eXplained
-vith reference to the reputed sterility of the soil of N ewfonnd-

ANI> A8 IT IS IX 1877.

4
7

land, and to the length and severity of its winters and the
consequent shortness of its open seasons.' The answer is, 'by
the productive qualities of that soil, to which the ilnputation of
sterility so unjustly attaches; by the fineness of its autulunal
seaSon, which affords ample opportunity for the preparation of
the ground for the spring crops; and by the almost unexampled
rapidity of vegetation during the summer, by whi
h the short.
ncss of that season is atnply conlpensatcd."
The follo\ving is also an extract of a speech delivered by
Sir John IIarvey at a ploughing n1atch in lS4
.
" Alnlust froll1 the first Iuonlent of my arrival in this island,
IllY eye
were opened to tlw fact of which the inhahitants them-
selves evidently appeared not to be sufficiently awarp, viz., that
it pu

ehsea agricultural treasures, capabilities, and advantages,
a.s well of soil as of climate, which, if not uney,naIled, are yet
certainly not Hurpassed by any of the surrounding colonies.
And, as the result of three years' experience, I will now read to
you a bhort extract from a. despatch which I have very recently
addressed to Lor,-l Stauley, and in which it ha
been lilY eudea-
vonr, in the discharge of IllY duty, to place hefore his Lordship
IllY impressions upon a su\ ject of so much ÏInportance to its in-
ha.bitants as the capability of the soil of a colony which has
heretofore becn regarded as little more than a. mere fishing
station, to Inillister to the wants, to tho cOlufûrts, and ovcn to
the profit of thoso (.ngaged in the prosecution of tlH' fisheries.
After speaking in the despatch referred to of the increased value
which nllist ncce

arily he conferred npun land
by the construc-
tion of guod awl practical,le ruad
in all coluni
s in which the
soil i
cultival,l.., I have saicI, '\Vith rt'sppct to this island
(hitherto undcl'vahlccl, as it appeal'S to me to ha.ve h('en), thcro
can bo 11u clonht tha.t the whulo of tho
c tracts designat'd (a.nd
clcl'l"ccia.tccl by that d..signation) l)y the appellation of' b 1.TC/tS'
(Hit.rely l'ecause (Ic'nucled of tr('('s), are among tho BlUst fcrtile
a.wl procluctivo soils in Dritish A meric'l, the Ht'ctions almost
en.rywhero presenting to the. eyo frum four to si"IC fCl"t of fine',
light, gravdly hoil, capa.hl.. of I'rmIucin!, luxuriantly cvC'ry
Hpccic.s of crop, f'xccl't, 11l'1'l1apH, Wllt'flt, awl rcquiring only thp
aiel of artificiallllallufe:;, and carc.ful aud judiciuus culttl1'l'J In

428

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT ,V AS,

give good returns even in that species of grain, while in respect
to aU others, more especially grasses of every kind, including
clover, vetches, and, I will add, flax, in oats and barley, turnips,
potatoes, and in fact every species of "green crop," I have seen
no country out of England and Egypt. superior to it.'"

The opening of good road
has greatly increased the
value of land. In 1844 lands were sold, in their pri-
meval state, at public auction, at from
2 to $16 per
acre. These lanùs ,vere situate on the Bay Bulls roaù,
five or six n1Íles fron1 the Town of St. John's. There is
no loam in Newfoundland. The soil on the eastern
shores, for the most part, consists of fine gravel, inter-
spersed occasionally with marl. The geological structure
of this part of the coast is composed of the secondary
rocks, cOlnprising shale and gritstone, variegated slates,
and sandstones. On the western portion of the island
the soil is superior. In St. George's Bay and Bay of
Islands the coal field is situate. l\1arbles, lÏ1nestone and
soft
andstone also abound. In 1846 I procured three
samples of the virgin soil from different parts of the
neighbour11ood of St. John's.
The following is an analysis of one sample obtained
near the Convent, which was Inade by Dr. Stabb, and
given in a paper which he read befor
the Agricultural
Society :-
The analysis of 400 grains was as follow
:-
Water of absorption.... . . ...... 10 parts.
Gravel.............................. 168 "
San(l .. .. . ..., ......... . . . . . . . '. 175 "
[ Oxide of iron... ............ 2
"
F. 1Iagn esia ... .. . . . . . . . .. .. .. . . . . . . 1 "
t 1n t e Alun1Ïna............................ 19 "
ma cr. S ' l ' 10 "
' I 1 ca . . . . . . . . . .. ..... ....... . . . . .
l Aninlal anrl vegetable lnatter. 4
r JOss ...... or.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .... L ()
"

+00

"

l

:3G}
I
)

AND AS IT IS IN lR77.

429

" fn all cascs," said Sir H\unphry Davy, C( the constit\U'nt
parts uf the soil, which tenacity and coherenc(; are the finely
dividt>d mattprs. A SIn all quantity of finely divided nlatter is
sutlicit'ut to tit a sùil for the production of turnips and Imrley."
" The soil analysed contained a fair proportion of fine mat-
ter, and the gravel and sand combined with it were aluminous.
U {JOlt the wlJOle, therefore, the St. J 01n'8 slate soil is of an
alun1Ïnolls nature, deficient in animal and vegetable lliatter, and
walltin
the essential ingredient-lin1e.
" It is consequently necessary to add the lime, and afterwards
to maintain a regular supply of anin1al and vegetable nut.nure.
To apply lime, as a con1l'Qnent earth, it Inust not be Himply
èl(ld('(l in the state of burned lune, just sufficient to aid the de

composition of peat, or of animal and vegetable substances in
general, as at the first formation of the manure heap-although
highly useful in this way,-but it nllist be separately ploughed
into the soil.
" I think it expedient to caution farmers against the practice
of burning the surface of our soil, for it is only useful when
there is an excess of vegetahle nmtter; whereas the slate rock
is deficient in this ingredient."

On the arrival of Governor Sir John Gaspard Le
Iar-
chant, in 1 t$47, he at oncp ùevote(l his attention to the
culti vation of the >:5oil, and prolnoted agriculture in every
,yay. It is said that in 1
41 a con-;idera1le quantity of
,\rheat ,vas grown in N e".foundland.
The fullowing is all extract froul the report of the Agri-
cultural Society vf N c,vfounJIand for IK4S, of ,vhich
Charles HilJull
, E
(l., 'vas president :-
"The b-\lrmm s' :\lill, a.t the River Head, St. John's, has becn
HPt in operation, partly by the liberal aid of his Excellency the
Governor, and partly by sub:;cription; anlI although its power
at pre::iellt is scarcely e(lual to the nUlIll'rouS llelllillllls for th('
b (yrindill(' of corn IHl'<lIlS are b e inu taken b y the erection of new
0' 0'
and improveù nmchincry, which will give the mill a greatly in

creaseù power.
" The Society h
ol)
erved with I'cgrt.t that that valuable irn-
plcwcnt-the plollgl1, illdiHpcu:;abh' as it is in the clliti vatioll of

430

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

thE' Roil to any considerable extent, has been hitherto little
usell, and indef>J altnost unknown, not only ill In any of the uut
districts, but even in some of the more distant parts of this dis-
trict; and under these circumstances it is gra.tifying to observe
that his Excellency the Governor, in order to stinlulate to an
increased cultivation of the soil, bas caused some efficient one-
horse ploughs to be placed in several of the outports, which
have of course been found of the greatest utility in the saving
of labour; and from the number of horses which are entirely
idle in the sumnlPr time in most of the out districts, an ext(
n-
sive :
se of the plough in place of n1anual la 1 our would be quite
practicable at little expense, and would he most beneficial in
promoting the cultivation of the soil. The Society hopes that
persons in the out districts will not be slow in obtaining so
valuable an acquisition to assist their farming operations when
they find that a plough will turn as much ground in one day
as a luan will require a fortnight or three weeks to dig.
"The prizes of a handsome silver cup and premiums of
money, which His Excellency so liberally offered to the most
successful grower of grain crops, have given rise to a very ex-
tensive and spirited competition amongst the farmers and other
cultivators of the soil, and have been highly useful in exciting
increased attention to that all-important branch of agricul-
ture.
"The following is a list of prizes given by His Excellency, to
enconrage the growth of corn, with the names of the successful
competitors :-
"The Le 1J[archanl CrllP-' for the greatest breadth of wheat crops,
fair marketable quality for two consecutive years '-to Hon.
Patrick Morris.
" For the best crop of wheat, on any land of not less extent than
three acres, Æ6-to Mr. l\1ichael Allen.
"For the best crop of wheat, on any land of not less extent than
two acres, Æ.4-to 1\11'. 'Villiam Hext, Grove Farm.
" For the best cultivated crop of wheat, on any land of not l
ss
extent than one acre, f:3-to Mr. John Harding. '\Vhite Hills.
" For the best cultivated crop of wheat, on any Jand of not less
extent than half an acre, JZ2-1\lr. James Shea, bear Bally
Hally.

AXD AR IT IR IX lx77.

4
1

" Por thp hest cnltivatpù CJ'O}J of oats, on any land of not l(.s:-;
pxtpnt t.han two a.crt'
, .t:3-to .1\11'. .John f)wyer, Oaks Farm.
"For the best crop of wlwat, of not le
s than half an acre in
Outer Cove, Æ2-to Daniel Griffin.
" For the becond best crop of wheat in Outer Cove of not less
than half a.n acre, .i:l-to Patrick Roach.
" For the h{
st crop of wheat in Torba.y. of not less extent than
half an acre, .i:2-to - \\Thite.
"For the second best crop of wheat in Torbay, of not less ex-
tpnt than half an acre, .i:l-to Thomas Costello.
"The j uùges of the crop
, .:\fessr::;;. Thomas Duder, James
Gibson, Davi(l Reed, and Thomas ,V alsh,
re all perRons of
great practical expt-'rience as farmers, and their examination
requirf'cl several Jays tu acc01nplish. They close their report
hy Rtating that they found the nunlerous crops they visit.ed, in
general well cultivated, an(l that they far exceelled in nunlber
and extent of ground what they had expected. His Excellency
has al
o intimated an intention to give prizes of an increased
anlount for cOIll}wtition neAt year, a list of which it is intended
to append to this report.
"The importation which I-lis ExceUency has made of a bull
and cow of the Ayrshire breed, will, it iR hoped, be of ultimate
utility, although it has not hitherto been the practice to breed
:LIHI rear cattle in this district., principally owing to tht
large
quantity of ll'an cattle imported from Prince Edward I
lawl
an(l Xova Scotia. Those persons, however, who hat! hred and
reared cattle in the neighbourhood of St. ,John's. as well as in
otlwr parts of the colony. agrcf' in tlw opinion that cattlp brpd
in thiR Tslan(l are much hare lieI', an(l bcttf'r suitNl to the country
than thos' inl}>ortcd. In the south awl west partR of this colony,
largp nnmhers of cattle are hrcd and reared, awl in the di
trict
of Placcntia. and St. l\Iary's alol1l', tlwre are n
'arly 2,000 lwad of
horlH,'(l ('attlt. kept, and ahout 800 in the (listrict of Burin, awl
tlwsf' numhprs lIlay not he considcl'l'(l the average stock con-
stantly on hand. lienee it is obvious that if due attention were
paid to the inl}H'ov('mt'ut of the hrcp(l. anti if a sYRtf'nl of agri-
culturp WPl'e intrmlucP(l awl applif'd in thosp plact's wht'rf'
catth. are kept extensively, great advantages would arist-', as
wdl to thp inclivi(lnals a
to the colony, in a. much larger amount
of l'r()(luct'. Tlw conll'lt
1 ion of ow' of tlw roa.elR to Plact'utia.

432

NE'\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

would also be a great and most desirable aid in furtherance of
these objects, by enabling cattle to be driven to St. John's at
all seasons, especially early in the spring, when meat is scarce
and dear, and before importations commence from the neigh-
bouring colonies. The premium which His Excellency the
Governor had recently offered to encourage a better system of
stall-feeding cattle will, it may be confidently expected, awaken
attention to the object, and tend to an improved practice in that
department of our agriculture.
" The Agricultural Society would desire to impress upon the
minds of all, and especially of those who rely on their own in-
dustry, and their own labour for support, the importance of an
active and zealous attention to the cultivation of the soil as the
foundation of their comfort and their independence. Let them
break up and bring into cultivation all the waste land which
their means and their ability will enable them, especially when
it is in the vicinity of their dwellings or other convenient
locality."
The following is an extract from the Petition of the
House of Assembly in 1837, to Her }Iajesty the Queen, on
the subject of the Crown Land
:-
"It is only within the last twenty years that general permis-
sion has been given to the inhabitants to cultivate the soil of
Newfoundland. It will scarcely be believed at this happy era of
your Majesty's accession to the throne of your ancestors, when
the people in the most distant parts of your extensive empire
look forward with unbounded confidence and hope to the just,
mild, and merciful Government of your Majesty, that for up-
wards of two centuries the cultivation of the soil in Newfounu-
land was considered a crimina.l offence, and prohibited under
the severest restrictions and prohibitions; this withering and
desolating policy was the cause why your Majesty's Colony of
N ewfounuland did not improve in the same progress with the
other colonies in its neighbourhood.
"Representations have been made from the earliest period to
the present Government, that the extreme severity of the
climate, and the sterility of the soil of Newfoundland, formed
insurmountable obstacles to cultivation. If these representa-

AND AS IT IS IX 1877.

43

tions are correct, the House of Assembly would humbly subn1Ït
to your
lajesty, that there can be no necessity for creating
further obstacles beyond those raised by nature herself.
" But may it please your
Iajesty, these were false represen-
tations made by persons, who, from corrupt or interested mo-
tives of their own, attempted to arrest the order of Proviùence,
and prevent the people of
ewfoundland from receiving that
support and sustenance from the soil which God and nature
intended it to afford.
"The House of Assembly therefore have most humbly to
bring the subject under your l\Iajesty's benign consideration,
with the certain hope that your l\Iajesty will be graciously
pleased to give every encouragement, and remove every res-
triction to the cultivation of the soil of your l\lajesty's ancient
anclloyal colony of Newfoundland."
Gypsull1,of \vhich thero is alJundanceon the '\
est coastof

c\vfounùland,coulù be procured at a
lnall cost,an<l \vonld
JlHtke an cÀcellent top-dressing for the Ineado\v lands.
:Fish offal anù &ea-\\Teed are u1:)od thl"oughont N o\\'found-
Janel as IHannre. It is calculated that nearly one-half the
\veio'ht of the fish taken is thrown a,,,a y in hea(ls anù cn-

trails into the s
a.
lanufitctures for the convel'
ion of
fish offal into it conccntrate(llllanUrc are no\v in operation
in the Unit -ù
tatcs. Tho French, too, on the 'French
shore, on the neJlthern part of NcwfouJlIllanù (Quirpon),
ha.ve a lllanufactory of the saUle Hort, anù export the pro-
duct to "France.

tr. )lorris says :-
" It may be said that landed property quadrupled in value
during the eminently succt::isful (tovernnacnt of Sir ,John Ilarvcy.
The must inlpurtant mea.
ure of Sir John Ilarvey'::; Government,
in n.ft'l'cllcP to the a
ricultural ÎluprOVt>nlpnt of N ewfolulllIand
i::; the la.w for the ,.,ale and regulation of the Crown J
ands. '
" IIer )!ajesty
onl:')ented, and with a tr.u
y roya.l bounty, to
grant the whole of the land to her loyal
uoJects in the colony.
" N cwfonndlanù is no long(.r to be hO:lnlt-d as a 'royal
wilderlle

.' The }ll'ople will ever entpl'tain a gratetul ðl'USl' of

BB

434

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

Her Thlajesty's royal beneficence. It is only those acquainted
with the partiallllode of disposing of land wfiich prevailed in
Prince Ed ward Island, and in Inost others of the modern North
American colonies, that can form a correct estimate of the vast
boon that has been conferred.
" The 111ain principles affirmed by the Land Act:
" 1st-That all lands should be sold at public auction, sub-
ject to a moderate upset price.
" 2nd-That not Inore than 100 acres should be put up in
one lot.
"

rd.-That public notice shall be given by the publication
in the newspapers of all land sales.
" 4th-That all pérsons in the occupation of land without
grants fronl the Crown, should be confirmed in their titlès and
occupation.
" 5th-That the proceeds of all sales of land shall he paid
into the public treasury, to be appropriated for the internal inl-
provement of the colony. .
" The best practical proof of the capabilities of the soil of
Newfoundland for agricultural purposes, is to be found in the
census returns of 1836 and 1845.

"RETURN
FOR 1836.

24,117 acres of land in possession.
11,062! do. in' cultivation at æ20 per
acre . æ
:n,250 0 0
1,559 horses, at Æ:10 15,590 0 0
5,832 neat cattle, at i:5 29,160 0 0
2,943 sheep, at 20s. 2,943 0 0
3,155 hogs, at 30s. 4,379 10 0
Goats not taken in the return of the year,
say 4,000 at 20s. 4,000 0 0

Æ,277,675 10 0

"ANNUAL PRODUCE.

1,168,127 bushels of potatoes, equal to
467,250 4-5 barrels, at 5s. . ;;(:116,812 14 0

AKIJ AS [T IS TN 1877.

t:
.5

10,31 0 bu
IH
J
grain, at 3s. .
6,975 tons hay, at ;t5
Increase of st.ock, calves, sheep, &c., &c.
l\Iilk, butter, &c., &c.
Ve(fetablcs (farJen stuffs &c
o , b ,.

æl,516 10 0
3 t,b 7 3 0 0

,OOO 0 0
20,000 0 0
10,00U 0 0

tI91,
34: 14: 0
"HETURX8 FUR 1 tH5.

83, 155
acres of Jand in possession.

9,G3G! acres of land in cultivation,
at Æ
O . .f:.J9:3, 125 0 0
2,409 horses, at
t10 24,0
O u 0
8,1:35 nea.t ca.ttle, at -C5 . -10,G73 U 0
5,750 sheep, at 20ci. 5,7.")() 0 (,
5,077 hogs, at 30s. 7,61;) 10 0
5,791goats,at
Os. 5,ï91 0 0

Æ:677,04ü 10 0
" ....i\.i'.''\UAL PI
ODUCE.
341,341 harrds potatoes, at 5s. .f:H5/j:35 5 0
11,695 bushcls grain, at 3s. ' ,7 .'}4 5 U
11,013 tons hay awl fwlder, at;t5 !);}.O(j5 () 0
Incrl'aSf> of stock, calvcs, sheep, &c. }.'),()()() 0 ()
l\IiJk, buttpr, poultry, f1ggs. t\:-c. bO,OOO 0 0
Gardcn "tufls, vegetable::;, &c. } .}, 000 0 0
..t
():!,
54 10 0

" Estimated va.lue of Jawl in cultivation. ancl agricultlual
stock, shewing the increase in nine years :_
]

timated valuc of laud in cultivation anù
agricultural stuck ill 1836. . . ðl,11U,7Û
DU
EstimatNI value of laJHI in cultivation and
agricultural stock in 1845. . .
, 7Û
, 1 S
00
IIlcl't
a"e of value (If lan(l in cultivation
awl a
ricLlltural stock in nine Y ears
'- ,
feoDl l
JG to lK,15, t
{9!J,371, or . 1,57!),4
4 00

436

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

Annual produce for the year 1836
,A.nnual produce for the year 1845
Increase in annual value of produce

764,937 00
809,418 00
44,481 00

Owing to some errors in the agricultural returns in
1845, Thlr. l\Iorris says that the value of the produce of
that year ought to be ;;933,319.
Bishop Mullock says :-
" 'Yhent will ripen very well, especially if the proper variety
of seed adapted for a northern country be procured; but as
long as we have the great grain country of the United States
at our doors, no one will take much trouble about such an un.
profitable crop. I have never seen finer barley than the growth
of Newfoundland, and all persons who have bought, as I have
done, Newfoundland oats, at nearly double the price of the
husky grain imported here, will find that he has gained by his
purchase. Hops are most luxuriant, and so are strawberries,
currants, gooseherries, cherries, and many other species of fruit.
The hawthorn flourishes here when planted, and I have seen
as fine hedges of it laden with haws here as in the home country;
and I mention this as a proof of the comparative mildness of
our climate, for I find in Russia., as far south as Moscow, it is a
hot-house plant.
Iy estimate then of the a
ricultural capa-
bilities of Newfoundland, comparing it with what I have seen
in the north of Europe, is that if we had a large agricultural
population we could snpport them in comfort, and that as popu-
lation increases we must attend Inore to the land, then more
general wealth and comfort will be diffused a hundredfold than
now, when our population is, I may say, wholly maritime, and
we depend almost altogether on other countries for our food.
My earnest advice would be, kill the dogs, introduce settlers,
encourage domestic manufactures, horne madt> linen, and home-
spun cloth, and Newfoundland will become the paradise of the
industrious man. The soil in general is thin, but kind, easily
cleared, and, besiùe the legitimate manure of the farm-yard,
can always be enriched near the sea by sea-ruck and fish offal.
The climate is comparatively mild, and all we want are hands
and industry."

\KD AS IT IS IX lR77.

437

The Local Govcrnnlent givc
an annual grant of
.)O()
in ai<1 of the Ao'ric111tnral
ocicty. The follo,ving is an
extract froll! th; Report of 1
4D, ,vhcn La'\vrence O'Brien,
Es(}., \\yas President:-
" Since the failure of the potato crop, ancl durin
the con-
tinuance of the diseaHe, the attention of the farmers has het>n
naturally turned to the cultivation of grain, and it is gratifying
tv observe, that with very few exceptions, the result bas been
satisfactory both in yield and quality, the quantity of barley
and oats, indepf'IHlt'Ilt of wlwat, grown, and a(ldrPRsed at the
Farmers' l\Iill, Hiver Head alone, during the autumn, and still
coming in daily, sufficiently demonstrates the important fact
that the culturc of our corn is no longer confined to a
canty
green crop, to help in feeding cattle, but now results in tlw
production of a primary article of human food. Our ,vhpat is
found to weigh, with fcw exceptions, not less than sixty pounds
to the bushel, and our oats and barley maintain a proportionate
character. 'Vith a view to encourage this important branch
of our agriculture, His Excellency has caused
evC'nll thou
and
bushels of seed corn, of the best and n10st suitable des
ription,
to be impurted from various places, and distributed amollg the
farn1ers throughout the colony. Tht' rl'
ult ha.s bepn highly
:ltlvantageons; tlw harvest has yit'hled a fail' l'ptnrll, awl due
care ha..; been taken to mark and ascertain the varieties of seed,
which appear to be lwst suited to our suil and clÍInatc.
"The
ucictythankfullyackllowledge thesolicitwlt' manifested
hy the Go\rcrnor, that the hn'ctl of cattle hen)! f-;houl(11w improy('(l
awl t.ncOluaged. '.Vith this view His Excellency has importl'(l
two CO" d alld a bull of tIle Ayrshire breed. Tlw hull lw
hCt'11
placed at the Grove Farm, in the care of 1\11'. fJ ocelyn. Uf tl)('
c1laractcr of the ,Ayr
hir(à eow it is Ullnf'Ct's
ary to
ay 11101'('
than that th,-
ow' impoltpd yil'llls now, without having lwstow(.cl
011 it any nlOre cart> or troubl
than Ul)Oll tho ordinary ca.ttl(',
almost double the quantity of I11ilk that ca.n he uhtaiJ1f'(1 frOIH
the or,linary cuw of the colony.
" The prizes oflcl't.cl for conllwtitioll hy II i:-; EXCt'llt'lW)" last
S('asull, prcHlucl'd a
how of fat cattle ill tlH' Park fronting Gov-
l'l'll1Ht'ut House, in J\Iarch last, ::;uch as nevt'r ha.tllwt"n witllt'
1:) >,1
llt'rC' IH'fo)(>, ant} \\ onlclliot haYP cli:;;gr:\C'l'll thC' EIl:.{1i!'h JlI:u'kC't.

4
8

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

His Excellency in person handed over the prizes, to the success-
ful competitors, and in doing so stated, that he should feel
happy in giving similar prizes for the next year. The show of
fat cattle for the ensuing year comes off on the 12th of 1\1arch
next.
"Those prizes, also, which His Excellency so liberaBy offered
and paid to those, \vho by their skill and industry, had reclaimt'd
and hrought under cultivation the greatest quantity of ground,
alld for the best and most approved samples of grain of various
kincls, and of vegetables, butter and cheese, have bepn attendl
d
with the happiest results. The exhibition which was held in
October last, in the great hall of the 1\1arket House Building, in
competition for those prizes, excited the ,vonder and astonish-
ment of many who had heen present at exhibitions in the old
countries, and who a few years ago could not be induced to
believe that our soil was capable of yielding such fine samples.
The Hall on this occasion was tastefully decorated with flags
anrl evergreens, the Band of the Royal Newfoundland Companies
was, through the courtesy of the Conlmanding Officer, in
attendance, and His Excellency, as on former occasions, handed
the several prizes with suitable and encouraging observations
to each of the successful competitors. His Excellency has been
pleased to offer an additional prize of ten pounds for the en-
Ruing years, to be caned' The Le Marchant Prize.' \Vith a
view that no part of our population who n1ay be industriously
incJined may -want useful and prQfitable employment, His
Excellency has taken measures to import and secure the services
of a man and his wife to instruct those who may be desirous
to learn the operation of spinning and weaving flax and wool.
The Society strongly recommt?nd the attention of the labouring
clas
es to this important branch of industry; it is one univer-
sally pursupr] throughout the neighbouring colonies; it is well
known that one pound weight of wool will produce one yard of
good warm cloth, and of much better texture than is usuaUy
purchased in the shops; and as the expense in proùucing it is
scarcely anything beyond the time, which in too many instances
is unprofitably spent, it is hoped that the hon1espun of N ew-
foundland will soon become as generally known and valued as
the other productions of the country. The Society begs that
those who ha.ve not witnessed the operation of cJoth-making

AL

AS IT IS IN 187,.

4
!)

will satisfy t.hemselves by visiting the St. John's Factory where
they will witnes:;, anrl be gratifieù by, the proficiency already
attained in this domestic manufaetnre. Should this measun

succeed, as there is good reason to think it will-it will
erve
a3 a further inducement to pay more attention to the hreed and
incr(\ase of sheep, which would prove of great advantage.
" It is highly gratifying to spe enrolled an10ng the members
of the Agricultural Society, thp names of so. many of the re
rec-
table merchants of this place, who haye been spending their
lives in pursuing th
trade and fisheries; it affords the strongpst
evidence of the fallacy of the opinions formerly prevalent, but
of late years rapidly disappearing, that to encourage agriculture
and promote the cultivation of the soil, would necessarily
create separate and conflicting interests. The facts already
prove the contrary, for not only are the ordinary pursuits of
thp fisheries not impedt-'d or in anywise interfered with, hut
it has now become evident that the best interests of the trade,
and the moral and social condition of the people, are equally
promoted by hringing to our aid all those valuahlp auxiliary
resources, which, by a proper application of our skill and in-
dustry our soil is capable of yielding to us, ancl the Society
would now impress upon the minds of all the working classt"s,
more particularly on tho
e engageJ in ah'Ticultural pursuits, that
the present state and condition of the country l'l"quires that
everyone should I'enew, and if possible redouhlf' hi
exertions
in his respective position; and experience abundantly proves,
that men capable of labour, relying unòer
rovidence on their
own persevt.'rancp and industry, and ha.vin
such facilitips as
are so {'a
ily attainPfl in K ewfoumlland, will seltlom fail in pro-
curing a comfortable support and maintenancf' for themseln's
and their families.
" It is a SOlUCP of great satisfaction to ohscrve that tlw (lis-
('asp affecting our potato crops, has tluring this spa
on assumpcl
a Inore mitigated aspect, and has heen much less c.lestructivf.
in
its ravages, it is still how
ver more or less f."xtensive, but we
inclulge the hope, that by the blessing of Provitl(.nce, and a C:lI'(
-
ful attention to the culture of t1w root, it may soon pass away.
It behovt's u
in t}w nleantime to hestow every care in the cul-
ture of our ,COl'll, and, to apportion the variouR s
eds to the
difr('fent :'\oils hpst fitter! for tl.eir rf\ct"'ption."

440

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'V AS,

It 'will he perceived froln the foregoing report of the
Agricultural Society, that the manufacture of "holne
spun," has been cOllllllenced in N e,vfoundland, which will
be of great advantage to the inhabitants. The Island
has more resources than either Nova Scotia or Ne,v
Brunswick, or even l\tassach usetts. There is no reason
,vhy lllanufactures could not be carried on in Newfound-
land, as well as in lVlassachusetts, the manufactures of
,vhich annually amounted to sixty-two millions of dollars.
The population of Massachusetts for an area of 11,000
square miles is over a million, ,vhile N e,vfoundland with
an area of 36,000 square miles has about 160,000 inhabi-
tants. Flax in Ne,vfoundland grows as ,veIl as in any
country in the world, and there is nothing whatever to
prevent the n1anufacture of linen as ,veIl as cotton fabrics.
There is plenty of capital, all that is therefore wanting,
is enterprise to put in motion the looln and spindles.
The follo,ving returns n1ade in 1857 ,vill show the
increasing value of the agricultural resources of N e,vfound-
land :-
Acres of dyke and other improved lands,
41,108, at S80 per acre .......... $3,288,640 00
12,089 neat cattle @$20 00 .. . . .. 251,7
0 00
6,431 milch cows @ 28 00 .. . . .. 180,067 00
9,570 sheep @ 4 00 .. . . .. 38,2
0 00
3,484 horses @ 40 00 .. . . .. 13D,360 00
17,236 swine & goats @ 4 00 .. . . .. 18,940 00
$S,D57,069 00

ANNUAL PRODUCE.

15,056 tons of hay @
20 00 . .
301,120 00
1,892 bush. of ,vheat & barley@ 5 00 1,8Dl 00
8,703 "of oat
@ üO cts. 5,221 00
220,127 barrels of potatoes @ 1 00 220,127 00
4,663" turnips @ 1 00 4,663 00
731 "tÏ1nothy & clover seed 6 00 4,:386 00

AND AS IT IS I
1877.

441

1,801 llal'rels of root cropR @
l 00
1
!),7
G puunds of llutter @. 20cts.
.
OO" cheese @:, 12 "

lilk, poultry, eggs, &c. . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
V cgetaLles, garùen stutts, &c. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1,H01 00
2;'),!J45 00
GO 00
kO 000 00
80,000 00

Sj2j,273 00

FREXCH SHORE, NORTH A
D W'EST.

Acref{ of dyke and other ilnprovcd lands-
1,508 @:,

O per acre. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
120,()40 00

7:
neat cattle

20 00 ...... 17,410 00
4!):
Inilch co,vs @ 28 00 ...... 1:
,
04 00
2.') 110rses (it 40 00 ...... 1,000 00
1,lü7 sheep @ 4 00 ...... 4,(;68 00
31G s\vine and goats @ 4 00 ...... 1,2G4 00

L3b,84G 00

ANXUAL PRODUCE.

1,:204 tons of hay @'-'20 00
40 bu
h. ,,,,heat an(1 harley @2 1 00
:J34 cc oats @ GO cts.
8,4+:> IlnrrclH putatoes @ 1 00
470 "turnips
1 00
.j,24:! Ills. hlltter @ 20 cts.
112 " cheese
12 "
Mil J..., po nlt..y, eggs, & c. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . .. S24,OSO 00
40 00
200 00
8,4<4,3 00
470 00
1,048 00
1:) 00
3,200 00

:J7 ,-!!)(; 00

POTATO ES.

'Bushelq.
Potatol's raised in
ewfouI}(lIan(l in 18:Jti. . . . . .1,lüS,127
" "] t),t.') . . . . ..
G;' ,
.) 2
H H 1857 . . . . .. 5.30,417
" ce IX(>>
'...... :;Ox,:
n7

442

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

In 18.51 Bushels. Bushels.
Rhode Island. . . . .. 6.')2,027 Delaware . . . . .. 240,542
Arkan
as .. . . . . . . .. 198,882 Tennessee. _ . _ . . 1,067,844
Maryland _ _ . _ . . .. 764,938 North Carolina.. 136,494
Georgia.. . . . . . . . .. 227,:370 F]orida.. _ . . . . . 7,82t$
Alabama. . . _ . . _ . . _ 246,001 Mississippi.... _ 261,482
Louisiana.. . . ..... .. 95,032 Texas....... . .. D3,548
Kentucky ....... .1,492,487 Missouri .. _ . . .. 939,006
Io\va .. . _ . . _ . . . . .. 276,120 'Visconsin _ . . . . .1,402,677
California _ . . . . . . . 9,292 Oregon... _ _ . . . 91,330
Utah ... _ _ . . . . . . . 43,968 l\1inesota ...... 21,14;3

HAY.

Hay raised in N e\vfoundland in 1857 .. . _ . . . _ _
In 1851, in U. S. Tons. r
District of Columbia 1,974 South Carolina. .
Georgia _ _ . . . . . _ . . 23,497 F]orida . _ . . . _ . .

I . .. . . 1 9 "" 16 L ..
l lSSISSlppl_ . . . . . . . "-',.J OUlSlana . . . . . .
Texas. . . . . . . . . . . . 8,397 Arkansas.. _ . _ . .
California . _ . . . . . . 2,638 Minesota..
. . . .
Oregon .. . _ . . . . . . . 373 Utah _ _ _ . . . . . _ _

Tons.
15,050

2.3, 427
2,690
20 672
,
3,924
2,738
4,288

The population of those StateR in 1850 ,vas, \vhite ana
Llack-
Rhode Island .. _ . . . . . _ . . _ . . . . . . . . _ . . . _ . 147,555
Arkansas . . _ . . _ _ . . . . . . . . . . . _ . . . . . _ . _ . 209,641

Iaryland . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . _ . _ _ . . . _ . . _ . .. 582,;")06
Georgia. _ . _ . . . . . . . . _ . _ . . . . . . . _ _ _ . . . .. 877,633
Alabama .. . . . . . _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _ _ . . _ _ 771,65!)
Louisiana. . ... . . . . _ . _ . . . ... . . . . . . _ . . . .. 500,762
Kentucky... . _ . . . . _ _ . . _ . _ . _ . . . . . . . . . . . 1,001,49G
Io\va . _ . . . . . _ . . . . . . . . . . _ . _ . . . . . . . . . . . 192,122
California _ _ _ . _ . . . _ . _ . . . . _ . . . . . . _ . . . .. 200,000
Dela \vare . . _ _ . . . . . . _ . _ . . . . . _ . . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 91,538
Tennessee _ _ _ _ . _ _ . . . _ . . . . _ . . _ . . _ _ _ _ . _ . 1,02:3,118
North Carolina _ . _ . . _ _ _ _ _ . _ _ . . . _ _ . _ . _ _ . 868,879

AND AS IT IS IX 1877.

443

1:' 1 . I H- O')R-

Orl( a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . ( ',.)l ,

lississippi .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5!)i,8j:

Tcxa.ç; .. . . . . . . . . . _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 187,40

l issouri .. . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 684,1:12
\Visconsin ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 304,

()

ewfounJlanù. . ] 20,000 in 1tt>7 ; in 1874. 161,000
It thu
appears that Ne,vfoundland produce
according
to population, .
ix tÏ1ncs as nluch potatoes and hay as SOllIe
of the aLove State
of the Unite(1 States. In 18G6, the
Legislature of .N c\vfonndland passe r I an Act, giving a sIl1all
l)ounty, as an encourageluent to cultivate anù RettIe on
the ,yilt Ilan( Is.
J.1Iunnfactl.l1'c8 occoì'dio[J to the Ref-ttrJ 1 8 of 18.37.-
There were in 8t. John's, onc oil factory, Clnploying'
t\venty hands, value of oil '-'1G,OðO. Logy Bay, one cod-
liver oil Illannfactory, proflueing ten tuns of oil, valued
at
;1,G

. 11iddle Cove, onc co(l-livcr oil factory, pro-
ducing five tnn
of oil, valued at
1,j.)G. There vrcre at
Torbay three co<l-li vcr oil factories, pro<lncing thirteen
and a half tuns of refinetl an<l five tuns of COIlllIlon oil
and fat;an.1 at Pouch Cove, threecotl-livC'roil factories pro-
ducing t\venty-eight tuns of l"t'finl'eIluHI seven tnnH of COll1-
loon oil, the 'v hole valued at
1 (;,104. There "?ere, also,
three cod-liver oil Iuanufactoril's at Petty HarLour, quan-
tity ana value not H}H\cified. In St. Juhn's t]lcrc ,vas one
founùry, elnploying seven hands, value of casting8
U,.)""O.
There \vere three In'e\veries anti di
tillprieR, employing
thirteen halHls, llistilling IG,OOO gallons of lllalt liquor tLJHI
I 0,000 galloll
of (Ii stilled liquor. The follo\\ ing are the
agg-regate rcturn
for the \vhole island :-FonrtecJl sa\v
1IIill
, value(l at
2
,800; three grist lllil1s; Loots an (I
slltJ\"s Inanutactured,
:
4,71""; calJinct ,varc,
130; carts
aile I carriag-ps,
:3!Þ2; \\roo(I"1l ware,
2
,H7(); lilllC lmnlt,
1 ü,.jOO IJlIshcls; IHltter Jllanufactul"l'(l, 12H,7:!() lhs.; chepse,
f)OO 11)s.; value of agricultural iIllpl('1l1l'llts,
1 ,
OO; oil
clothing,

,70(); hOIIll'-s}Jt1n cluth, .300 yards; soap,

444

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

10,000 lb
.; candles, .100 lhs.; stockings and gloves 500
paIrs.
The return for 18G9 gives the land under culture, 41,715
acres. Yield of crops-turnips, 17,000 bushels; potatoes,
308,357 bURhels; hay, 20,458 tons. Butter Inade, 1ü8,508
lbs. Horses, 3,7G4 ; horned cattle, 13,721 ; sheep, 23,044 ;
goats, G,417, and swine, 19,081. The nlanufactures
alnounted in value to
72,675.

AJ.
J) AS IT IS IN 1877.

44.=)

CHAPTER XVIII.

\TURAL HISTORY-CLnIATE-
fETEOROLOGY.

JF

t d HE "Tinters of N e\vfoundlancl arc not by lnany

'.... degrees
o col(l as in thp neighl)()uring Provinces,
or the Northern
tates, nor is the clilnate so
changeable. In 1Ia
sachusetts the ternperature SOllle-
tilllcs changes 44 degrees in t\venty-foul' hours, \\Thile in
Can.u1a, Ne\v Bruns\\"ick and .Nova Hcotia the thernlolllc-
tel'
omútiI1Jc:::' falIq fronl to 30 and 40 degrees belo\v zero.
In N e\vfounùlanù the instances are fe\v of the telllperature
changing
o degrees in a llay. January and February
are the coldest lnonths of the year, \vhen the therU10lneter
sOllletilHeH Hinks beluw zero, but at the coldest tilnes not
IHore than tenùegrees Lelü\v,and then only for a fe\\T hours.
It is an afhllitted fact that thp c1illlate of N e\vfoun(lh.Ln(l
has gradually undergone a change \vithin the last forty
years, an(l is no\v Hluch \Vanller than fonnerly. Thi

change may in part be attributed to the great iUlprove-
lllcnt in agriculture, the (lraining of l11arshes, the clearing
of forests, and, perhaps, the more northerly direction of
tlH_' Gulf StreaJll. )lost "Titers affinn that the northern
partt:; of Europe have becolllC Inuch \Vanl1er than they
were a fe\v centuries ago. St. John's, the capital of
e\v-
fO\lI1<l1al1<l, is in 4ï? :J
' north latitu(le; London, EugJanl1,
:, I :30'; !)u Llin, 5:J n
O', and Edinburgh, 33 0 .j:f. TIlliS,
Ht. Juhn's is nearer the e<[lIato.. than any of the 111Jove
nallieÙ place
, aU(1 yet, instea(l uf being wanner, it i-;
lIillCl. col<ll'J" than Great Britain. One of the col(l('st \vin-
teJ"
ever e"(perienc .\1 in Ne\vfoundland, \\ras in lSl
,
\vhen it is
ai(1 the thenllOllletel' frl'([uently Rank frolll IS
to :!:! degrees belo\v zero. The follo\\ring report;; of the

446

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

state of the weather were cornmunicated to the YU1'mouth
HCT(tl(l by electric telegraph, in February, 1858 :-
"Fehruary 16th, 9 A.M.
Halifax, N.S.- 'Vind
N.W., thermometer 12 0 .
Port Hood, N.S.- \Vind N. VV., thermometer 6 0 .
Port au Basque, N.F.- \Villd W., cloudy, thermometer 2ßO.
St. John's. N.F.- \Vind \V., cold and calm, thermometer 28 0 .
St. John, N.B.-\Vind N.\V., clear, thermometer 9 0 .
Yarmouth, N.S.-'Vind W.N.\V., thermometer 16 0 , overcast.
February 17th, 9 A.M.
Halifax, N.S.- \Vind N. \V.N., thermometer 12 0 .
Calais, J\lIaine.- Wind N. '\V., thermometer zerQ.
St. John, N.B.-vVind N.W., clear, thermometer zero at
7 A.M.
St. John's, N.F.-Wind S.W., cloudy, thermometer 31 0 .
Port au Basque.- Wind W., overcast, thermolneter 29 0 .
Yarmouth, K.S.- \Vind N. W., thermonleter 8 0 .
February 18th, 9 A.l\L
Halifax, N.S.-Wind W., clear, thermometer 16 0 .
Sackville, N.B.- 'Vind N.W, thermometer zero.
St. John's, N.F.-\Vind \V., clear.
Yarmouth, N.S.-Wind N.W., light snow.
The following was the state of the weather at All1herst
(which is at the head of the Bay of Fundy, on the bor-
ders of New Brun'3'\vick) 0n the 30th December, 1859:-
" The current week has been signalized by unusually co}(l
weather for early winter.
Christmas morning, thermometer stood 13 below zero.
2 6th .......................................... 11 "
27th ................................. ...... ... 12 "
2 8th .......... . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . ... 15 ' ,
29th .......................................... 17 "
30th .......................................... 21 "
"These readings are from a self-registering spirit thermome-
ter in a sheltered pOl5ition."

...\ND AS IT IR IN 1
77.

47

The folIo,\- in(t' ètre thp llleteoroloO"ical oh
ervations in

b
Canada during IS,;> :-
" This is a goodly blue book of upwards of 500 pages, show.
ing the readings of the barometer, the temperature, velucity of
the wind, raint
tll, &c., as taken at the various nlt
teorological
stations in the DOIllinion of Canaùa during 1875.
,. There are many very interesting facts mentioneù. The
lowest temperature Inarked at any of the stations uf obscrva..
tion in Canada during 1875 was at York Factory, whel'e in
,January the thermonleter stood once at - HhJ. It nlu:-)t be
cold enough at that station in all conscience. Iu N ovenlber,
])ecember, January and February, the thermOIoeter stoud there
at 40 tlt'grees below zero, and under. Not by any nwans that
the cold WaS anything like that regularly during these months,
but that it was so once or oftener tiuring each. The highcét
temperature at that station in January was - 4:, and in Feb.
ruary - 1. In N ovclnber and December the highest tempera.
tures were, re:;pectively, 35.5 and 2:3.
" It is to be noted, to shew how severe the month of J anu.
ary, 1875, was, that there was only one station in Canada. whert'
the thermometcr did not sink below zero. That ,vas E::;qui-
nmH, in British Columbia. The variation:5 at different 8ta.tiun

are !:iO btrange að to be scarcely explicable. Thus, in the month
to which we refer, tIle lowest in Cornwal1, Ont., was - :!S.8 ;
while in Kincardine it was unly - 1.5; in Torunto, - B.S; in
IIamiltou, - 4';'; awl in 'YOÙllstock, -lG'5; while in Qut'-
twc Citadel it was - 1t;.5; and in Fitzroy Harbour, - '27. In
K ewfoulldland, the lowe!:it during that terrible month was - 3 ;
and in l\Ianitoha, -
1.3. \Vhat 'Ya8 true of January was
e(lually HO of li'ehruary. ,rith the exception of E::;(pIÏlIIault, thu
tht'rmulIl(.tt'r Wt'nt beJo\V zero at every station in Call
Llla, so
much so as to
how that
'ebruary was a much colder ulOnth
than a.ny ûf that year. At Fitzroy l-larLour, the therruonletcr
ill this Iuonth was a
luw as - 4
; Toronto, .:... 1 G; Parry

oluHI, - 3ô.3; Stratford, - 23; awl \V O()ll::,tock, - 2;). In
tlH' Province of Queb "C, the lowest was - 3j; in X ova Scotia,
-::W ;in New Brunswick, - 27.8; Princt" Edward Island, -17 ;
Newfoundland - jl; .'lanitoba, .,',); British ColuJllbia, -!;
and North-wc::;t Territury, -41.

44H

NE\V:FOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS.

"The highest temperature reached in Ontario during the
year in question was in Hamilton, in June, when it was as high
as 94.8, though Peterl:orough was very nearly as high-viz.,
94.3 in September.
" In Quebec, the highest ,vas 91 ; Nova Scotia, 85 _; New
Brunswick, 86.3; Prince Edward, 85; Newfoundland, 83.5;
l\lanitoba, 94.3; British Columbia, 98; and North-west Ter-
ritory, 92.
"In Toronto, the mean temperature for the year was 40.8 ;
Hamilton, 44.1, etc. It is curious to notice that over the whole
of Ontario the mean temperature did not vary above ten de-
grees, the highest being at \Yilldsor, 44.9, and the lowest at
Seeley, 34.9. The same is true of all Canada.
"In Ontario, there ,vas a mean of 84.9 days of rainfall; in
Quebec, 86.8; in New Brunswick, 87.1 ; in Nova Scotia, 91.8 ;
in Prince Edward Island, 115.5; in Newfoundland, 89.7 ; in
Manitoba, 56.4 ; in British Columbia, 92."-Globe, September
7, 1876.
It is very probable that the chilling effects of the ice on
vegetation would be felt much nlore, were it not for the
warm current from the Gulf of l\tlexico, which passes
along toward
the Grand Bank. In Newfoundland, the
coldest wind in winter is from the North-west, from ,vhich
quart( r in fact the wind generally prevails for about nine
months of the year. In spring easterly winds prevail, and
in winter and summer, North-easterly winds are cold.
South, and south-easterly winds in winter are generally
accolnpanied with snow or sleet, and sometinles rain, and
in summer rain or fog. July and August are the hottest
rnonths in the year, when the thermolneter is said to have
attained 90 degrees in the shade, but this rarely occurs.
The usual temperature of those months is frolIl G.3 to 79
degrees. The following are the averages of the thernl0-
meter au<l barometer for a nUlnber of years in Newfound-
land, compared with England :-

AXD AS TT IH IN ]
7'i.

4-t.!J

.JANUARY.

J.l/eteoroloyical ArcerageR.

B.\HmIETER.

ewfoundland. T<:ngland.
)Ican height, 2!)'68 ins. 29.U2 in.
llighest...... ;30.35 " 30.77"
Lowest ...... 28.73 " 28.89"

FEHRUAltY.

BAJ{01IETER.
Newfoundland. England.
l'Iean height,
9.12 ins. :30'Oû in.
Highest ...... 30.94 " 30.8j "
Lowest....... 28.û9 " 2U.17 "

1\IA RCH.

UA R(J)IETER.
NewfoulllllaJH1. England.
!\lpan lwight, 2!).7 4- ins. 2Ð.3.t in.
lIighc:-;t......30.36 " 30.77 "
Lowest. ..... 28.82 " 28.87 "

B \IW:\fETER.
Kewfouwllalll1. T
nglalH1.
l\Tpan lwight,
!) .(jG in
. 2!).;
;
in.
}Iighf>st ..... 30'2G " :30.54-"
Lowt'st. ,.....
8.91 " 29.30 "

ß \IUnU"Tlm.
X l.\\ fOUlullanel. 'En
l:H1el.

ft':tn lwight:
f).7G in
.
U.UO in.
Highest '..... 30'2
" 30.:
8 "
Lowest.... 29.1:} " 29.l(j "
CC

THER:\I mIETER.
:N e\\ foundlanò. }
nglaud.
l\Ipan tern., 2
.7 dfg. 36.0 dpg
Highest ... 44.0 " 5j.0 "
Lowest .... ;3.0 " 11.0 "

THER\ICHIETFR.

ewfounòland. England.
1\lpan tClll. 19.;-5 deg. :38'0 Jt'g
Highest.. 12.û7 " 53.0 ,-
Lowest 4.67" 21.0 '

TH EJ{}I O:\IETER.
:IS"ewfounclland. England.
::\1.-an tCln., 24-.0 deg. 43.!) (lpg
Higlwst.... 47.0 " 66'0 "
Lowest.... 0.5" 24-.0 "

APRIL.

THEIUfmIETER.
:IS" CW fOl1 ucU auc 1. J<
llg-land.
AIt.an t{\m., ;33.
deg. lV.U d{\g
Highest... fi6.;) " 74.0 "
Lowest.... 14 .:
"
U.O "

!\lA Y.

THEIOIO'1 E !"ER.
1'l'\\- fe HUle 11and. I: IlgIa.JHt.
l\fe:tll t('m., 3;-.;; c.l

. :).1.0 lll>g
JlighN;t ... 62.0 " 70.n t,
LowPRt ....
1.8 " 33.0 "

450

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

BAROMETER.
N ewfoundlalld. England.
l\Iean height, 29.77 ins. 30.02 in.
Highest ......30.14 "30.46"
Lowest .......
9.22 " 29.60 "

BAROMETER.
Newfoundland. England.
l\iean height, 29.79 ins. 29.87 in.
Highest ......30.18 " 30.30 "
Lowest. ...... 29.37 "29'29 "

AUGUST.

B.AROMETER.
N ewfotmdland. England.
Mean height, 29.83 ins. 28.89 in.
H . h t 30 .;') 1 " 30 .'> 6 "
Ig es .... . ...J ...
Lowest.. ... 29.35 " 29.35 "

SEPTEMBER.

BAROMETER.
Newfoundland. England.
Mean height, 29.83 ins. 29.93 in.
Highest ...... 30.29 " 30.41 "
Lowest. . . .. 20.32 " 29.41 "

OCTO TIER.

BAR01UETER.
Newfoundland. England.
Mean height, 29.89 ins. 29.77 in.
Highest ...... 30.31 "30.61 "
Lowest......, 29.26 "28.74 "

NOVE3IllER.

BAROMETER.
Newfoundland. EnglanJ.
lViean height, 29.67 ins. 29.77 in.
Highest ...... 30.27 "30.27 "
Lowest. . . .. 28.90 "29.08 "

.TUNE.

THERl\IOMETER.
Newfoundland. EnglamL
l\I
an tern., 49.8 deg. 57.7 deg
HIghest.. 74.0 " 90.0 "
Lowest.... 29.8 " 37.0 "

JrL Y.

THERMOMETER.
Newfoundland. England.
l\'Iean tern., 57.4 deg. 61.0 deg
Highest ... 79.5 " 76.0 "
Lowest. .. 34.8 " 42'0 "

THERMOl\1ETER.
Newfoundland. England.
Mean tern., 58.3 deg. 61.6 deg
Highest... 78.3 " 82.0 "
Lowest .... 38.3 u 41.0 11

THERl\IO
IETER.
Newfoundland. England.
Mean tern., 53.3 deg. 57.8 deg
Highest... 75.3 " 76.0 "
Lowest .... 33.5 J1 36.0 "

THER
IOMETER.
Newfoundland. England.
Mean tern., 44.0 deg. 48.9 deg
Highest... 68.3 " 68.0 "
Lowest .... 24'0 " 27.0 "

THERMOMETER.
N ewfoulldland. England.
l\Iean tern., 34.0 deg. 42.9 deg
Highest ... 57'0 " 62.0 "
Lowest.... 16.5 " 23.0 "

"-XD AS IT I
IN 1877.

4.51

] )]
e 'E)InEI
.

ßAROMFTER.
N cwfonndland. J
ngla.ml.
l\Iean height, 2!) .69 ins. 29.6!) in.
Highest ..... 30'36 " 30.32 "
Lowpst.......28.88 ":!9.12 "

THER)fO
IETER.
Newfoundland. England.

[ean ten1., 2.7 <leg. 39.8 àeg
Highest. 16.3 " 55.0 "
Lowest .... 7.6 " 17.0 "

In N e,vfounJlan(I the

a-fog prevail
only on the
eastern and I:;outhcrn
hore
, and then only during the
SUJJlIllcr rllonth
. I do not renleDlher to have been IIlore
than t\VO or three foggy ùay
in a year in Conception Bay,
anfl none on the south shore of Bonavi
ta Bay. In Trinity
Bay, ho,vever, it obtain
,vith south ,vinJs, \vherc it i

brought oyer the nalTO\V neck of lanù, \v hich separates
that Bay froIH Placentia Bay. The fog along the coast
frolll St. John's to Cape race, hardly ever approaches nearer
than ,vithin one 01' t\VO rnih
s of the shore. I :saw more
flcuse fog eluring the fortnight 1 :;pent in St. John, Npw-
BruTLs\vick, than] saw in
t. John's,
ewfoundland for
years, and I have sceullluch lllore f()g in Halifax anù Bos-
ton than T evcr
aw on the eastcrn COa.bt of N ewfoundlalId.

lany persons Huppose that a severe ,vintcr necessarily
pr(Jfluccs it greater quantity of fog the succeeding SU111IJler,
anel that the lllore ice is produced-the lllorc fog.
"The proùuction of fog entirely depenùs on the difference of
tempprature. There is aLunda.nce of fog w]lCre no ict. is founll
at all. Along the COast of Peru, the a.tmosphere scarcely evel.
l'o!:;sess('s f-)utiici('nt moisture to pr()duce rain; it contain
, Itow-
('vpr, (.nough to create widely extended and continued fogs. 'Tho
wintry season, in that country, lasts from April to Octo her,
:tJHI throughout tIle whole of this period, a veil of n1Ïst shrowds
SPit. and. shore. During tlH' Jllonths of .A ugust antI St'ptt'mllcr,
the vapour i
cxtr(>IIH'ly (If'nsc, and rests for lcef'ks illl rnol.'llbly
upon the c.trth. The fogs arc said to be at times so heavy,
that tho Jf10isture fa.lls to tllt' earth in la.rgo ùrop:s, which ure
for lIlt' II hy the union of small glolmles of ruist. Ellg]uwl SUI"-
rouwl('d hy a. warm Hea, is suhjcct to thick fogs, tha.t prevail
p
tpnsiyd) in tIll' \\ inter. The London fog is so extreu1l'ly

4.52

Ñ:ß'VFOU
DLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

dense that it i:-; necessary to light tllP ga:;; in the streets and
honsps in the middle of the day.
"Fogs originate in the same canses as rain, viz.: The union
of a cool body of air with one that is warm and humid; when
the precipitation of moisture is slight, foys are produced; when
it is copious, rains are the result. '\Vhen a mist is closely ex-
ãlnined it is found to consist of 'fnin'llle globules, and tlw in vesti-
gations of Saussnre and Kratzenstein, lead us to suppose, that
they are hollow, for the latter philosopher discovered upon
thenl rings of prismatic colours, like those upon soap bubbles,
nnd these could not exist if the globule was a drop of water,
with no air or gas within. The size of these globules is greater
when the atmosphere is very humid, and least when it is dry.
" 'Vhell Sir Hunlphrey Davy descenlled the Danube in 1818,
he observed that mist was regularly fornlPd, when the tempera-
ture of the air on shoTe was f1'0111 t!tree to six degree.ç lowcr than
that of the strearn. This is the case on the Mississippi. During
the spring and "fall nlÏsts form over the river in the day ti'flw,
when the temperature of the water is several degrees below
that of the air above, and the air above cooler than the atmos-
phere upon the banks. A similar state of the atmosphere occurs
over shoals, inasmuch as their waters are colder than those of
the nlain ocean. Thus, HUlllboldt found near Corunna, that
while the temperature of the water on the shoals was 54 0 Fah.,
that of the deep sea .was as high as 59 0 Fah. Under these cir-
cumstances,an intermixture of the adjacent volumes of air resting
upon the waters thus differing in ten1perature, win naturally
occasion fogs. '*
" \\'hat are called the Banks of N ewfonndland are situated
from one hundred to two hundred miles eastward of the shores
of Newfoundland. Mists of great extent shroud the sea on
these Banks, and particularly near the current of the Gulf
Stream. The difference in the warmth of the waters of the
StreCt'm, the Ocean and the Banks, fully explains the phenomenon.
This current, flowing from the equatorial regions, possesses a
temperature 5!0 Fah. above that of the adjacent ocean,
llld the
waters of the latter are fronl 16 0 to 18 0 warnler than those of

* See Brucklesby's l\leteorology

AND AS IT IS IX 1
77.

33

the Banks. The difference in temperature between the waters
of the Streanl and Banks, has eyen risen as high as thidy degrees.
" ...:\, t the beginning of winter, the whole surface uf the
Northern Ocean stea1l1S with vaponr, denominated frost smoke,
but as the season aùvancps and the cold increases, it diRappears.
Towards the enù of June, when the SUlliluer cOIlHllences, the
fogs are again seen, nlantling the land and sea with their heavy
folds. The phenomena of the pular fogs are explained in the fol-
lowing lllannel'. During tIlt' short Arctic SU111mer, the earth
rises in temperature with luuch greater rapidity than the sea,
the thermo1l1eter sometime/') standing, according to Sin1pson, at
71 0 Fah. in the shltde, while ice of immense tliÏckness lines the
f;hore. The air, incumbent upon the land and water, partakps
of their respective temperatures, and on account of the ceaseless
agitations of the atmosphûre, a union of the 'Wa7"m air of the
grG1uul with the cool air of the ocean will necessarily occur,
giving Iise to tlu' :,'UltUJUJ fogs."

\Vhite, in his " Natural History of Selborne," says :-
" Placl's near the sea have frequent scuds, that kf'ep the at-
Inosphere moist, yet ùo not reach far up in the country, making
the maritimt. situations avpear wet when the rain is not con-
siJc:rahle. Dr. Huxhanlrelll:lrks that fret!uent slllallrain8 keep
the ail' nlOist, while lw<t\,y Dill'S rCIHIer it nlort
dry by beating
dowu the vapours. lIe is also of upinion that the Jillgy,
slllokyappearance in tilt' sky in very dry st-'asons arise:; from
the want of nloisture sufficit'ut tu lpt the li
ht through alHl
render the atlllo:,pherc traw.;parellt, IWC:lI1SP he had oh:jcf\'l'd
several hodit's more diaphanou
when wet than dry, and did
not recollect that the air had that look in rainy seasous. The
reason of thel:>e partial frusts is uhvious, for there are at such
tinw8 partial fogs ahout; \\ lwre tllt' fog ohtains, little or 110
frost appears, hll t where the air is clear there it fr
czes harù.

o the frost takes place, citllt'r on hill or in (lall', wlwre\"er the
air happens tù be cleart'st and fleest from vapour. Fogs happt'll
evcrywlH'n>, cause.l hy tile upper J"t'gions uf tIlt' atlllo:,;p]H'rt'
heiug co}tI..I. than tht' 10\\'('1', hy whil"h tIlt' aH't'llt uf aqueolls
vapour is du'd\t'd alltl l\t.l't arrt'
l('d lU'al' tht' Rurface of the
earth. "

454

N:EWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VA::;,
According to a register kept at St. John's, Newfound-
land, in 1841 (it being nlore exposed to bank fog than
any other part of the coast), the average of thick fog and
partial light fog extending a short distance inland ,vas as
follows :-
Light fog, only
Thick fog. lasting a portion
of the day.
In January......... .... I! days, 1
days.
"February..,..,........ None, Half day.
" }.iIarch............ .. None. None.
" April... . . ... . . . . . . .. 1 day. 2
days.
" May.................. 3 days. 3 days.
C< June.. . ... . . .. . . . .. . .. 2 " 2t "
" July.. . . . . . . . . ... . . .. 1 day. 2!"
" August.,..... . . ... . .. I " 1 {, "
" September........... 4 days. 2
-"
" October...:.. . ... . .. I day. Half-day.
" N ovelllber. ... . . . . . . .. 2 days. 1 day.
"December............. 1 day. I! days.
It thus appears there were 17! days of thick fog and
19! days of light fog and mists, making a total of only 37
days of cloudy weather throughout the year. According
to a Table kept by Dr. Woodward, Superintendent of the
Lunatic Hospital, at '\V orcester, ,.v hich lies 4
3 feet above
the level of the sea, _and about the centre of
Iassachusetts,
there were, in

1841 110 cloudy days, and 40 days snow fall.
1844 .... 136 " 30 "
1845 .... 117 " 29 "
At Waltham, nine miles from Boston, for 32 successive
years, up to 18:38, frost first cOlllnlenced froln the 14th
September to the 1] th October.
The follo\ving Register \vas kppt at Cita(lel Hill, Fort
Geurge, IIalifax, Nova Scotia, in 18.")9, HJHI very kindly

A!\D AS IT IS IN 1877.

1-5 ;)

furnished me by ..\11'. G. Moulds, Staff-Sergeant, Royal
Artillery :-

IS;,)!) -:Mo

Cloudy Thick I Light fog
nths. Days. Fog. portion of Snow.
the day.
........... ...... .... a...... .. a.. ...... 8 I 3
11
........ .............. 4 5 2 7
.... ...... ............ ...... ...... ...... ...... 7 !) 7 10
.... ...... ............ ...... ...... ............ 6 1 2 7
.................. ..... !) (j 2 1
... ...... .O'. ... ... ...... 7 !) 11 Nil.
................... ...1 ;J 3 4 KiI.
....................... 7 1 14 Nil.

8 2 8 Kil.
20 Xil. 1 4
If) 2 f) 7
If) 5 2 7
110 42 GO 54

January ...... ..........
February............ '...
l\Iarch .,. ...............
April...................
1\Iay ............... .....
June ....................
July......... .............
August ,.... ...,.........
Heptemher .................. .., '.............
October .......... ...........................
N ovt'm ber ...... ... .. . ... . .. ... . '. ... .. . ." .
December ................. ...... ... ...... ... I
Totals ..............' ....................1

I twill IJO seen frOin the above ,;tatcment that \vhilc in
Nc\vfoundlana there were unly :
7 (lay!=; of thiel.' ana light
fog, during the year (1
41), there ,yerc, in 1850, in .Nova
Scotia.,
2 (lays of thick fog, ana GO {lays of light fog a
portion of tho day, nlaking a total of 11
days' foggy
'V'l'ather, besiùes 110 (lays of clolHly weather.
Bisllop 1\[ ullock says:-
" By the table furnished me hy :\11'. Delaney, I find the
highest telnpcraturc 00 0 on the 3rù July; 8 0 on the 3rc1 )[arch,
and tlIP mean temppratllre of th.. year 185!> 44- 0 ; nwan max.
pres. of barometer, 2!).74 inch; rain ß3'!)20 for the year;
max. quan. in 24 hours, 2'O!)t$ inch; wind N. N. 'Yo and
"T.N.""'., 200 days; N.E. 25 da.ys; "T. and 'V.S.'V. 38 days;
8.S. \\T. and S.E. 102 (lays; rain f(.ll on 110 days; snow :'4
days; thunder ana lightning!) (lays. \Y
hav(' all t lIP :ul van-
tages of all insular climatl
, a. nÚlù tf'mpt'ratnre with its flis-
ad vantage, uncertain wpather. r IDa)" rPlnark likt>wise what
.\hlw Raynal ft'cortlt>tl ah.t':uly, that tlH' dimatc of Nt'\\ 1'011111 1

456

NE"\V}1'OUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

land is considered the most invigorating and salubrious in the
world, and. that we have no indigenous disease."
Again the Bishop says :-
" \rhat an awful climate, they will say, you have in New-
foundland; how can you live there without the sun in a con-
tinual fog
Have you been there, you ask them
No! they
say; but we have crossed the Banks of Newfoundland. How
surprised they are then when you tell them that for ten months
at least in the year, all the fog and damp of the Banks goes
over to their side and descends in rain there with the south-
westerly winds, while we never have the benefit of it unless
when what we call the out winds blow. In fact, the geography
of America is very little known, even by intelligent writers,
at home, and the mistakes made in our leading periodicals are
frequently very amusing. I received a letter from a most
intelligHllt friend of mine some time since, in \v hich he speaks
of the hyperborean region of Newfoundland; in my reply, I
dated my letter from St. John's, N.lat. 47 0 30', and I directed
it to Mr. So and So, N. lat. 52 0 ."
Thunder storms son1etimes occur in the northern parts
of Newfoundland, but are hardly ever known in the
southern and eastern parts, unless, perhaps, once or twice
in four or five years. I have never seen forked lightning
in Newfoundland, and I never heard of anyone being
killed by lightning in the country. Newfoundland is
achnitted by all who have ever resided there to be the
healthiest country in the world. Not a fever of any kind
is generated in the country, and that fatal disease, con-
sumption, ;:;0 common on the American Continent, is
hardly kno\vn there.
From the foregoing, the reader will perceive that the
climate of N e\vfoundland has been n1ÎsrepreHented by
ahnost every writer.
The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lig-hts, are ahnost
constantly to Le seen in the evenings, and loaming, which
is of the saIne nature as the Juirage, iR very frequent.

Al\"D AS rr IS IN 1877.

457

Admiral
ir John Rú::,s read to thè British Association
the follo'ving paper" On the Aurora Boreali
: "-
" The communication I llad the honour of making to the
British Association for the Advancement of Science, at Belfast,
on the interesting subject of the aurora borealis, ,vas verbal;
and, therefore, not entitled to a notice in the Association's
valuable 1'rullsacti()ìlS of that period; but, having subsequently
repeated the experiments I then verbally mentioned, I can now
confidently lay the account of them before the public, trusting
that, when taken into consideration, they will be found corro-
borative of the theory which I publi
héd in the year 1819, and
which led to a controversy that shall be hereafter mentioned.
It having occurred to me that, if my theory was true, namely,
'that the phenomena of the aurora borealis ,vas occasioned by
the action of the sun, when below the pole, on thp surrounding
masses of coloured ice, by its rays being reflected from the
points of incidence to clouds above the pole which were before
invisible,' the phenomena might be artifically produced; to
accomplish this, I placed a powcrfullanlp to re}Jre
ent the sun,
having a lens, at the focal di
tance of which I placed a rectified
terrestrial globe, on which bruised glass, of the various colours
we have seen in Baffin's Bay, was placed, to repre3ent the
co loured icebergs we hacl seen in that locality, ,,,,hile the space
hetwecn Greenland and Spitzhpl'gen was left blank, to represent
the sea. To revresent the clouds above the pole, which were to
recei'"e the refracted rays, I applied a hot iron to a sponge;
and, hy giving the glohe a regular diurnal nlotion, I produced
the phenomena vulgarly called' The :\IeI'I'Y Dancers,' and every
other appearance, exactly as seen in the natural sky, while it
llisappeared as the globe turncd, as being the part representing
the sea to the points of incidence. In eorroLoratiun of Iny theory,
1 havt.> to remark that, during Iny ]a
t voyag(> to tIlt' Arctic
Rt'gions (1
50-1), we llt>vpr, anlOng the numcrous icclwrgs,
saw any that wcre coloured, but all wert" a ) ellowish whitt-' ;
and, Juring th" following winter, the aurora \\ as exact ly tlw

am(" colour: antI, when that part of the glolw was cover..d
with hrnist'(l
la
s of that colour, the phl'llomena prOthH'l'fl in
my eXpt.rilllt"nt wen' the sanw, as wa;i al:-;o tllP aurora a.u:-;trali

in tIll' antarctic rl'gion
, wher.. 110 ('oluun.(l i('("Lt'rg
wel.'e è\ l'r

458

NEW:FOUNDLAND, AS [T 'V AS,

seen. The controversy to which I have alluded was between
the celebrated Professor Schumacher, of Altona, who supported
my theory, and the no less distinguished M. Arago, who, hav-
ing opposed it, sent M. G. JVlartens and another to Hammerfest
on purpose to observe the aurora, and decide the question. I
saw then1 at Stockholm on their return, when they told me
their observations tended to confirm my theory; but their re-
port being unfavourable to the expectations of M. Arago, it was
never published; neither was the correspolldellce between the
two Professors, owing to the lamented death of Professor
Schumacher. I regret that it is out of my power to exhibit
the experiments I have deseribed, owing to the peculiar man-
ner in which the room must be darkened, even if I had the
necessary apparatus with me; but it is an experiment so simple
that it can easily be accomplished by any person interested in
the beautiful phenomena of the aurora borealis."
One of the most beautiful appearances of nature is
what is called in Newfoundland, the" Silver Tha,v," which
is also frequent in America. It is produced by a shower
of rain falling during a frost, and freezing the instant it
reaches the earth, or comes in contact with any object. A
most magnificent scene is thus produced, every ohject is
clad in a silver robe, every twig and tree is bedecked with
glittering pearls, and the whole surface of the snow becornes
a beautiful mirror. But this crystal sheen is short-lived;
a sudden breeze of wind ends its reign; great dan1age is
done to the trees by the weight of ice encrusting them.
}'ieteors or meteor ic stones, of a most extraordinary size
have been seen falling from the atmosphere into the sea
on the coast of N e,vfoundlal1d. * The sparkling or phospho-
re
cence of the waters is sometÏ1nes rernarkably beautiful
in sonie of the deep Bays of Newfoundland.t Newfound-
land is behind the age in not having a Meteorological
Society. Such societies are now established throughout
Great Britain an(l Tn-'lan.1, the other British Provinces

* ::-;ee " 'Vandering ThoughtR," hy the Author, page :

,.
t s(--'(--' " Wandering 'l'houghts," by the Author, page no

AND AS [1' IS IN 1877.

15D

and the United
tates. The Board of Trade Meteorologi-
cal DepartInent "ra:-; presidea over by AdnlÏral Fitzroy,
and
o perfect ,,"'ere the ob
ervations for detecting the
a}'proach of
tonllH, that infonnation "ra
sent daily hy
telegraph to the principal to'Yn
, as to the proLahle
"reather for the next t\\yenty-four hours. Out of ni11
,varnings in 18(j1, only Ú/lr' was wrong, and that only in
the dtì'( '(ioll in which the stonn callIe. These ,varnil1gs
have prevented a nuntl)cr of
hip"'Tecks, and ëtl"l
con-
sequently of great cOlnrnercial value to a lnaritilne people.
Oh'icrvatories ought to lJe estal)lished at ùiffercnt point

of .N ewfoun<lland, aiùed Ly the Govcrnlllcnt.
In the London Qu(u.fcl'ly is an article on Htl1nbohlt',

]{osn os, ,vhich contains several interesting
cientific
speculations. The follo,ving is a (lescription of the ,vonders
of the atInosphere:-
"The atmosphere rises abovp us with its cathedral donle
arching toward the heavens, of which it is tJw Jllost fa.n1Ïliar
synonym and synlboI. It Hoats around us like that grand
object which the apostle John saw in his vision, 'a sea of glass
likp unto crystal.' So massive is it that when it hegins to stir
it tO
hes ahout great ships like playthings, and SWCPP8 cities
awl forests like sllow-flakps to destruction hÆore it; êlnd yet it
is so mol)ilp that we have lived y('a.rs in it Lefore we ('an he
persuaùeù that it exists at
lll, .lnd th
greëlt hulk of mankind
Jlt'vpr realize the truth that the v art' Lathed in an OCean uf air.
I tH wC'ight is HO enormous that iron shj,'prs IH'foro it like glass;
yet a soap han Hails through it with impunity, awl tht' thinw'st
imwct wavps it a.si(lp with its Will
S. It UlinistCl'
lavishly to
all thp scnsps. 'V l' touch it nut, but it touches u
. Its warIn
south wind:; In'ing l)aek colour to thp palp face of tilt' invalid;
its cool west wind refresh tlH-> fpVPl'('d 1,row, awl lllakp tht' hloot.l
mantle in 0111' checks; even its north I J last braces into nl'W
vigour, an(1 hal'lh.ns the chil(lrcH of our ruO'g 'ù l'JiTllêlte. Tho
pye is indc,htl,d to it for all tilt' magnificeucc' of sUIlI'ise, LJH' full
l,rightHt,s
of midday, tilt,' ehast,{'lH'd 1';LClialu'c' of tilt, gloaming,
allli tJII' c'lollds lIJat cradle W',l}" tlu-' Ht'tting Still. Bllt fj'l" it tIlt"
rainbow would want it
'triumpha.nt arch,' and tIle Wiudì""

4üO

NE'VF01TNDLAND, A8 IT WAS,

would not send their fleecy messengers on errands round the
heavens; the cold ether would not shed sn0W feathers on the
earth, nor would drops of dew gather on the flowers; the kindly
rain would never fall, nor hail storms nor fog diversify the face
of the sky. Our naked globe would turn its tanned and un-
shadowed forehead to the sun, and one dreary, monotonous blaze
of light and heat, dazzle and burn up all things. 'tV ere t.here
no at
)osphere, the evening sun would in a moment set, and
without warning plunge the earth in darkness. But the air
keeps in her hand a sheath of his rays, and lets them slip but
slowly through her fingers, so tha.t the shadows of evening are
gathered by degrees, and the flowers have tinle to bow their
heads, and each creature space to find a place of rest and to
nestle to repose. In the morning the garish sun would at
once bound forth from the bOSOlll of night, and blaze above the
horison; but the air watches for his con1Ïng, and send
at first
but one little r2.y to announce his approach, and then another,
and by and by a handful, and so gently draws aside the curtain
of night, and slowly lets the light fall on the face of the sleep-
ing earth, till her eyelids open, and, like man, she goeth forth
again to her labour till the evening."

GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY.

Every stone has a hi::;tory. '\That says the author of
the "Conteluplation of N ature
" " There is no picking
up a pebble by the brook -side ,vithout finding all nature
in connection ,vith it." Hear, too, Lavater about a less
object than a stone: "Every grain of sand is an im-
mensity;" and Shakespeare talks of " SerlTIOnS in r..;tones."
The study of geology opens to us a page of one of God's
books-the book of nature, and teaches us to belieye that
He who has wrought so Inany wonders in our globe, to
fit it for 111an'S habitation, will never cease to watch over
man's happine:-:;:-:;-" will withhold no g09d thing from
him that walks uprightly:"

, ::\len's books with heapH of chaff are Htured;
God's houk .loth golllen grains afford;
rrLen leave the chaff, and Hpcnd thy l-'ain

Tn '{athering up the !Joldcll grains."

\ND AR IT IS IN 1
77.

46]

Thp gf'J1pral surfat'p of 'Nl'\vfouuclhtHcl i:-, undulating Rnd
hilly, a1HI pcrhap
there is no country \vhose
urfacc bears
such IHarks of (lisore ler and ruin. .1\huost every\vhere in-
dications of the effects of carth<tuakc
anù volcanoes are
to be seen. IllllH('n
e q uantitie
of e liluvial drift are
scattcrcel in all directions over the face of the country,
consisting of gravel, and large houlelers of granite, por-
phyry, gritstone, slate rock, ,-
c.
The rock fonnations of N C\VfOUlle Hane 1 ha vo he en
al'rang-ed by lUre Jukes into five geulogical systelIls, which
are in thc descenùin ff order or P locccdin o ' frolll the ne\ver
ö' ö
to the olclpr forlnations, as follo'\\
s :-
j
ub-ùivision
.
1. Coal formation Upper portion.
l Lower or Led portion.

1.. !\Iagnesian liuH'stollf'H

{ nelle IHle, shale awl
grits tone ; variegat!'cl
sla te
.
3. Lower Hlate formation { Signal II ill, sanllstoJlf'ð.
St. .J ohn's Hlate.
4. Gnf'is
anù
Iica slate formation.
;,. Prinla,r)" or igneous rocks.

2. Upper slate formation

" Tlte (foal Formation--The rocks cOlnposing this formation in
Ncwfoundlanel are brown, yellow, and reù sandstones; grit
stones, shales, rpcl marl, grocn Iliad i.llld gypsum, congloIllcrLttes,
l1a
ston('s, and clunch.
" The coal of Newfoundland is bituminous anù caking, aud is
iclcntical with the coal of Kyclney, Cape Breton. It is found on
the Wf'stf'l'n coast, at Bt. U-corge's Bay, atill Bay of Islands, oc-
cupying an t'xtent of 30 by 10 Illiles, awl three' f(,e't ill thick-
}H'SS.
" Gypsum, or Plaster of Paris, i.
tho sulphate (If lime', and is
part of the coal formation. it is found in li\r
e fiLrous veins
passing through the marls, awl a\!;m in thick. hl'cls. r t is suft,
powele'ry, awl finely laminateù. UypSUlll abounds ill largc" quail'
titif's ill thp cliff:" of CoJroy ITn.r1Iour, near Cape H.ay.

462

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

"()uJt!l!omcnÛe cOll
i::;ts of gl'a vel or rounded fraglnents of
stone cellwlltecl together, which often form rocks of great thick-
ness and hardness. Excellent building material of this stone
was dressed during the last war, SOlne of which are now to be
seen on Signal Hill, at St. John's.
"Sandstone consists of silicious sand cemented into stone,
which varies in colour and hardness.
" Sltale is thin layers of clay, of different degrees of hardness
and colour.
"Magnesian Lirnestone.- This stone is classified a::; distinct from
the coal formation. The portion examined in 8t. George's Bay
had a thickness of fifty feet, in beds of from two to three feet.
One ,vhich was a bed of carbonate of lime of grey colour, while
the magnesian limestone had a yellow colour. Lim
stone is
found also at Burin, Mortier Bay, and Chapel Cove in Concep-
tion Bay. Superior limestone is found near Harbour Breton,
Fortune Bay and Canada Bay, north.
" Upper Slate Fùnnntion. - These rocks consists of .Belle Isle
Slate and gritstone, and variegated slate. They are not found
near the magnesian limestone, and are supposed to lie beneath
the coal formation. The shale is micaceous and very thin, inter-
stratified with fine-grained gritstones, which have a natural
cleavage, which is extensively used for building purposes. The
lower portion of this group is occupied by slate of a bright-red
colour, having the cleavage of true slate.
" Tlte Lower Slate FO'rrnation. - These consists of the Signal
Hill sandstone, and conglomerates with beds of light-grey grit-
stone, having a thickness of 800 feet, and passing down into
slate rocks, which are estimated about 3,000 feet in thickness.
The formation is often interspersed with white quartz and por-
ph yry.
" Gneiss ((;00 Mica Slate.-The mica slates are found interstra-
tified with the gneiss. Mica slate is a mixture of mica and
quartz, and generally has a cleavage like common slate. The
walks about Newman & Co's., premises at Gaultois are paved
with this material. Primary limestone, quartz rock, and chlorite
slate also belongs to this group. In this class of rocks generally,
organic remains first make their appearance. 1\11'. Jukes dis-
covered no organic remains, except a few imperfect vegetable
impressions in the coal.

AND AR IT If' IN ]877.

463

" PriTluLr!/ or [[fit UilS Rm'k.-These iu Xewfoundland consist
of granite, serpentine, quartz, gr
enstone, porphyry, sienite and
traprock. The
e fonnations are principally founù on the
X orthern and South- west coasts. The granites are generally
newer than th
gneiss an<l mica slate on which they repose, and
the ma
s of the unstratified rock
are more recent than the slate
formation. The coal formation is the newest group of rocks to
be found in Newfoundland. Of building materials, excellent
fine grained granite is obtained at St. Jacques, Fortune Bay; at
Belle Isle and K:elly's Islands, in Conception Bay-fine grained
gritstone i
obtained; sandstone and conglomerates a.re founù
at Signal Hill and Flat Rocks, near St. John's. The soft sand-
stones of ðt. George's Bay would furnish excellent freestone.
The limestone
of the various localities where they are found,
would make beautiful building stone.
" l\larble of every quality and colour can be obtained on the
'Vest Coast, fit for statuary or any ornamental use. Excellent
building stone of the porphyry and sienite, at the head of Con-
ception Bay could be obtained."
Bishop )1 ullock, late ROlnan Catholic Bishop of N c,v-
foundlanù, says of this builùing btone :-
" \V. e have in the neighbourhood of Conception Bay, incx-
haustible quarries of sienite or red granite. The front of the
Presentation Convcnt is built of this material, and though it
has not bcpn quarried, but only taken froUl tbe boulders on thl

surface, it is imperishable. In the sanle locality I have Sèl'n
on the road and in the ga.rden fcnces the most spl('n(lid blocks of
Oriental porhyry, that ra.re Inaterial that we see ill ROHle alone,
of gret-'Il
wrppntine and of cipollino. The travpller is astonishl'(l
at till' richncss of the altars in the l{oman Churches, constructed
ill what the Italians <:all pietra dura.; the Lrilliancy of the colour
and the high polish of tllO variccfated matt'rial. \Vell, hctween
this awl nolyroo<1, at the head
f Conception Bay, tlll'ro exist
lllaterials enough to ornament all the churches anù palaces of
the world. It will , however Le IunO' Lcforo these rich but in-
,

tractible materials will he turned to any account. Grey glanito
is found in great abuwlance in almost ever luca.lity of the island j
slate of a sup('rior fIua.lity in Trinity Bay, plastic day and hrick

464

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

clay abound in our iuunediate neigh bourhood. That nlost useful
Illaterial, lime, is 1110st abundant in the north and east j west,
the shore about Ferroll in the Straits of Belleisle, is ahnost
entir{'ly composed of it j it is plentiful also in Canada Bay,
and lately deposits have been found in many. other places. I
recently saw a quarry in the Harbour of Burin in the side of a
cliff. Codroy would furnish plaster of Paris for all the purposes
of building and agriculture, and one <?f the most beautiful sea
views I know of is the painted plaster cliff.') near Codroy."
Of n1Ïnerals, lime, copper, and lead are abundant. Bog
iron ore is found in almost every part of the country, anù
red oxide of iron is found at Ochre Pit Cove, in Conception
Bay, and iron stone in Trinity Bay. In the sanù stone
at 8hoal Bay, near St. John's, a vein containing crystal

of sulphuret and green carbonate of copper, was worked in
1775, by SOlne Ellgli8h nlinel's, but was after\vards aban-
doned in consequence of not paying the expense attending
the working of it. Captain :-:;ir J alnes Pearl, of the Royal
Navy, re-comnlenced the working of this n1Íne in 1
3H,
Lut his death occurring in 1840, the work has ever since
been suspended. A copper mine is said to exist at the
head of J:fortune Bay.
On the western side of the Harbour of Great St. Law-
rence, in the sienite there is a vein containing crystals of
galena or lead ore, and fiuate of liIue, containing silver.
At Catalina, in Trinity Bay, iron pyrites are found enl-
bedded in greywacke, or slate rock, in :.;quare pieces of
froin one to three inches. These pyrites are a combination
of iron and sulphur. It is very probable that S()lne valus
able n1Ïneral springs exist at Catalina, as mineralogist-
attribute the hot teulperature of ahnost all the hot n1Ïne-
ral waters to the springs running through pyrites. This
nÜneral is also found in other parts of Trinity Bay, at
Broad Cove near St. John's, and other parts of the
Island. At Harbour Le Cou, on the \vest coast, lUlnps
as big as a man's head are found lying at the foot of the
cliff: Pyrites were the fire-stones of the ReL1 IllJian
,

AND A
rr I
IN IH7ï.

}G5

from which they used to 01tain fire by striking t\VO pieces
together like flint and steel. It is said the earlier adven-
turcrs who visited Catalina supposed the radiaÜ.'(1 pyrite

to have been gold, and that Sir HlHnphrey GiILel"!" in
lR.):
, loa( led his vessel with it. Springs containing a
portion of iron in ;-;olution, or Chalybeat
springs, arc
found in various parts of N e,vfoundland.
The follo\\Ting is an analysi:s of a Chalybeate spring at
Logie Bay, near St. John's.

"Sanlple of Spring 'Vat{'l' froIll Newfoundland.
pecific gravity,
at G2 deg. Fahrt. 1,000,OlG. Solid contents in an imperial
pint of 8,750 grains :-
1. Chloritle of Calcium,... ......... .........
2. Chloride of 1\lagnesiulll ..................
3. Chloride of
odiuln (coronion sal t) .. .. ..
4. Sulphate of magnesia ........ ........ ...
5.
ulphate of soda ...... ......
6. Carbonate of ntagnesia.................. ...
7. S il ica . . . . .. ........ . .. .... - . . . .. ... . . .

. Vegeta1le extractive ............ .
!). Bicarhonate of iron... . .........

.0-11 !)
.0400
.3G84
'0-100
.0713
'033-1
.11G7
'1717
'O-l50

Decinlals of a grain.... ..

.!)j84

"It win he Sécn that thu total Holid contcnts of an ilnpet'ial
pint of this water does not weigh one grain: thiH is less than I
ever ulet with in a water. They .Lre all C01UIllOIl to HJlI'ing-
watt'r excppt thp 1st, 8th, and 9th. The lattpr it is which will
givp a charactf'r to tlw Hpring. It is chalyhf'ate to rather a.
greater extcnt than the watcrs of the "King's Bath," in Bath,
Euglawl-(t}.p 1
ing'8 Lath i
the principal spring of t ht' Bath
wa.t('rs). The Newfoundland
pring contains !;,-lOOOths of a.

rain in n pint-the 'Bath spring 30-1000thH; anù thf' ('hlm.ide
of calcium (or muriate of lime when in th( water) will con-
tribute to the tonic effect of the iroll, whilo the sulphatcs of
bod a. and ßlagnt'sia, although not in sufficient (Iuantit.y to pro-
duco aperient ctlècts, 11lay prove enough to IH'evput t he action
whicl. l'halylu'atps }lèL\(' on SOHlt' constitutions. Upon the whole,

DD

466

NR\VJ1"OUNDLANV, A::; 1'1' WAS,

I should say that the water might be used with advantage as a
g(.neral bracer, if arrangenlents could be made for the aCCOffilllO-
dation of invalids near the spring; for it nlust be remmnbered
that where iron is sustained in water by carbonic acid, as in
this case, there is always a tendency for it to fall down as in-
soluble carbonate of iron, leaving the water without its chaly-
beate propp,rties.

" 'V ILLIAl\1 HEREP ATH,
" Man8ion House, Old Park, B'ristol."

The above analysis was obtained by Captain Prescott,
. the Governor of Newfoundland; Dr. Kielley having prc-
viously infonned hinl that the ,vater contained f'iOlne
n1edicinal properties.
The celebrated Saratoga, New York, springs are also
chalybe(tte. The waters belong to a class which Inay be
tenned the acidulous saline chalybeate. The following
is the analysis of the quantity of solid matter held in so-
lution by it. In one gallon are found :-
!vIariate of f;oda ..... ....'.............
H ydriodate of soda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .
Carbona te of soda .....................
Carbonate of liIne ..... ... ...... . . ... .
Carbonate of magnesia ..... ...... ...
Oxide of iron...... . . ..................

297.3
3'0
19'21
92.4
23.1
5.39

440.4

with a n1inute quantity of silica and alun1Ìna, probably
0'6 of a grain, making the solid contents of a gallon
amount to 441 grains. The gaseo"ut-J contents of the saIne
quality are :-carbonic acid gas, 316 cubic inches, and at-
Dlospheric air, 4. In an, :j20 cu Lic inches of gas in one
o'allon. The tenlperature at the bOttOlll of the spring is

lways 50 0 . The springs are found useful chiefly in ca:ses
of dyspepsia, chronic rheulnatisrn, and diseases of the
skin.

.\XD \8 IT 1::3 IX 1877.

4li7

Roofing \.)latc is fonnel in lllost parts of K e\\iOnnfUanf1.
The follo\viug are SOlllC of the principal places \vhere it
is founù, she\\Ting the a vcrage
trike and dip:-

Dip.

Cleavage of Slate. I
Xear Rt, ,Tohn'. ...... .......................1
.\t'rop:.;ail .....,...,........... .............. 1

(H
'tl:b.

l
: Hi:' )Ï

ÿ;
. Ë'
y.'::':::
'It Ditto do .... ï
1\ orth Ea
t ::\[ountain, l>lacentia ..,.. I
1\lera::!heen HarLour ............... .... ...
* ])i tto ..... ,.................
I ndian Harbour, )Ierasheen hland ...
Long HarLour, P]acentia Bay.........
('hal'el Ann Brook, Trinity Bay......
Bri
'1ls ..... ... .., eo. ...... ..' , '. ... .'. ......

cull'in Island Cove, near Bri
rus ....,.1
Hl'aniard'
Bay. ........... ..........,..". ,
HarLour Grace .................. ........
Harbour Grace Ii;land .....,............... ,
( 'arLunear '.......... ..................... .....
Catalina HarLour ..........,.., ... .,.......
('lode Sound_..... ...,.,.........."...........
1\Iorri,,'1'! hlalld, Bonavista Bay........./
* 1>itto do ......... , 1
1>itto another part............
.. Vitto (10 ....,.......
Bloody Ray, BOllavista Bay ...--...,...
(:ander Bay.....,.,."...."... ... ...........
E \.ploit
River....,............ .....,..,....

Strike.

1\. :
;) E.

. :
3v E.
X. 1:,v 1
.

. 1;)" E.
N.l.")"'E.
X. 10 E.
x. 1:)-' }
.
N..ju E.
N. I.jJ E.
X.
O'" }
.
X. 1:;0 }
.
X. 10 0 }
.
N. fio j<;.
x.
o }
.
N.:W }
.
X. I.') E.
N.
U }
.
N. '.!.7 J E.
X. '20 E.
N. 10 E.
X.
K. I:! E.
X.
X.
.') E.
K.
Oo E.
X.E. by X.

K early perpendicular.
I Perpendicular,
To the "T est 4'> .
\\P t.>ðterly HO-'.
'Vesterly 83 .
N.\V. SO.

Perpcndicular.
K early perpendicular.
I'Y e
terly
OU.
'V e
terly 7.j .
\\" psterly 4.')"'.
\\T csterly üO'.
Easterly 43 0 .
\Ve!'tcrlv 4.')-'.
\y e:.;t
.-;v.
PèIllèwlicular.
East
O-'.
Perpendiclliar.

'It Beds.

_AcconlinfY'to the returns Iwule to tht, Go\"ernlllent in
:-"!
I
.j7, .).;,OOÕ slates, val UCt 1 at

.j,OOO, \\Tl're oLtaillt'c] fn)lll
ê1 tpHlrry at the heaù of Trjnity Bay. During' lb(i!), the
cjll<Lntity ofleacl taken frolH this 1l1ine \\as
I() tOil.; in
1 K70,
.)() tuns. Lf'at 1 has al:-,o been cl iscu\"erl'cl in Port.
an-Pt'1-t, un the ,vestl'rn shol"l'. ,At the llt'iltl of Ct,nc\'p-
ti()n Bay, thcrc ,vas
hippet 1 froBl Turk's llead )1 incs :!O
tons, and fnnll Engl ish heall 1 () tenls of copper ore. The

alllplt.
of ore' Sl'llt to England pro\Pt'd to 1 Ie g'UlJC 1 spl'l'i-

468

NE'V]'OUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

mens. A very fine lead mine has been worked at La

ranche, in the district of Ferryland. Bishop l\Iullock
says of it :
" It is ren1arkable that the fishermen in the lower part of
Placentia Bay used to go to La l\-lanche, take the pure galena,
snlelt it, and run jiggers out of it, and still the existence of the
mine, though almost every pebble on the shore had specks of
lead in it, was either unknown or disregarded. This shows how
much we require that the c9untry should be explored by com-
petent persons. Since the discovery, three or four years ago,
many thousand pounds worth of lead has been shipped off.
Once, while I was there, sixty- five tons, valued at 1:45 a ton,
were shipped off, and another time I saw several, perhaps 100,
tons of dressed ore in barrels, prepared for exportation; and
still so little knowledge did the people possess of the treasure
existing in their midst that for generations the only use made of
it was to dig out a bit to make a jigger."
The principal mine is at Tilt Cove, on the northern
coast. It \vas discovered in lS64, by Mr. Smith
IcRay.
This Inine yielded in 1868, 8,000 tons of copper ore, \vhich
sold for
256)000. In 1869, a fine vein of nickel was dis-
covered intersecting the copper, fronl \vhich in two years
ore was taken which realized $38,600. Another copper
Inine is worked at Burton's Pond, south of Tilt Cove. In
his annual report of the C ..Jonial Office in 1868, Goyernor
Hill says:-
" In the past year the exportation of copper ore of a very
superior quality was commenced, and at this time more than
2 000 tOllS have been shipped. On lllY recent visit to Labrador,
I'stopped at Tilt Cove in Notre Dame Bay, for the purpose uf
seeing a mine which is now in most successful operation, aHd
which I trust is only the first of many which will S0011 be
worked with profit to the proprietors, and great advantage to
the population, in affording new enlployment which is so often
sorely needed in the winter season. I was much interested in
,vhat I ,vitnessed. The quality of the ore is said to be equal to
the best known from any other place. The fiue kinds are worth

AND AS IT IR IN 1877.

46

as much a.s Æ20 lwr ton, and the average value of the sales of

hipnlellts to EllglanJ, is equal to about 1:10 per ton. Before
the end of the year, it is expected that a quantity worth from
.cSO,OOO to ÆI00,000 will be shipped, and the ore now being
extractecl is even better than that first obtained. One hundred
and seventy nlen and boys are now on the new pay list, and
about 500 people altogether now reside at the settlement, which
was not in existence three years ago. Some of the men make
as much as
17 per month, the average being from .*:10 to
21.
Seventeen of the mell employed, including the captain of the
n1Ïne, are Cornish miners, hut the remaindpr are K ewfound-
landers. I spoke to spveral and found them well pleased with
their position and circumstances, which are indeed greatly pre-
ferable to thosp in which they had frequently been placed in
seasuns when the fishery had been unsuccessful, aud their sub-

istellce depended wholly on its result. If, as I believe, will be
the case in a very short time, many other mines equally pro-
ductive should be worked, it will scarcely 1m po
sible to over-
value the heneficial eft'ect of this new inclnstry upon the circunl-
stances of the labouring population."
It i:-, saicI that Tilt Cove lnine 'was purchased by an
English cOJupany for '-'75,000.
,Alexanò,,'r .:\r urray, Esq., fortHcrly of Sir"Tilli:un LogatÙ,
staff in Canafla, 'was cnlployed IJY the GovcrnJl1cnt, to
lllake a g-cological survey of thp 1 slallt I in lK6G and ] H(;7,
antI is still <::ontinuing it. J ft> fountl a vast c"\:pusurc of

ypSl1tH, ],t't\\'ecn Codroy Isla.llcI antl Co(Iroy Hi Vel", ,,'hich
Jlaay Lc (luarried to any extent, ,vhile the salHe Haaterial
o('curs in various pa..ts of St. George's Bay. lIe fOUlltl
that the earhonift'rous fOI"Jllation of Ht. Oeorgr.'s Bay, is an
4'xteJl
ion of the
aIllC rocks \\'hi<::h constitut ' the coalfields
of CapeÐreton.
1 r. .JI urray eOH('Iudes, that ,,'it hill the an'a

l1pl'oseJ to Lc llJulerlait 1 Ly the sc'atn coa.l, spoken of h

lr. Jukt's, tlH'rl' were .34,000 dmldrolls. A friend of HaitH>
in
e\\ foundlaJ}( I says :-
" "rhilst the Ininpral and Inm hl'ring capahilitit'R an' in their
inf:ulcy-the north f\idp of (het'll B
lY
eems tu he .t (lepu
it uf

470

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT ,V ARt

copper ore-and every day nf>W discoyeries art' be-ing ma(le. I
visited Bett's Cove mine in the early part of Septemoe-r, 1876,
there were 500 men at work and fifty to sixty horses, the daily
yield of ore was 140 tons, at ÆIO per ton. Since then mines
have commenced at Southern Arm; Range Harbour; and Beo-
tun Pond; at present it is a difficulty to prognosticate ,vhat the
future of this country will be."
Professor Selwyn saYR:-
"The rule applied in the coal-fields of South 'Yales, in the
U nitell Kingdom, to calculate the productiveness of coal-seams,
givps 1,000 tons for every square foot in each acre of a seam,
one foot thick. leaving a sufficient quantity for pillars to SHp-
port the roof."

Ir. Thlul'l'ay Rays :-
" 'Vhilst in the neighbourhood of Port-au-Port, T was in
formed that a bituminous su hstance res em bling petroleUln had
been observed on the middle Long Point, on the west side of
the Bay, and also that native copper occurred on some parts of
the main coast further north."

Petroleuln ,vas known to the ancient Greek" and
Rornans. In the Island of Zante, one of the Ionian group,
there iR a spring of li<plÏd hiturnen, ,vhich has been ftO\V-
ing roore than t\VO thousand years. It is sairl that ,vher-
ever the ,vorel "pitch" occurs in the English version ef
the Bible it refers to v'it'wrncn, which wa
uRerl in its
natural state for Jnany purposes. Perhaps the Ark "Tas
"pitcj,(J(l" with crude petroleulll. Scientists have attri-
1utc(l the origin of petroleuJn to a variety of causes, but
the 1l108t pl'obalJle is that it is the norrnal or prÏ1nary pro-
(luct
f the dccolnpo
ition of lllarine anÏlnal or vegetable
organlS1ns.
Pctl'oleul11 is found in most countries, in the stratified,
and also in the volcanic anfl llwtanlorphic forrnationR.
Rock oil is found in the U ni ted States by horing the slate
all(l sand rocks. I think it prolJah1<- pptroleulIl "viII lIe

ANn AS IT IS I
lR77.

471

fOll1H I contiguous to the depo
itg of coal and slate of St.
Georgc's Bay.
.àlr. l\Iurrav found that the Lauzon division of the
Quel)cc group of rocks e'\:ists in Ne,vfoun.l1allù, ,vhich is
thc grcat nletalliferous zone of North Alnerica.
1\11'.
furray foun(l organic renlains.in Heveral places,
and also in.lications of gold. It is proLablc gold "riB be
foull(l in Hlany parts of Ncw-foundlancl, as it is not con-
tÌllpd to rocks of any geological period. Tht> guld of
Colorado occurs in veins travcrsing crystalline rocks of
oezic age, ,,
hile the deposits of North Carolina are found
in paleozoic strata, sÏ1uilar to the Ural ßIountains anù the
Alps. J n Nova Scotia the orc is Inct ,vith in slates an. 1
sallù
tones, \\
hich appear to belong to thp C:nnl)rian or
IJaurentian f0l'111ations, the sanle age 1 )eing also attril Hltt'd
to the auriferous
trata of Australia and \Valps. Accord-
ing to Professor 'Yhitney, tIle golfl 1 )(
aring quartz of
Ualifornia is found in the strata of th(> cretaceous pcriu(l.
Uold is foun(l in the a(Lueous and igncous rock
. It is
SOJlletiulcs flifficu]t for the inexperience(l tu tell tlll
differ-
CIl("1' 1 )etwt 'en y(' llo,," u1Ïca, or iron pyrites, and g o l.1. To
detect iron pyrite
it is only necessary to IHll".'rizp tht'
Illilleral antI thro\\
it upon a r,.cl-hot stove; gol.} ,vill not
product' any o(lonr or tlanH' 'v hen t
stec1 in this "ray, llut
tIlt' pyritt.s ,vill enlit fUBICS of sulphur. Another silllplc
tpst hy ,vhich gold ('an 11(' (lptf'cb'c} froIll iron anfl copper
pyrite
is to
Î\ (' a litt]p hit of it a hard rap "''I'ith a hal11-
llH'r-if it he gol(l it win lHPrdy Hatten, lnlt if it liP
P) ritc
it will SIH:tsh into litt1.. l)its; thiR test applit's to
the sllIal1est atoll\.
\ ..lJO\\ Utica. l11ay l)è easily known froIH gol.l, l)y it

nOIl-IIJ(.tal1i(. lustrp, it
foli
ttc(l structure, its I.Hv :-'P" 'itic
g-ravity, and the harsh, f-\C1"clping sonnd lnatl.. \vh..11 It kllif..-
point is dr:t\\'11 O\
l'l' it. In.Iced, it ,,
ill cl'll111hl
ul1tl(,'r the
pl'('ssur' of tIt > fingPI s. Gold is 110t aeb.d upon hy auy
sirupl.. :L('i.I, hut when nitric alHlllluria.tlc acids aI"> lIli"t,.{
t h..
r d,,(.o1l1P()
" (.;t('h otllt'r. prod I1cillg' ('h lnri IH', and a.

472

KE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,

Inixtnre of these t,vo acids, called nitro-muriatic acid, or
aqua 'j'p[Jia, has the pow"er of di:-\solving gold. Professor
LYOll Playfair gives the following directions for examining
a mineral to aHcertain whether it contains gold :-
" Supposing you have auriferous quartz, reduce it to a pow-
der and boil with aqua 'regia. After rliluting it with water, pass
the solution through a filter, allow it to cool, and add a solution
of carbonate of soda until it ceases to effervesce. Filter again,
and add oxalic acid until the effervesence ceases, and it tastes
sour, then boil, and if t.here be any gold present it will be pre-
cipitated as a black powder."
The following method for iletecting gold is suggested
by Professor Pepper:-
" Aqua regia, composed of two measures of muriatic acid and
one measure of nitric acid, is put into three phials. Some
tin and hydrochloric acid are placed in a fourth phial, and
some nails and sulphuric acid in a fifth. The five phials are
then arranged in a sauce-pan, and half covered with cold
water. The water is gradually beated, so as not to crack
the phials. In about half-an-hour the sauce-pan may be
ren10ved from the fire, and the contents of each of the three
phials containing mineal poured into tumblers half full of
pure rain water. To each tumbler add a portion of the
solution of tin-foil. If gold is present in any of them, a
purplish precipitate, darkening the whole fluid, is perceptible.
This co]our is called the purple casins, and is used for imparting
a rich ruby colour to glass. It affords a very delicate test for
the presence of gold."
Gold ha
a rich, yellow colour, is ahvays found in
lnetallic state, rarely pure, and bas a specific gravity of
19.5 in its B10st cOlnpact and pure fonn. The great duc-
tibility of gold is a subject of remark on the part of all
writers on the
ubject. The extrelne InaleaLility is ,veIl
known; it has been strikingly illustrated, by comparing
the leaves into ,vhich it can be hamlliered, with sheets of
paper. 280,UOO leaves of gold, placeJ upon each other,.

\
J) AS IT IS I
lR77.

473

\vou](l he one inch ill thickne::;s; '\Therpa
the
;nnp nUJll-
1 )f'r of
heets uf paper \vould extend
.)O feet high. Gold
ha
been fonned into a ,,
ire 50kth part of an inch in
diauwter, 550 feet of '\vhich only \veighe(l one grain; it
has also been Leaten into leaves only 200 1 000 th of an inch
in thicl.ness. It is
aiJ tl1at a t\venty dollar gold piece
can Le dra\vn into a \vire
ufficientl.r long to encircle the
globe.
The total pru(Iuction of gol(l In the Unitcfl States, in
1873, \\Tas
3(j,OOO,OOO.
In Australia and N e\v Zealand, in IH7 4.
43,124,UOO
In Ontario, in It)ü!), 500 oz................ Ð,250
In Province of Qllel)ec, 1
()9, '70, '71,
1,747 O.l. ................................. :3I,44G
N ova Scotia, It;69, '70, '71, 18,987 oz... 3.:"j1,2nG .
British Colun1bia, 18ü9, '70, '71. ......... 4,O
I,197
It is sai,} that the entire pro(Iuctiou of the world, in
, 187:3, \va
cbtÏInated at
lOO,OOO,OOO, an(l that the total
aJJ10unt of gold existin
in various fOl'lll
in lR73, appearR
tv ha ye Lecn
4,OOO,OOO,OUO.

ZOOLOGY.

Of the zoulogy of
ewfoundlantl Yery little is kno\\Tn.
It is a renlarkal)le fact that neither frogs, toatl,-;, Ii- artis,
n01" snakes of any kind, have ever l)een founa in the
country. In this respect it has Lecn calletl tIll
IrelaJlfl
of ,.c\ 11 lCl'i ca. .A c listin o 'uislwd N orweo'ian naturalist , Pn)-
r") b
fe
sor
tu\vitz,
pent three years in cxaulining the natural
histor} of N l'\Vf<HlIlClland, \\.here lit' dic'') in I S42. ,vhill'
pro
ecnting this delightful
tudy \\ ith intl'Hs' intcrcst.
j)roft'ssor
tl1witz di
co\ en
d HUHl) specillll'llS not fount]
in any part of Europe. The scientific rÙ:-'l'al'cllP
vf this
(rent1elllan in X ewfoullùlallù ha\'c 1 believe not "yet 1 weB
b " J
Jllad
pu hlic hy the K Ur\\ egian (JU\ er1l1nent.
Tht' Vi' ,.f"I)J.(tf('(1 A II i lIi(fl,
fOl'luill o ' tlH' tir:-;t (Ii \ i:-;it III t If
. :-.

474

NE\VFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V A
,

the aninlal kingdom, are distinguished by possessing an
internal bony skeleton, and lnay be arranged in four
classes: 1st. l\Iammals, or those \vhich bring forth their
young alive, and Huckle them '\vith milk; 2nd. Birds;
3rd. Reptiles; 4th. Fishe
.
Class lst.- JJf a1n1nals.

The animals of this class that are indigenous to N H\V-
foundland, LQlong to the following orders :-
1st.-Caî'ni'l.'ora, or flesh eating anin1als.
2nd.-Rode1 1 tia, or gnawing animals.
3r<1.- R u./rninctnti(l, 01: run::inating aninlals.
4th.-Cetacea, the '\vhale tribe.
Order 1.-Carni'l.'a.

The comlnon rat and field 1110USe are found iJ.lfesting
every place. The Bat (vespepel.tilio P"; In081./s) is sIn all,
and is occa
ionally, in the evenings, seen skiuu11ing the
air on leathern "rings, in search of insects on which it
principally preys. The Black Bear (U1'SUj..: ..A 1ncJ'ic011 n.
).
This quadruped passes the winter in a state of torpour,
concealed in the ,\yoods. In the
Unll11er it cl:Ôefiy suLsists
on roots and berries. Several of these anima]s are killed
on the northern coast during the spring and RUlllnlcr.
Thesc animals are of a ferocious flisposition, but when
taken young are, to a certain extent, tanl(
d. Young
ones are sometimes brought to St. John's fronI the nurth-
\vard. The 'V easel (J.1Iu8trlo/ J.11(f1,tc,
) in RUll1Uler is bl'u\vn,
hut in winter turns '\vhite. The l\Iarten or 'Voud-cat
(JJ-fLudela lJlaTtfl.'
). - FOl"lllCrly great nUlllbel's of these
animals were killed by the Indians, but they are no\v
seldom met with. The Otter (Lull'a Canade'ì1J;:Î.-;) has
becn so much Rought after, for the value of the fur, that
it is no\v becolne cOlnpal'ativcly Rcarce in the country.
TJlt
most f01"lllidablp anllll::t I in N c\\ founcllan(l i
thp

AXD AR IT I
IX 1
77.

47.;

"r olf (CO " i
L'ilZHI.'i .A 'Yì1f'1'icani,'i). In
on\e part
of the
islan( 1 ther IH'O\Yc destructive to the' cattIe.
The Rev. B.
hnith, of Trinity, gives tI1C folJow"ing ac-
count of the narro,v (.scape of one of his people fron1
\volves, in his report to thc Society for the Propagation
of the Gosp('l, in Lon(lon, in 1857:-
" II e had gone in his punt to a point about a n1ile from his
how;;e, to cut tirpwood, and wlwn returning with hiH load of
sticks, at a short distance from the shore, he heard a howling,
which at firR't he dia not nndt'fstan(l; but after going a little
fa1'tlwr, on lookin
round he
aw the animals, at son1e distance,
in full cry towards him, lIe threw down his load ana ran t.o
his punt, which ,vas fortunatdy moored but loosel
' hy thr
paint-pI' thrown ronnd a rock. In his hast
hf:" caught up the
ropp, anrl leaped into th(' punt, which, with his motion,
bonndt'd off; and by the timp hp had distancP(1 the shorf' ROmf'
tWf'nty yards, the ravpnous creatures rp:\chell the watrr, and,
disappointe(l of their prey, Wf'rf' howling and foaming at the
mouth hi<lt'ou
ly. TIt' h.\(1 no gnn or ot.1H'r wpapon, anc1 was
oVf'rpowpre(l with ('motion for his na.rrow pscapp."
A fc\y yeal'R ago the
c anilnals \\TerC' rather nUIHProus in
the neigh 1 )(Hll'huo( 1 uf Ht. .J ohn's, Plo"Tling alÞout so ncar
thc ù\vpllin(rs as to endan(rcr the liyf'S of the inhalÞitant
.
o 1""1
All ..Act ,va
passf'(l lÞy thl' Local OOYC'l'nllH'nt cntitle(l,
"Tlu.' 'Volf-killing Act," nncl(
1' the provisions of \vhi('h
I'\'P1',\, P pl'son killin(r a ,vo1f on the } )I't'sentation of th(\
.
,
head ancl skin, ,vas to 1'('('('i\'(. a r<',,'a1'<1 of fi\c potUHls.
.AluHlt eight 01' tc'n wolvC'..; \\ ('re annually kil1C'(1 on the
JlorUH'rll and \\Tcstl'l'n (.nasts. In proportion as the popu-
lation iIH'}'( 'asps, so will thp "Iona I'('ll of t 11('
ewfoulldlan( 1
fore'st clisaplwal', unti I at length, as in En
Ianc 1 and Il'clanc 1,
it
('xist(.))(.(' will h(' no Ion,fPl' known. 1'1)(' history of
ahllost (,vC'I'.\ nation fnl'nishc
us \vith proofs, that in. the
SaHI(' ratio as tlI(' (',upin' of Bl:ll1 has lÞ('pn enI
u'gl'cl, so has
the anilllaJ k in<rdolll lwpn inya( 1('( 1 an( 1 (lesolat,.,1. Th(
;-,
history of
C\\ founùlanc1 Leal's cviclcHct', that SOBH,' of t h('
t('n[lnt
of tnt' O(\Piln [Iud of thC' fc'atllC'1' tl'iht.s, have' Ll\COIH(,
(.
tiJ)c-t 1,\, tll(' .t'f('IW\ 01" tlll' cl.....tro\ in'" hawl of 111.'11.
.. :-"Þ. .. :-"\

476

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
The N e,vfoundland dogs, for the nlost part, are }100)
:-;purions descendants of -the once noble racc. Those fine
samples of the race to 'he met ,vith in the 1Jniterl States,
are rarely found in N e\vfoundland. No aninlal in N ew-
founùland is a greater sufferer from Ulan than the Jog.
This animal is einployed (lurin a the winter season in dra,v-
ing tÏInber frOin the woods,
nd he supplies the place
of a horse in the perfonnance of several offices. I have
frequently seen one of these creatures drawing three seals
(about one hundred and thirty pounrls weight), for a dis-
tance of four miles, over huge rugged Inasses of ice, safe to
land. In dra,ving "\vood, the poor animal is frequently
burdened beyond his strength, and cOinpelled to proceed
by the lnost barbarous treatJnent. My friend T. Drew,
Esq., one of the editors of the Spy (
nd Ch,rj"Ü;tian Oitizen,
published at Worcester, Mass., United States, relates the
following instance of the sagacity of the N ewfounrlland
dog, which was comlnunicated to hÌJn by a felnale friend
of his, who had been spending the SUlllmer of 1850, at
Halifax, N. S.:-

" Tige is a splendid Newfoundland, and possesses good sense
as well as good looks. He is in the habit of going every morning
with a penny in his mouth, to the same butcher's shop, and pur-
chasing his own breakfast, like a gentlemanly dog as he is. But
it so happened upon one cold morning, during the past winter,
the shop was closed, and the necessity seemed to he imposed
upon Tige, either to wait for the butcher's return, or look for
his breakfast elsewhere. Hunger probably constrained him to
take the latter alternative, and off he started for another
hutcher's shop, nearest to his favourite place of resort. Arriving
there, he deposited his money upon the block, and smacked his
chops for hreakfast as usual j but the butch('r, Ìnstf:-'ad uf nwet-
ing the demand of his customer as a gentleman ought, brushed
the coin into his till, and drove the dog out of the shop. Such
a disgraceful proceeding on the part of a m{tn, vpry naturally
ruffled the temper of the brute; bnt as there was no other alter-
native, he was obliged t.o submit. The next morning, however,
when his master furni
hed him with the coin for thp pnrchas(--'

.

\XV A
IT l
11\ .1S77.

77

of breakfast, as usual, the dog instead of going to the shop where
he had been accustomed to trade, went inlmediately to the shop
frorn whence he "as so uncerernoniously ejected the day before
-Iai(l his penny upon the block, and with a gro\\TI, as much as
to say, 'you don't play any more tricks upon travellers,' placed
his paw npon the penny. The butcher, not liking to risk, under
such a dernonstration, the perpetration of anothpl' fraud, inlme-
diateIy rendereJ hiln the q1tirl pro f)lW, in the shape of a slice of
meat, and was about to appropriate the penny as he had done
the day previous, to his own coffers; but the dog, quicker than
he was, nlade a.way with the meat at one swalluw, and
f>izing
the penny again in his rnuuth, made off to the ::;hup of his IHore
hUlwst aCfluaintance, and by the purchase of a double breakfast,
madt: up fur his previuu::, fast."
The specic:-; of fox usually taken in Newfoundland are,
the CUllllllon red or yello\\r fox (Vani::5 .J?UlVU8) ; and the
IJatch ur cross fox (Call i8 ÐCCU8....l1tl(8); the black or silver
fox (Cani.";; ..A J'ycatat IS) Leing
clJoln seen.
The kind of seals IJlOst plentiful passing along the Coast
of
e\\rfoundlan<.l \vith the field-ice, are the harps, or half-
]llüOn :-wals, (pl,unl (irucldu Jl(lico). A1uJut the latter end
of the lllonth of .February thc:')e
eal
\vhelp, and in the
northern Sl'a:-. deposit 1l1illions of their young on the
glittering
urfa(- , of the frozen tlcep ; a.t this perioll, tJJèY
are l'overed with a coat of white fur, slightly tinged \vith
yelluw. I have seen thc
e beautiful" \vhitc cuats" lying
six and eight on a pan of ice, rl'
C1uLling '30 luan)'" hunL
,
enjoyin
the
o]ar rays. These anil11als
ro'v \. lory rapidly,
and ill a110ut three weeks after thcir birth Lccrin to cast
ð
tlH'ir \vhite cuats; they are no\V (.asily caught, being- kil-
led 1)\" a slhdlt ..;troke across th(; nose \vith a. bat or ((a.fr.
J f; M
_At this tillH' they are in I'l'i1llt' conclitio1l, the fat l,eing in
gl'('ater quantity, and containillg purer oil than a.t a later
pl'rioc 1 of their gn)\\ tho
It app('ars to L' nec ':"\-;ary to th"ir e'\.i:"\t<.'nct., that they
should pa:-:s a con
icll'l'al,le tiIrll.' in repose, on the lce ; and,
Juring this state ùf ltell!le

ness, we
ce the goodness of

78

KEWFOUNDL
ND, A
IT 'VAS,
Providence in providing these an1phibiou
creatures '\vith
a thick coat of fur, and a superabundant supply of fat, a
defence again
t the chilling effects of the ice, and the
northern blasts. SometÜnes, however, nUlnbers of theu1
are found frozen in the ice; these "cats" are highly
prized by the seal-hunters, as the skin, when dressed,
lllakes excellent caps for theul to wear while engaged in
this perilous and dangerous voyage. At one year old,
these seals are called" bedlalncrs ;" the felnale is ,vithout
dark spots on the back which fOrIn the harp; and the
n1ale does not sho,v this lnark until two years old. The
voice of the seal resembles that of the dog, and ,vhen a
vessel is in the n1Ïdst of ruyriads of these creatures, their
barking and howling sounds like that of so lnany dogs,
causing such a noise, as in sonle instances to drive a,vay
sleep during the night. The general appearance of the
seal is not unlike the dog; hence some have applied to the

eal the nalne of sea-dog, sea-wolf, &c. These seals seldorIl
bring forth more than one, and never more than two, at
a litter. They are said to live to a great age. A respect-
able individual informed lne that he &aw a
eal ,vhich
was caught in a net; it was reduced to a luere skeleton,
consi
ting of nothing but skin and hune; the teeth were
all gone, and its colour a ,vhite grey, ,vhich he attributed
to old age. Buffon, the French naturalist, says :-

" I am of opinion that these allilllals live upwards of a hun-
dred Y ears for we know that cetacea us animals in o'eneral live
, 0
HUlCh longer than quadrupeds; and as the seal fills up the chasnl
between the one and the other, it must participate of tbe nature
of the fonner, and, consequently, live DutCh longer than the
latter. u

The hooded seal (phoca c'rit)taitt) is so calletl front ët
piccc of loo
e skin on the head, ,vhich can bc inflated at
pleasure, and when rnenaced or attacked this hood is
drawn over the face and eyes as a defence frolH injury, at
which tÍ1ne the uostrih.; Lecollie distended, appearing like

\N 0 .AH IT I
IX 1
77.

-t79

hladdl'r:-;; the fClna]p i
not provided ,vith this hoo(1. An
01(1 (log-hood is a very forlniJaLle anilllal; the Inale and
felllale are o'enel'all y found too'ether and if the feu1ah>
b
,
happens to be killed first the male becollies furious; sun1e-
tiIHes it has taken fifteen OJ" t,venty men hours to des-
patch one uf them. J have kno,vn a half-dozen hand-
spike" to have been \\ orn out Lyendeavouring to kill one
of these dug-hoû(ls; thpy \\
ill snap off the handles of the
gaff.,; as if they \vere cal )l'age-stun1p
; and they frequently
atta{.k their assailants. 'Vllen they intlate their hoods it
seen1S ahnost ilnpossible to kill one of thenl; I:;hot does
not penetratp the hood. U nle
s the anilnal can Le 11 it
sOlne\vhcre aLout the side of the head, it is ahnost a hope-
less task to atten1pt to kill hiBl. Thesc anin1ab are very
large; S0111e uf their pelts \v hich I Ineasul'cd were fronl
fourteen to eighteen feet in length. The young hoods are
called "lJluc backs;" their fat is not so thick nor so 1)11rc
as the harps, Lut their Rkins are of Jl10rC value; they also
lJJ"cetl further tothe north than the harps, and are generally
found in great nUlnbers on the outer ctlge of the ice; they
are sai( I not to be sO plentiful, and to cast their young a
fc\v \veeks later than the harps. The square fipper, \vhich
is, p(>rhaps, the great seal of Ul'eenlanll (phocu baìJbatft),
although there it does not attain to so large a, size as the
hou(lc(l seal, \vhile in Newfoun(l)antl it i
Innch larger, is
no\\- self 10111 seen, The \valrus (I ì'iclu'{'ÏI
?'O....JlLfIi.,U:),
sOluetiulCs calle(l sl'a-hol'
e, sca-co\v, anll the Inor:')é, is 1l0'V
Hcldolll 11let ,,'ith; forlnerly this species of seal "'as fl'e-
(Plently capture(l on the ice. Thi:-, allllllal i:-; s
tid to
rcseJllble the seal in its l,(Hly and lilllLs, though ùiftert>nt
ill the fUI111 uf its heaJ, \\< hich is al'lIlt'e 1 ,vith two tusks,
SOllletillll'S twenty-four inehl's loner. ill thi
rcs l )cct Jlltu.h

b'
likl' an t'lcphant. Thl' 11IHI(>r jaw is not pro\'Ì(led \\ ith any
("uttill
or callil\(' tl'eth, anel is c0111preSsc(1 to attord rOOlll
for these enorll10US tu
ks, lu'ojl'cting t!O\\'Il\\'anlo.; frulH thf>
uppl'r jaw. It is a very large anilllal, sOIlH'tillll\S t\\
cnty
fe>ct, long', an(l "l'ig-hing frotH :')00 to 1 ,000 pounds; its

480

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

skin is very thick and covered with yellowish brown
hairs.
The harbour seal (phoca vitulerna), frequents the har-
bours of N e\vfoundlanrl sumlller and winter. N ulübers
are taken during the winter in seal nets. The N e\vfound-
land seals probably visit the Irish coasts.
Ir. Evans, of
Darley Abbey, near Derby, gives an account of a number
of seals killed on the west coast of Ireland in 1
5 6 ;
amongst thelll an old harp. Sir William Logan discovered
the skeletons of whales and seals near Montreal.
The white, or polar, bear (ursU8 maritimus) is some-
tinIes seen on the coast, regardless of the ocean storm and
the intense cold. This animal roalns among the rifted ice
in search of food. A few years ago, one of these anÏ1nals
was killed near St. John's. It seldolll, however, travels in
the '\voods lllore than a mile or two, and then only by
accident, arising, perhaps, from the inconveniences of the
weather.

Order :1..- Rodentia.

The Beaver (Oa8tur Fiber, Ame1
icanw), once so abund-
ant in Newfoundland, is now scarce. An account of the
ingenuity of the beaver in building his house, is given in
almost every book of natural history. The
Iusk Rat or

Iusquash, (AviolaHibethicus) is plentiful in Newfound-
land, and its flesh is frequently eaten. The Hare (Lepus
A 'ìne'ì'ican
"i) is to be found in great I1ulnbers, on the west
and northern coasts of Newfoundland. They are white in
winter, but turn brown in summer. The American Rabbit
is not found in
ewfoundland.

Order 3.-Ru?ì
inantia.

The Cariboo or Reindeer, (Oe'ì'VU8 Tcw'anrln8). On the
western coast of Newfoundland, these are found in droves
of from two to three thousand. Great numbers are killed.
The red Indians used to have fence
30 mile
long for en-

AND AS 1'1' IS IN 1877.

4
1

trapping the ùeer. They are also abundant on the northern
coast, during the
Ulnmer :sea:-,on. It i
very probable that
the reindeer of N ew-foundland could be domesticated, anù,
a:-, in Lapland, be useful to Ulan. Of the Lapland deer, it
ha
been said:-
" The foot and eye of thi::; creature are beautifully adapted to
the country it is destined to inhabit. The hoof is very widely
cloven, and when pressed on the ground the two parts expand,
thus forming a broad surface, and preventing it from sinking in
the snow, anlÌdst which it spends a greater portion of its life.
On the foot being raised, the divisions again fall together,
making a curious crackling noise, resembling repeated electric
shocks. Besides the usual eyelids, he is provided with a nicti-
tating membrane extending over the eyes, through which, in
snow storms, he can see without exposing those delicate organs
to any injury."
\Vhite, in hi:s " Natural History of Selborne" says :-
" There is a curious fa.ct not generally known, ,vhich is, that
at one period the horns of stags grew into a much greater num-
ber of ramifications than at the present day. Some have sup-
posed this to have arisen frOIn the greater abundance of food,
and from the animal having more repose, before population
became so dense. In some instances these multiplied to nIl
extraordinary extent. There is one in the
Iuseunl of Hesse
Cassel, with twenty-eight autlers. Baron Cuvier mentions one
with sixty-six, or thirty-three on each horn. If you would pro-
cure the head of a fallow deer, and have it dissected, you would
find it provided with two spi'racula, or breathing places, besiùes
the nostrils, prohably analogou
to the puncta laclu'!JlJutlÙ
in
the Innnan head. 'Vhen deer are thirsty, they plunge their noses,
like some horses, very deep under water, while ill tho act of
drinking, and continue them in that IJosition for a considera.ble
timt', but to obvia.te any inconvenience, they can open two
vents, one at the inner corner of e
tch eye, ha.ving a communi-
cation with the nose. llcre ::seCffid to be '-\11 extraordinary pro-
vision of nature worthy of our attention, and which has not
that I know of b
en noticed by any naturalist; for it looks as if
these crea.tures would not be sutToca.ted, though both thcir
EE

482

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

mouths and nostrils were stopped. This curious formation of
the head may be of singular service to the beasts of chase, by
affording them free respiration, and no doubt these additional
nostrils are thrown open when they are hard run."

Order 4.-0etacea.

The 'Vhale tribe, though called fishes, are true mamma-
lia, producing from one to two cubs at a time, which are
suckled in the san1e manner as land animals. The kind
appearing on the Newfoundland coast, is the sharp-nosed
whale (Balaena Acuto Rost?'>a). Pike-headed species (Ba
laena Boops). The kind most plentiful is the fin-backed
whale (Balaenoptera Jubartes), which lives on capelin,
lance, &c. No less than fifty of these are sometimes seen
spouting at one tilne. The great Greenland whale (Balaena
J1Iysticetus) is occasionally seen on the coast. Probably the
whole tribe of whaJes frequenting the Greenland seas,
sometimes visit the Newfoundland coast. Great numbers
of \vhat some call Black-fish, and others Pot-heads, are
killed during the auturnn along the shores. They are of
the species (Delphinus Dephis): the colour of the whole
body is a bluish black, except a portion of the under part
which is bluish white, the head is round and blunt, and
the blow-hole very large. They are from sixteen to twenty-
five feet in length, with a forked tail. The fat is from one
to three inches thick, and they each yield from 30 to 100
gallons of oil.
The Porpoise (Delphi,nus Phoceana Oommunis) is
plentiful in Newfoundland. Its length is from four to
six feet; the colour of the back is bluish-black, the sides
grey, and the under part white. The flesh is considered
a sumptuous article of food.
The Sword-fish (Dephinus Gladiator) or grampus, is
an untiring persecutor of the snlaller whales.

AND AR IT 'IR IN 1877.

18

Class I 1.- Bi1'd8.

These consist of six orders, as foHows :-
Ist.- Raptn'j'es, or bil ds of prey.
2nd.-ln8essurcs, or perching birds.
:{rd.-Scanso'j'es, or clilubing birds.
4th.-R().\iOteS, or scraping birdR.
5th.-G ,.(tllatores, or \vading birds.
6th.-N atatO'ì'es or Palmipedes,
Wi]nlning or \veh-
footed.

Order Ist.-Raptvre8.
The Sea Eagle (Falco ossifragus) is occasionally seen.
The Fish Ha\vks are plentiful on the coast of Nc\vfound-
lanll; alsu the Sparrow Ha\vk and Pigeon Ra\vk (Falco
Goluv
barius). Of o\vls there are great nUluhers and
varieties. The Hno'\v Owl (Strix ]{yetca) is plentiful on
the northcn coast, where great nUlnbers are killed. The
flesh is considered delicious.

Order 2nd.-1 nsessores.

The Shrike, or Butcher-bird (Lan'icus Collurio) is some-
tilHes scen. The Crow (C01'Vlt8 CV1'V1IfJ) is found all over
the cúnntry. The Anlerican Robin, or Thrush ()f Pen-
nant (T10'd a,,'{ .J[ i!Jï'fdvï'U:i), called the Black bird in N c,v-
foundland, generally appcars about the beginning of bray,
antI ofb'n, ,\'hile the ground is coyel'f't.l \vith
llO'VJ they
cong-regate in tlock:-, on some garden fcnc
and pour forth
their \\ illl and sonorous notes. They are the Lcst-kno\\pn
and earli,'st
()ngsterB of N c\vfounrllantl. They are very
plí'ntiful, anù during the spring great nUlnb 'rs are killed
for tal)Ie u
e. The
now BuntingR (J!J'/ldj(Ti
({

il'afi.-;)
are to be spen intioch..8ùre
scù inthcirsilveryphnnagc,hop-
ping-about the sno\v ; aJ:-,o the tÌllegruBIJl.al.... (Lo.cia, A'II H(;l '(l-
to?'), ,vhich is one of the hanùsomcst Linb \vhich visit.<:;N eW-
tOHH( IhuH 1. Thl'Y, ,vith thl' Cros
bill (ClO"l'; )'()sl I'(t A 1neri-

484

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
cana), are, however, seldorn seen. The little black-capped
Titmouse (Pa'l'us A'l,tricapillus) is seen enjoying the
um-
mer sun and braving the winter storm. The Jay (Corvus
Oanadensis) is mostly found in the thick woods. The
earliest warbler that visitH Newfoundland is the Sparro,v
(Fring.illa Nival'is), called in Anlerica snow-bird, and
known by its single "chip." The ,vhite-throat sparrow
(Fingilla Albicollis) and the fox-coloured (Fingilla
Rufa) are plentiful. The Swallows (Hirundiniedæ). Of
this family there are several varieties; the most plenti-
ful is the Sand Martin (Hirundo Riparia). The Night
Hawk is occasionally seen.

Order 3rd.-Scansores.

Of Woodpeckers, there are several kinds, the three-
toed (Picus T1'ydactylus) are the most abundant.*
Order 4th -Rasores.

This order includes the Peacock, Turkey, and domestic
fowls. "White's Natural History of Selborne," says:-
., The pied and mottled colours of domesticat
d animals are
supposed to be owing to high, various and unusual food. Food,
climate, and domestication, have a great influence in changing
the colour of anin1als. Hence the varied plumage of almost all
our domestic birds. III a wild state, the dark colour of most
birds is a safe guard to them against their enenlÍes. N atural-
ists suppose that this is the reason why birds which have a very
varied plumage, seldom assume their gay attire, until the second
or third year, when they have acquired cunning and strength to
avoid their enemies. A few years ago I saw a cock bullfinch
in a cage which had been caught in the fields after it was come
to its full colours. In about a year it began to look dingy, and
blackelling every succeeding year until at the end of four years
it was coal black. Its chief food was hempseed. Such influence
has food on the colour of animals."

*See " Wandering Thoughts," page 117.

AND AS IT IR IK 1877.

485

The Pt:trmigan or Grouse (Tetras Lagopus), called in

e\vfoundlan(l, partridge, are plentiful. They are \vhite
in \vinter, and of a reddish brown in RUmmel'.

Orùer 5th.-G r rallato1'es.

The Snipe {Scoloprlx (}allinogo) is found in all parts
of the country. Thp Beach Bird (TJ'irngu Hypulrtì'CU.r;;)
and other Sandpipers are abundant.
Curlew (..A..IJicl'ic(tJUl".q) and Ployer (Ch(f'/'adius), are
found in great numbers on the northern coast.
The Bittern (A'ì.apft/111;1101') is only occasionally Heen.
Order (jth.-Nfä(ltoì'(}.
.

The Goose (.A nser Cl 'ì1.(1de?1."v
), and the Comn1on \Yild
GoosP (...1 nu,
..A 11J
(>r), ,,'ith othcr Rpccies are found in N c,v-
fOlln(lland. Of Ducks there arc Hcveral varieties, :uHong
which are the Black Duck or
lallanl (.A,l, 8 }3o,
clla8),
anù (A a(fS J/arrila) frcsh-water Duek, also the Eiòer
Duck (A Ilfl,q .Jl[ulli8.
inla). The Sheil-<lrake (.A n(l.

l'(frl u ro a ), thp Long Tailt'(l IJuck an(1 the Teal (.L11HI

fYr '$8). The COllnnon Tarn or S
a-s,vallo,v (St( rlUI
1{P1'1/ Jlr!O), is plpntiful. OfGuJ1s, there are a great yaricty.
The \Vagel or Great Grey Gnll (La J
U,
.lYàoci n..;:), t.hC'
Arc-tic (
llll (L(IJ'a,
Pa rflsif i('",
), the COllllnon Gull (Laru8
ranll.
), and Inany others. Thp StornlY Pl't.n'l, or
"
rother Cary's Chickens" (]Jru('d/a ,.i( Ct l)('/o!/;{'o), hn'cd
in
reat nUlnltf'I'
on the rockv lonel\' islalHls of the
northern ('o[t-.;t.. . L
The G
lnnct or Holan Uoose (l}('/i('" J"(
U",
...:tl?" ,(.
).
and the COrJllorant (lJ(Jl ;(,(('f111.'
C 1'bv). an' found on all
part
of thp toast. Thp Loo, Loon, or g-rt'at Kortheru
Di,'pr (Col!J1J}v l.
Glr ciaZi.'1), iR (,ccasionall)
et'n.
PUftills (.Llco A "cti('fI) éLl'P almnc1ant Th.... furs OJ"
lllerr.
(0 II }JdJl..
l',.'ol) are gent'rally callpc11t." tl... in-

..
t'(-' " 'v nndt'rin
ThOUKhtN." paKè 73.

486

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,
habitants of the east "Bascalao birds." They breed in
great numbers on the islands of Basalao and Funk. They
make no nests, and lay their eggs, which are pyriform, of
a greenish colour and great size, on the bare rock. Great
quantities of eggs are taken from these islands in the
month of June by the fishermen. The penguin, or great
auk (Alc(
]1npennis, Linn.). about seventy years ago,
was very plentiful on Funk Island, but has now totally
disappeared from the coast of N e,vfoundland. Incredible
numbers of these birds were killed, their flesh being
savoury food, and their feathers valuable. Heaps of them
were burnt as fuel, to warm the water to pick off the
feathers, there being no wood on the island. The mer-
chants of Bonavista at one tinle used to sell these birds
to th
poor people by the hundred-weight, instead of
pork. It was thought that guano might be found on
Funk Island. I procured a sample of what was supposed
to be the birds' dung, but it proved to be nothing nlore
than bones and turf. There are islands on the northern
and ,vestern coasts of Newfoundland called the Penguin
Islands, so named, probably, from the number of penguins
at one time breeding on them. The penguin is froIn the
size of a goose to double as large; its wings are short, re-
seInbJing the flippers of the seal, and its feet broad and
webbed. It is incapable of flight, and the position of its
body, when on the land, is nearly erect, and it waddles
about very slo,vly. The appearance of these birds used
to indicate to the rnariner the approach to land.

" There is something in the strange figure and aspect of tbe
penguin well agreeing with the wild, lonely, remote islanrls in
which it congrf'gates. In beholding a spot on the slu-face of our
globe, ocean-girt and uninhabited by man, tenanted by thou-
sands of these birds, which for ages-generation after genera-
tion-have been in uninterrupted possession of the place, we are
thrown back upon primeval days, and we involuntarily recur to
the now extinct do<lo-a wingless bird, which forluerly tenanted
the Islands of Bourbon, Mauritius and Rodrigue, once desolatf-'

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

487

and untrod den by the foot of man, as are still many of the
haunts of the penguin, and the idpa forces itself upon us that,
like the åodo, this bird also may at some future time become
utterly annihilated."

Class 3.-Reptiles.
I am not aware that reptiles of any kind have been
found in N e\yfoundland.

Class 4.- Fishes.

The following are the most in1portant species found in
the waters of J\e\vfoundland:-

Division lst.-Fiskes having a long slæleton.

The Salmon (S(tlYìto Salar) is found on the coast, and
at the TJ10uth of ruo:-,;t of the largest brooks of N e\vfonnd-
land, \vherc gTeat nunlbers are takt.
n in nets. l\Ir. S.
\Vihnot, of Newcastle, Ontario, has :fin> several veal's heen
empJoyefl in fish culture in various parts of C
1.nada. If
he \vere crnploycd by thp Governl11ent of N ewfonndland to
introduce his systenl, it \vould be a great hent'tlt to the
country. At the Governlnent hreeùing establisJunent at
Newcastle, 17:3,00u saln1onova were 'iecurc(l :1n(1 p]acc(] in
thf' hrce(lingtronghon the 23rdofOctober, 1
7(). liundrells
of saJnlon, ranging from five to t\vcnty pounds in \vl'ight,
Jllay now he seen in the house and ponds. COHll11(Jn
1nackcrel (ScolI
v{,r SCOYìt.ba,) 11:1Vt ì ncarly d('sl'rted the

hores the la,-;t bventy years; they used to Le equaHy a

abundant as the herring. The 1nackl'l'cl \\yas at one tÏ1ne
al)
ent frolll the coast of :N e\yfoun(llan(l for ët period of
thirty years, returning al)ont the 'y('ar l
o7. Mr. Yarrell,
the celebrated English ,,'rite)" (In natural history,
tatl'

that the Tllackc.1'el is not a n1Ïgratory fish. 1'h. THnny
Fi::;h, or, aH it i;-; called in N cw-t"ounaland, thc hursc-Jlla("l"c-
reI (Scont.vt5r Th!J1t.1tus), is abundant along the coa
t dur-

488

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT ,V AS,

ing the summer and autumn, when great numbers are
taken. They are from seven to ten feet long, and are just
beginning to be used as an article of food. They are
equal, if not superior, in flavour to the common mackerel.
Few in Newfoundland are aware that the horse-mackerel
constitutes a sumptuous article of food, or that it is even
fit to eat. This fish was well known to the ancients, and
highly valued as a most important food. From the earliest
ages it constituted a great source of wealth and com-
merce to the inhabitants of the Mediterranean.
The Herrings are most abundant in Newfoundland.
They are most plentiful on the western coast during the
winter season; and in the months of April, l\Iay, Septem-
ber, October and November, they visit the eastern and
northern coasts. Besides what are exported, an immense
number of herrings are consumed in the island, every poor
family that has the means of procuring them, have no less
than from two to ten barrels (according to the size of
family) preserved for winter consumption. A great num-
ber are also cut up and used as bait for catching codfish.
Of Codfish, there !tre two or three species; the most p]en-
tiful is (l,Iorrh1Æa A?nericctnu8). The Haddock (lvlorrhua
Aegl1jinus) is not plentiful. The Tom Cod (l,Iorrhua
Puino.wt) abounds in all the harbours of the coast. The
Sculpin (Cottus) is very plentiful; it is a most voracious
fish, and covered with spines. It is rarely eaten. Trout
and Salmon peel abound in all the fresh water strean1

and lakes, and the salt water trout are taken in nets on
the western and northern coasts. The Smelt (Osme'ì'1(Æ
Eperlanus) also abounds. The Capelin (Salmo G'ì'oenlan-
dicm) swarm the shores of Newfoundland from the be-
ginning of June until about the last of July. They arc
from four to seven inches in length, the under jaw larger
than the upper, the colour of the back is greenish, and the
under part silvery.
Chappell says:-
" The manner in which the capelin deposits its spawn, is one
of the most"curious circumstances attending its natural history.

A!\TJ) AS IT IS 11\ 1877.

489

The male fishes are somewhat larger than the female, and are
provided also with a sort of ridge projecting on each side of
their back-bones, similar to the eaves of a house, in which the
female capelin is deficient. The latter on approaching the
beach to depost its spawn is attended by two male fishes, who
huddle the female between them, until her whole body is con-
cealed under the projecting ridges before mentioned, and only
her head is visible. In this state they run, all three together,
,vith great swiftness upon the sands, when the males, by some
imperceptible, inherent po,ver, compress the body of the female
betwixt them, so as to expel the spawn from an orifice near the
tail. Having thuR accomplished its delivery, the three separate,
and pa(ldling with all their force through the shallow surface of
the beach, generally succeed in regaining once more the bosom
of the deep."

Iillion
of these fish are annually taken from their
native elelIlent, an(l laid oyer the ground as Inannre. In
some parts of the Island, they form the principal manure
for potatoes. Inlmen
c <luantities arc ah:;o used as bait for
catching codfish. They arc also salted and drie(l, and con-
siderable quantities exported. Sir \Villiam Logan found
the renlain
of capclin in clay near Ottawa. The Lancp
(Ll mnod!Jt 'S Tobianus) is a beautiful little fish, shaped like
an eel, frolll thrc(' to six inches long. Th<.'y arc used for
bait in catching codfish. The Flounder or Flatfish (Plat-
t ,",';0) ahounds on all the coast. Turl)ot (Pl(/ffe,
.wl J/o,ri-
mU8) arc found on the \vest coast, particularly at Fortune
Bay, \vhere they are };ynoked. Halihut (IIypo9,(),
'
l

V'u,l-
ga?vi,r;J) arc very abundant on this part of the coast, some
of theJll being of cnornlOUS size, probably ,veighing a thou-
sand poundf-;. EelR (.LI 'ng 1 tilla) are plentiful, anù fornl a
priulc article of fOOt 1 \vith the poor of St. U 'orge's Bay.
The Brett (Clu pet ill i?1ima) an" found in J-fenllit(Lge B:ty.

Division 2nd.-F.s/ (',
I a 'inr Cal't ïagino'U8 SI.. 'l('foJ1.

Of Sharks, there are Hcvcral sp 'cie", spen on the
'\\v-
fonne nand coast; tht' 11lust l"OIIlUlOn art' tlH' I Ialllllll'rheat I

490

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

(Squalus Zygeana). The Blue Shark (Carcharius Glaucus).
The White Shark (Carcha'tius Vulgar-is) and the Basking
Shark (Selache lrlaximus), which is said to be the largest
kind of shark. A few years, ago at Bonavista, I saw one
that measured 27 feet in length. The quantity of liver
taken from it filled eleven pork barrels, the product of
which was 122 gal10ns of oil.
This animal is neither voracious nor fierce; its food con-
sists chiefly of sea plants. The Dog-fish (Squalus Cani-
culus) are plentiful, and sometimes do great injury to the
nets. Great numbers are caught in some places for the
liver; they are not eaten in Newfoundland. The
Thrasher (Ca'l'charius Vulpus) is a great enemy to the
small whales. There are several varieties of the Ray, the
most common are the Thornback (Raia Clavalus) and
the Skate (Raia Batis).

The .A. rticulated .A. nimals.

This is the second great division of the animal king-
dom; they are called articulated, on account of their being
covered by a jointed case or crust, which serves the pur-
poses of a covering to protect the body, and of a skeleton
to support the muscles. This division includes the \V orms,
the Crustacea, the Spiders, the Centipedes, and t.he Insects.
The Ship Worm (Pholas) is plentiful; and the Earth
Worm (Lu1nbricus Terrestris) is found in abundance all
over the country. The Leech (Hirudo) is found in the
muddy, stagnant streams. Of the Crustacea: Lobsters
(Astacus lrfarinus) are large and plentiful. There are
several kinds of Crabs; the Sand Crab being the mO'3t
common. Insects are kno,vn from other articulated
anirllals by their complex organization, their adaptation
for breathing air, the smaller number of their legs and
segments, and from their metamorphosis from the lo/rva to
the perfect state.

Ai.
AS IT IS IN 1877.

491

Order lst.-Coleoptera,
Includes those insects \vhich have the upper pair of
\vings fOrIlling a strong horny case for the lo\ver pair,
\vhich are thin and lnernbranous. These are usually
terlne(l Beetles. The Rove Beetles (Sla J}/t'ylin1l8 VilloHUS)
caned Fish-flies in N e\vfoundland are very plentiful, and
also (Stuphylil1us Chl'Y8Uì'H)'-
) and a variety of other
insectH of this order.

Order 2nd.-Orthoptera,

Or I:;traight winged inRects, are kno\vn by possessing
two pairs of \vings, antI jaws fitted for TI1astication. Of
Gl'a:-,s-hoppers there are several varieties. The Cricket
(Oì'chela DUllwsticct) abounds in plenty.
Order 3rd.-Ne1troptera,

Or nlcmbranou::" and delicately veined, netted \vinged
insects. Of these there are several varieties of ])ragon
Flies, (Liúellaln) singularly called horse-stingers in Ne,v-
foundland, although they do not po
se
s the po\ver of
stinging. There are
everal other genera of this order in
N e\vfoundland.

Or. lor
th.-Hymenoplp'ì
a,

Consist", of insects with four lIlClnbranou,-; ,yings, less
nette( 1 than those of the Dragon Flies: they have al
o
ja\vs adapt ,(I rather for suction than Ina"ticatioll. lIum-
hl('\ Bee
(Jj()ìI
blU-:), are nll11H'rOllS, also \Vasp
(V()
pid(((,),
and a great variety of othcr insects of tlti!-; order.

Orùer 5th.-Homopt Jì'a,

This onl.." iTlehllles a nUlllCl'OH
triLe of plant sucking
in
cctH, suelt a
Plant Licf. (A ph id(I(), &e.. ,,"hieh oftrll
dl':-.troy great nUluLcrs of lea\- es.

492

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

Order 6th.-Heteroptera.

The insects of this order also live by suction, but differ
from the last order, in the formation of IJtheir upper' pair
of ,vings, which are horny and coloured at the base, and
membranous at the point. This order includes the Bug
(Oir1nex) which I believe is only found in the Capita] of
of N ewfoulldland-St. John's.

Order 7th.-Lepidoptera,

This order have their wings covered ,vith minute scales,
often brightly coloured. Of the Butterfly tribe the most
abundant in Newfoundland is the forked (Vanessa
Furcillata), Tiger Swallow-tail (Papilio Ternus), Black
Swallow-tail (Papilio Asteril1s), the White Butterfly
(Pontia Oleracea), and the Purple Disk Butterfly
(Hippa1'chitæ Lycæna). Moths and Millers also abound.

Order 8th.- Dipterct.

The insects of this order have but two wings, which are
membranous. The best kno,vn in N e,vfoundland are
the Mosquitoes (Oulex) and Gnats, the House Flies (Jlfu8ca
Domestica) , the Bats or Gad Fly (Oestrus Bovis), (0.
Ta1'ondi) and (0. Eq1Li). The remaining orders of insects
include the various kinds of Fleas and Lice, and Caddice
Worms

The JJfolu,'jcous A nimuls.

These are the third division of animals, distinguished
by the absence of long skeleton, and external articulated
case. The want of these is supplied by a shell, or by a
tough skin or rnantle. Of snails and slugs there are
abundance in Newfoundland, with and without shells.
The Portuguese men-of-war (PhJJ8aria) are sometirncs seen
on the coast. This ship-like fish ha
a very heautiful

A
D AS IT IS IN 1877.

49:

appearance, sailing along on the surface of. the water.
I t po::'
es
es the
ingular property of stinging. The Squid
or Cuttle fbh (SejJia Â'rtic(t) is very abundant, and
usually visits the shores of Newfoundland in ,A_ugust
and Septeluber. It is provided \vith eight or ten anns
or suckers, by ,vhich it fasten
to any substance, and
with which it grasps its prey; it is fro In four to six
inches long; the colour is a. crreenish red, and it is luulÎ-
nous in the dark; they app
ar like so nntny piece
of
gold dartinf' throuf,.h the \vater in the nicrht, leaving
f b b b f
a tel' them a fiery train. They dart back\vanl
and or-
\vards, and are furnished \vith a baf" in the hind part of
the budy, containing a blackish fl
id or ink; this fluid
is a means of Jefence to the aniInal, as, when it is l)ur-
sued, it ejects thi:-; inh.., in order to conceal itself.. It is
also a source of annoyance to the fishcl'lllen. The nlO-
Inent the squids are dra\vn from the water they" squirt,"
at) it is termed, ejecting the black fluid in the face and
OVer the clothes of the fishennen. SOffie writers affinn,
while others deny, tha t thi
tluid fornied the ink of the
ancient ROllians, and the principal ingredient of the
Uhine
e or Inùian ink. The orcranic rClnains of thi:--
animal, in SOllie countries, have ùee
found in the
econJ-
ary rocks, with the ink ba("s presûrvcd. .Arrlls of the
f3epL<.t have been picked up bon the beach of Ne,vfound-
hln(l, t\velve feet IOJl(r. An iuufien::,e anÏ111al of thi8 kintl
o
wa;j. captured in Conception Bay a few years ago. 'fhe
S<ltlld or cuttle fish is kno\vn in ahllost every sea. It is
considered a lu'\:ul'Y by the
anlhvich Islan(ler; and the
l{,e(llJldian
of
ewfounùlalld esteelllC(l it a. rrreat delicacy,

t ueing caten raw by thelH. It is rarelyb eaten ùy the
InhalJitants of N ewfounùlanù ùein( r (reuerall y l;unsidcreù
, on
unfit for foud. [t iS J ho\V'cver, a \\Tell-íla yourcd fish, aud
is eÀcellent either broileù or frie( 1; it tastes luuch like
the large cla,vs of the lobster. The ::)<luids arc usually
caught ill 1\ èwfounùland \vith a slIHtll jigger, though,
\vhell they are plentiful, they will f
tell on to anything

494

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT \V AS,
put into the ,vater. The use to which they are applied is
bait for catching codfish, and they also Inake an excellent
manure.
No Oysters (Ostrea Edulis) have been found in the
waters of Newfoundland, but are Ì1nported froIn the
neighbouring provinces. I see no reason why they could
not be planted in artificial beds in Newfoundland, as
well as in Europe and the United States. It would be a
source of wealth to the poor fishermen, particularly as
they could reach England by steam in five or six days,
and when oysters are worth .t3 sterling per bushel in
the London market. There are no oysters in the Pro-
vinces of Quebec or Ontario. In 1859, however, COln-
mander Fortin planted an artificial bed in Gaspé Basin;
three years after, in 1861, he visited the bed to ascertain
the re
ult of his experiment. He says :-

" I caused the drag-an iron rake, with an iron bag-net at-
tached, which is used in tak
ng oysters-to be passed six times
over the beds, and this yielded more than three hundred full-
grown oysters, of which more than a third were not only alive
but were, llloreover, white, fat and of delicious flavour, and
they appeared to us to have increased in size since they were
laid down in 1859 and 1861 ; and the important fact which was
to be established, viz., whether we could create artificial oyster
beds on our shores, and whether, among others, the muddy
bottom of Gaspé Basin, and the more or less brackish water
which it contains, would prove suitable to these mollusca-is
thus proved beyond any possible doubt. And it is not at all
surprising that a part of the oysters which I transferred and had
deposited in Gaspé Basin should die, either on the way over
from Caraquette to our coast, or after having been put into the
water. The sudden change from the spot where they were ex-
isting to another ,vhich, in some respects, might not be so suit-
able
to them, the few days which they passed out of their
natural element, and the wounds which a great many of theln
necessarily received in being transferred from the fishermen's
canoe to the boat which brought them on board La Canadie'nne,
and, after reaching Gaspé, from La Canadienne to the barge

AND AS rr IS IN 1877.

495

w
ich conveyed them to the beds which were to be covered
with oysters, were ca.uses quite sufficient to entail the death of
so large a number.
" It is well known that if oysters are ,vounded, and once,
when out of the water, lose the fluid which they always keep in
their shells-which fluid seems to take part in the functions of
respiration-they soon die.
" But it is impossible to calculate tl1e relative number of dead
and live oysters, without having them examined by men in
diving-dresses; and I am of opinion, th
t the number of dead
oysters is not so great as at first sight it would appear to Le;
for those who are used to the oyster fishery have a thousand op-
portunities of perceiving how much more easy it is to take dead
oysters than living ones-the former are light, and re111ain on
the surface of the ulud, whilst the latter, which are heavier and
almost constantly in motion, bury themselvps in it. At Cara-
quette, where the oyster beds are of old standing, I have ::;een
the fishermen, at several strokes of the dredge, often bring up
nothing but empty oyster shells; and even when they brought
up good oysters, these were mixed with a much greater number
of dea(l oysters.
" Now, if oysters are living in a medium which is suitable to
them, it neces
arily follows, it appears to me, that they will
llluitiply there; and this is the 11lore easy as they are herma-
phrodites, and, by conseqnence, coition is unnecessary for their
l'AIH"olluction.
" 1\Ioreover, as I found young oysters on the old which ,vere
collected from tho bottom, and cv{\n on the branchcf) with which
I had covcl'ed n1Y oyster beds in the spring, I have conyincing
proof that my experiments have succeeded, and that these arti-
ficial beds, like all thobe which have been made in the ::5ame
manncr on the shores of tho U nited
ta.te:i, Fra.nce and England,
will multiply to a
reat extent, allli llla.y in a few years bo
workc(l by our fishermen.
" The only thing to ùe regretted is, that I had not the means
of transporting more, and of carrying on my experiments un a
larger scale."

The 'lussel (Mytilu.8 Edulis), 1,n<1 the SantI Clalll (11[!Ja
.d.1"eli ria), arc on luost of the Cua...,L The 11lusscls are

496

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS.

very plentiful in Ne,vfoundland, and might be utilized,
not only as an article of food, but also as bait, for which
purpose it is in great demand in England, In France,
mussel farms have been established by means of strong
wooden stakes. The spat voluntarily attaches itself to
these stakes, to which is attached a netting made into a
kind of basket-work. In one place, 140 horses and 100
carts are employed in this business, in addition to which,
some 40 or 50 vessels make about 750 voyages a year to
different parts of France. One mussel fann is said to
yield $250,000 per annum. Mr. Bertram tells us in his
" Harvest of the Sea," of a single little fishing village in
Scotland, requiring for its share for baiting the deep sea-
lines in cod and haddock fisheries, five millions Inussels.
The Clam, which is esteemed so highly in America on
account of the excellent chowder which it makes, is not
eaten in Newfoundland; it is only used as codfish bait.
The Scallop (Pecten jfagellanicus), is found on the coast.
The Razor-fish (Bolen Ensis ),-so called from the shel]

being shaped like the handle of a razor-are found in
abundance, buried in the sandy beach of Fortune Bay.
They taste like the clam, and are eaten in America.

The Radiated .A. nimals,

Constituting the fourth division of animals, are distin..
guished by the arrangement of the members of their bo-
dies, which generally diverge on all sides from a central
point. These animals are all aquatic. The most COml110n
in Newfoundland, belonging to this division, are the Ane-
mone, which are found on the rocks along the sea coast.
Some of these animal flowers are very beautiful. The
waters of N e,vfoundland, during the autumn, are thick
with jelly fishes, or sea nettle (
Iedu8æ); these fish are
also called sea blubbers, but in Newfoundland they are
called by the singular nalne of "Squid-squads." The Sea
Star (.Asterias Spinas'ûs), is plentiful, and there are several

AND AS IT IS I
1877.

497

other beautiful varieties. The Sea Urchin, Hedgehog, or
Sea Egg (Echi 11 U8 G r ranulatu8), usually called in :N e\v-
foundland Ox eggs, are found on all parts of the coast,
clinging, by the snckert; ,vhich they possess, to the rocks,
and to the \\Tharve::, and stays. Geologists have found the
shells of these anÍ1na]s in a fossil state in the more ancient
strata of the earth. They are frequently eaten in New-
foundland.

BOTAKY.

In this department of natural history, the field in N ew-
foundlalld is unexplored. I shall therefore ouly ruention
a fe\v of the more useful trees antI fruits. The oak, beech,
maple, ehn, chestnut, ,va]nut, bass, cedar, and a variety of
other beautiful tree'.; ,vhich aùorn the AJuerican conti-
nent, are not foun(l in N e,vfoundland.
The order-G1
ossulaceæ-includes the ,vi]ù currants
(Ribcs ili ngea.
) anù the wild gooseberries (Ribes Cy Jl08-
bati), 10th of ,vbich are very plentiful.
The order-Ilo8ltce(p-contains the ,vild roses (Rosa
Blando) and (lluðu lJaì'viflora); the ,vild raspLerry (Ru-
bu
ldvus). It is a singular fact, that ,,'here the ,voolls
have ùeen consullled by fire in Newfound]and, the first
thing that
prings up aftcl is the raspberry Lu")h, al-
though the soil had been previously occupied by l}irch,
spruce, and fir trees. :Mr. Lindley says:
" Bouks cûntain an abundance of instances of plants having
suùt1enly sprung 11p from the soil obtained from derp excav:

tions, where the seeds Blust be suplJost'd to hav(
bCl'1l buried
for ages. Profe
sor] lensluw
a.ys, that in tilt ft'lls of Cam-
bridgeshire, after the surface has been drained al1d tho buil
ploughed, large crops ûf white awl black mustard invariably
appear. I\liBt'r mentions a caSt> of plantago pS.)'lliUIIl having
sprung from the soil of an ancient clitch which was emptied at
Chelst
a, although the plant had nt
vt'r been there in the lllPUìury
of nlaU. De Calldolle says, that ::\1. de Girardin succecJed in
raising kidney-beans fro1l1
eeds
t lcaot a huudred }èarS old,
Fl<'

49

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,
taken out of the herbarium of Tournefort; and I have myself
raised raspberry plants from seeds found in an ancient coffin in
a barrow in Dorsetshire, ,vhich seeds, from the coins and other
relics met with near them, may be estimated to have been six-
teen or seventeen hundred years old."

And White, in his "N atural History of Selbourne,"
says :
"The naked part of the Hanger is now covered with thistles
of various kinds. The seeds of these thistles may have lain
probably under the thick shade of the beeches for many years,
but could not vegetate till the sun and air were admitted.
When old beech trees are cleared away, the naked ground in a
year or two becomes covered with strawberry plants, the seeds
of which must have been in the ground for an age at least.
One of the slidders, or trenches, down the middle of the
Hanger, close covered over with lofty beeches, near a century
old, is still called Strawberry Sliddel'. though no stra w berries
have grown there in memory of man. That sort of fruit did
once, no doubt, abound there, and will again when the obstruc-
tion is removed."

The wild Strawberry (Fragaria Virginiana), the Dew-
berry (Rubus Procumberns) and other fruit bearing plants
are found in abundance.
The order-Pomacæ-includes the Rowan Tree or Moun
tain Ash (Pyrus1
ficrocarpa), this tree covered with beau-
tiful coral red berries, is one of the prettiest trees of
Newfoundland. The timber of the mountain ash is hardly
used for any other purpose than that of making handles
for edged tools, owing to the small size the tree generally
attains. ThiR tree adorns several gardens in the suburbs
of St. John's, and graces many dwellings in other parts of
of the island.

" The rowan tree or mountain ash, had formerly many super-
stitious virtues and associations connected with it. It is con-
jectured that the expression in Shakespeare, , Aroint thee witch !'
should be read, C A rowan-tree witch,' and from the arguments

AX}) AS [1' IS IN lR77.

4D9

adduced, the latter appears the most probable reading. How-
ever, that may be, the rowan-tree is rapidly losing its mysterious
and superstitious character, although some lingering relnains
may still be occasional]y n1et with, of the wundrous Inagic
potency thereunto attributed. It is still supposed in sequestered
districts eSl'eciaHy, to have the power to ayert the 'evil eye.'
Education is fast dispelJing its celpbrity, as the 'witch en tree,'
but its beauty and elegance will continue to charm when its
tmperstitious virtues are entirely forgotten."
The ''''lId Pear (A "on in Ovale) and a variety of other
plants.
The order-
1mygrlo..læ - contains the 'Vhite Cherry
(])'rnnlM51luf'cal1s) ,vhich is plentifully scattered over X e"T-
founù]and, hut no choak cherries.
The order-Cupnlife,'æ - inclueles the Hazel (Cvryru.

,,A iìlel'icanu), this tree g(
nerally gro,vs Ly the side of LrookR
anJ other Bloist places in N e\vfouncUalld, and produces
ahundant of nut::;.
The onler-Bdul(/cw-contains the 'Yhite Birch (Betula
Al
u). Yello\v Birch (B. EJxel:iu). Black Birch (ll. Sento),
and the Canoe I1irch (B(tttht jJ aj )Yl.(lCNJ..). This tree is the
Hlost useful of any in Ne,vfoundlanel. It is 1Is('el for ships'
tillll)ers, and "a,vcù into planks. Iioops, taLles, chairs,

taves, 11ucks, and a variety uf cal)inet ,vurk are nlade out
of it. A great portiun of this tiJnLer is cOllsUJ1ted as fuel
Its \vood is also dra,\ n into narrow grassy strips, out of
,vhich hats are Blade. Its t,vigs are JllaJe into }n'oullls, anti
are freq ul'ntIy cut for cattle.' to lll.owse on. lJc,{s are also
Blade of the outer Lark. The canoes uf the Reel Illdian

'Vl're Inaelt' out of the I : rk ûf the birch, Lcing se\\rn toue-
t her ,vith the clastic rou,
of hecs, anel the.' sinews of the
(ll'er; f-;Ollle of their cook
g utcnsils ","pre also fOJ1Hec.1 of
it
,,"ood. Thè oute'T l)ark is useel l)y ScHill' as sheathin
un
the rough boar(ling of clwcl1ing housf's, L('fore t]J(>
Jap-
I,octnl i
]aicl OIl. TIH' Jargest l)irchl's of N l'WfOllllC.l1uJld an'
fnHll lfj to :J7 inch"8 in (liaJll.t 'r. Tht") I,ireh is often
tapfwc] l)y persolls in the ,\ oods in thp spring, and atfonb

500

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT W A
,

a pleasant drink. The sap has a sugary taste. It is very
probable that it would make an excellent vinegar. The
peculiar scent of the Russian leather is owing to the bark
of the birch with which it is tanned; and a subsequent
finish with an essential oil distilled froD1 the same tree.
In high northern latitudes, the inner bark is ground, and
in times of scarcity, used as a substitute for flour. The
I...Iaplanders 111ake waterproof boots without se
lll1S froll1
the trunk of the tree. Having read that the bark of the
birch was made use of by the ancients for tablets, and that
sonle of the books which Auma composed and wrote on
this rnaterial, were found in perfect preservation when his
ton1b was opened, after a lapse of four hundred years, I
selected SOlne very fine slnooth pieces of the outer bark,
and found that the pen glided over it with as n1uch faci-
lity and ease, a
over a fine sheet of letter paper. The
birch sends forth a very sweet pleasant smell, which is said
to be very beneficial in disorders of the lungs. This tree,
clothed with its silvery drapery, is certainly the queen of
the Newfoundland forest.
The Alders (Alnus) are a very stunted growth.
The order-Salicaceæ - includes the Willows (Salix)
Balsan1 poplar (Populus balia?niferus) and the A
pen.
(Populus f?'emuloides) which attains a consideraLle size,
and is principally used for the purpose of building wharves.
A legend is told, that of this tree the wood was taken that
fonned the cro.,;s of our Saviour, and that since then its
leaves can never rest.
The order-Con
n?'æ-contains the evergreens. Indian
tea, or LaLrador T
'ì plant (Leclum Latifolium). This
plant is useù by sonle .f the poor of N e\vfoundland as tea;
it is also very often used medicinally for diseases of the
lungs, and with good effect. Sheep laurel (Kil'mi,aA ngus-
iifolia) and Swalnp laurel (I{ubnia Glarnca), called in
N ewfoundlanJ, Gould \Vithy. This plant when boiled
with tobacco, alHl Hprinkled over the parts effected, is an
infalliLl<: relucdy tv cun
dogs of the lnange. The Btaek

AND AS IT IR IX Ih17.

501

Cro\vlJerry (hYr;npet I U7ì1 }.Tl[]r1Irn) occupie
all the head-
lan(ls on the coast, and is the principal food of some lJirds.
The 'Ybite Pine (Pi ii/liS Stl'ObU8) called by ,yay of
eminence the pine, principally occupy the northern and
\Yc
tern parts of Newfoundland. Pine is the largest
forest tilnber of the country; the usual siZt to "Thich it
attains is fron1 18 to
4 inche
in dialneter, at Bay de
Easte, in Fortune Bay, ho\vever, pinc
have been found
four feet in dialneter. Great quantities of pine are sawed
into boards, ,\\rhich are said to be much superior to the
IUlnber iIHported froIn the neighbouring continent.
The Red
pruce (Pinus Rnb1'a) i
indigenous, but is
seldoIn Inet w"ith; White Spruce (Pinus Alba) and Black
Spruce (Pin1.1s 1,ri[J,ta) and the Fur (Pinu,,; Bal8ff'1iU J a).
The largest spruce and fir of N e"rfounùland are slllall
\vhen cOInpared with the stately trees of the Anlerican
Continent. In.N e\vfoundland they generally attain to
froln six to t\venty inches in dialneter, an(1 frolll thirty to
fifty feet long. The spruce is generally used for buil(ling
boat
, oars, f{'llces, Fipars of various kinds, planks, hand-
barro\vs, \vheel-barrowR, building fishing-rooD1s and
\vharves. It is al
o use(1 for firing, and frolll its hranches
that \vholesoJIle Leverage, spruce-beer, is Inade. The tir
is Illostly use(1 for the frarllc-\vork of d\velling-hon
eR and
stores, clapl)oards, oil hogshcads, :-;alrllon and herring bar-
rels, ca
ks for scre\veù fish, shinglcs and fire-\vood. The
turpentine lJladdcrs of this tree are u
ed in cases of fresh
cuts anù other \\ oun(ls. It also fonus an exccllent Yar-
nish for \vatcr.culuur drawings. The Black Larch (1)in1lB
]Jcudllla) anù the l
ed Larch (l)inus .J.1Iicroscarprt), llack-
IHatacl: Tallwrac or Juniper. This is onl> of the Blost
l)eautiful of the forest trees, and IHay Le callcll the oak of
:Kc".foulH1]an.1, l,eing the luu'(lest and nlo
t durallll' of all
the forest tiu1ber. It ha') super
edea the u:o,(\ of the birch
in the construction ofship
. It is also used forcart-\\'he('l

and for other valua.ble purposes, an(l ,,"lwn (11')" it rnakes
the l)l'st fnel of all the to..e
t trees.

502

NEWFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

The Pitcher Plant, or Indian Cup, called in Newfound-
land the Indian Pipe (Sa/ìywenia Purpureo
) said to cure
the small-pox, is found on all the lnarshes.
The Ground Juniper (J un'iperu8 Oom,m1tnis) iR a trail-
ing berry -bearing shrub.
The Order, Vaccineaceae, includes the large and small
Cranberries (Oxycoccus Mac''ì'oca.'ìpus) and (0. Palustris).
The vVhortle Berries (VaccinÏrìtm Resinorum), black
Whortle Berry (V. 001ymbosum) and Tall Whortle Berry
(V Uliginosum). The Blue Berries (V. PennsyZ.vanicum),
called in Newfoundland" hurts." The Partridge Berry
(G(tultheT'ia P''ì'ocurnbens) are most abundant. There are
an immense nunlber of plants in Newfoundland which
bear edible berries.
The Order, Gctprifolírweae, contains the Dog-woods
(Oo''ì'nU8 Oanadensis), which is very plentiful in New-
foundland. Scarlet Stone berries (Oo1'nus) are plentifully
scattered beneath the shade of the fir-trees, where they
love to vegetate. Trailing evergreens and berries are
found in alnlost endless variety in Newfoundland. The
garden vegetables in Newfoundland, as well as the ani-
mals bred in the country, are said by all whether native
or otherwise, to be the best flavoured in the world. I
have seen no potatoes, either in the British Provinces or
the United States, to be compared for mealiness or flavour
to the N e,vfoundland potato. Potatoes in England,
raised from the Newfoundland seed, obtained the prize
twice at the Horticultural Show. For a more detailed
account of the natural history of Newfoundland, see
" Wandering Thoughts, or Solitiry Hours," published by
the Author in 1846.

Ll'iD AR IT IR TN 1877.

50:

CHAPTER XIX.

THE RED INDIAlfS, OR BæOTHICKS.

l HEN Cabot discovered Ne,vfoundland in 1497,
''tJY:; he held intercourse with the Red Indians, \vho
were dressed in skins and painted ,vith red
ochre, and who, no doubt, beheld his approach to the
Hhore with a
much astonishment as did the inhabitants
of San Salvador, one of the Bahama Islands, ",hen Co-
101Ilhns discovered the 'Vest Indies, in 1492, who sup-
posed the ship in ,vhich he crossed the ocean to have
lllove<l upon the water with \vings, and to have- IHade a
noise reseInbling thunder. He was regarded as an inhabi-
tant of the sun, \vho had descended to visit theln. In like
Inanner, \vhen Captain Cook viHited the South-boa I
-
landers, upward8 of half a century ago, they \vere :..;truck
with terror and astonislunent ,,
hen they
aw the ships,
Hying with their white wings over the ocean, regarding
then) as either birds or fishes, according as their sails
\vere spread or lowered. This celebrated Inan, ,vho hatl
heen such a friend to N e\\Tfoundland, at length fell a vic-
tiIn to the uncivilized inhabitants of the southern henlis-
phere. He was massacred at O\vhyhee, on the L
th of
February, 177D.
Cabot took three of the Indians \\
ith hinl to Englantl,
and other adventurers '\vho &ucceetled hinl al:so took SOH1C
of tho natives to England. In the year 1
J:3, at Birtl
lkland <Jove, on the northern coast of N c\vfoundland, 1
had the following conversation \vith old Mr. \Viltshire :-
" How long have you been living in this place
u
" About twenty-five years; previous to which I resided Sève-
ral yea.rs in Grecn Bay, and once during that period barely
escaped heing transported."
"Under what circumstances?"

504

NE'V
'OUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

"In the year 1810 I was living to the northward. Five of
us were returning one evening from fishing, when, on rowing
round a point, we came close upon a canoe of Red Indians;
there were four men and one woman in the canoe. Had we
been disposed to have shot them we could have done so, as we
had a loaded gun in the boat. The Indians, however, became
alarmpd, and pulled with all speed to the shore, where they
immpdiately jumped out and ran into the woods, leaving the
canoe on the beach. vVe were within ten yard
of them when
they landed. '\Ve took the canoe into our possession and car-
ripd it home. In the fall of the year, when we went to St.
John's with the first boat-load of dry fish, thinking a canoe
wonld be a curiosity, we took it away with us in order to
present it to thp Governor; but immediately it became known
that \ve had a canoe of the Red Indians, we were taken and
lodged in prison for ten days, on a supposition that we had
hot
the Indians t.o whom the canoe belonged. We protested our
innocence, and st.ated the whole affair to the authorities; at
last the canoe was examined; no shot-holes were found in any
part of it, and there being no evidence against us, we were set
at liberty."
"Did you ever see any of the encampments of the Red
Indians
"
" Yes, frequently; I have seen twelve wigwams in the neigh-
bourhood of Cat Harbour. A planter living there built a new
boat, for which he had made a fine new suit of sails. One night
the Indians came and carried away every sail. The planter
and his men immediately it was discovered, set out in pursuit
of the Indians. After travelJing nearly a day, they espied them
on a distant hill, shaking their cassocks at them in defiance,
which were made out of the boat's sails, and daubed with red
ochre. Seeing further pursuit was fruitless they returned home.
Tbe npxt day, however, the planter raised a party of twenty-
fi ve of us. We proceeded overland to a place where we knew
there was an encampment; when we arrived we found twelve
wigwams, but all desertpd. Previous to our leaving, two men
were desl-'atched in a skiff, in order to take us hack by water.
On approaching near the place of the Indians, they saw a fine
goose swimming about a considerable distance from the shore.
They immediately rowed towards it, when the goose began to

AND Å.
IT IS I
1817.

50;')

swim towards the shore; but on rowing faster to overtake it,
one of the men happened to seE1 something dark moving up and
down behind a sand bank. Suspecting all was not right, they
immediately pulled from the t;hore, ,vhen they Haw two Indians
rise up from concealment, who at once discharged their arrows
at them, but they were at too great a distance to receive any
iDj ury. After the sails had been taken, the Indians, expecting
a visit, placed these two of their party to keep watch. The
goose was fastened to a string in order to decoy the Dlen in the
boat npar tllP shore. so as to qfford the Indians an opl-'ortunity
of throwing their arrows at them. The two Indians on watch
conlnlunicated intelligence of the arriyal of the boat to the en-
campnlent; hence the cau
e of the forsaken wigwams when we
arrived. "
u IIow large were the wigwams î "
"They were built round and about thirty or fOl'ty feet in
circumferance. The flame consists of snlall polps, being fastened
together at the top anù covpreù with birch rind, leaving a
Hnall
oppning for the escape of the smoke. Traces of their encan1p-
mpnts are still to be seen along the Cat HarLour shore, consist-
ing of large holes, &c., being left in tlLP sand."
" Did you evcr hear of any of the Indians ha\ ing been taken
"
" Yes; during the time the circumstance occurrcd which]
have stated, Lieutenant Buchan, in II.:1\L Schooner 'Pike,'
was commissioned by thp Governor, Sir Jolin Thomas Du\;k-
worth, to discover and if possiLle bring ahout a friendly inter-
course with the Indians. lIe succeeded in discovering an f'll-
campnJent, and prevailed on two of the Indians to go on board
his vesspls, leaving two lllarint's with the Indians að hostages,
while he proceedt'(l in st'arch of anotllf'r party. But as Lieuten-
ant Buchan did not return at the time appointed Ly him, the
Indians, suspecting cruclty ahout bcing practise.{ upon theIu,
111urdereù the nuuines and fie(I. '\Then Lieutt'na.nt Buchan
returne(l to tho spot, and not finding his m(,ll, the two [ndians
he had taken with him immediatcly decamped, aUli Wt'1'O IW\ t'r
hearù of afterwards. Se \
ral years after this, two or tln't'('
India.ns, who had been dl'h en to the coast by hunger, were
tak(-An and c:lITil'd to St. John's. I recollect sceing two Rcd
IndiaHb when I was a boy, at Catalina.; their ll:uueH \Vt're
\Villiam June and Thomas August (so named from the llionth5

506

NEWFOUNDLAND
AS IT WAS.

in which they WQre taken). They were both taken very young,
and one of them went master on a boat for many years out of
Catalina."
"Do you think any of the Red Indians now exist in the
coun try
"
"I anl of opinion that owing to the relentless exterminating
hand of the English furriers and the Micmac Indians, that
what few were left unslaughtered made their escape across the
Straits of Belle Isle to Labrador."
"Do you know anything of the Micmac Indians
"
" Yes. I have lived several winters in Clode Sound, at the
head of Bonavista Bay, where several families of them constantly
resiùed. They obtained a subsistence by selling furs. They
Ii ved in wigwams, constructed very similar to those of the Red
Indians. During my residence in the Bay, several Micmacs had
gone to Canada, by way of Labrador, and returned again. The
last family belonging to this tribe, residing in Bonavista Bay,
was lost in 1841. A n old man, his wife and son were coming
down the Bay in their canoe, they had some rum on board, of
which they drank freely, when the father and the son fell to
fighting; the son was thrown overboard by the father and
drowned. He then gave directions to his wife how to manage
the canoe, and plunging into the sea, swam a considerable dis-
tance and then sank. The woman immediately took the canoe
to the nearest cove, where she was supported by the inhabitants
until she died."

There are a few families of the Micmac tribe at the Bay
of Notre Dame, north; and about 60 persons belonging to
the tribe residing at Bay Despair, and various parts of
Fortune Bay, on the south-west coast. The Red Indians
of Newfoundland never knew the use of the gun, nor were
they blessed with the services and companionship of the
dog.

" Untamed, untaught, in arms and arts unskilled;
Their patrimonial soil, they rudely tilled,
Chased the free rovers of the savage wood,
Ensnared the wild bird, swept the scaly flood;
Or when the ha.lcyon, sported in the breeze,
In light canoes they skimmed the rippling seas,
The passing moment, all their bliss or care;
Ruch a" the sires had been-the children were."

AND AS IT [S IN lR77.

507

Sir Richard Bonneycastle ,;a ys :-
" As SHon as the Iled Indian began to appropriate his inva-
der's goods, so soon did his invader use the strong arm against
him; and for two hundred and fifty years he has been con-
sidered as the fair game of the hunter, the furrier, and the rude
northern settlers, until his being is now a mystery, or of tlw
things that were.
" They inhahited, from the first settlement of Newfoundland,
chiefly the north, north-eastcrn, and north-wpst('rn parts of the
island, in the neighbourhood of Fogo and Twilingate Islands,
and about White Bay and the interior, making latterly sudden
incursions to the fishing station
, and sparing no whites they
could surprise. Chappf'll says, they were so d('xtrous that
he was told by an old fisherman in Ht. George's Bay, that
he, with a party, had once got near enough to some of thenl to
hear their voices; but upon rushing towards them they found
, the natives gone, their fire extinguis}led, the mnbers scattered
in the woods, and dry leaves strewed over the ashe
,' and such
was the sta.te of fear in which they existed, that the very sight
of a pointed musket, or fire-ann, was sufficient to appal theIne
"In 17GO, an attempt was Blade by Scott, a master uf a ship,
to open a cOlnmunication with them. He went frOln St. John's
to the Bay of Exploits, where he built a stuall fort. Here llf

had an interview with them, but, advancing unarlned, he was
murdered, with five of hi
BlCD, and the rest !led to their vessel,
carrying ofl' 011(' of their cOlluades, whose body was covered with
arrows, frolll which he died.
" At length the Government offered rewards for the capture
of a Red Indian, or Bwothic, as tlwy calleù themselves; and,
in 1804, a fenlalc, who was pa(ldling in her canoo towards a
small island for birds' eggs, was taken by a. fisherman, of the
namf\ of Cull, and brought to St. John's, where she was kinùly
treated by the .A(hniral, afterwards Lord Gambier, and SEint
back with prcscntg to IH-'I' tribe. She :uhnirt'(l the t'panlt>ttes of
the officers more than anything that was shewn her, and would
never part with her own fur dr
ss, although clothed hand.
sonlely.
"Dr. Chapell, in hi
work, puùlished ill IK12, having ob.

erved tha.t it was said that thi
WODmn had becn Ina-dt> away
with on account of the value of th{\ prcscnts, which aIllollntl'(l

!)08

NE'VFOUNDLAND, AS IT WAS,

to an hundred pounds, Mr. Cormack told Mr. M'Gregor, in
1827, that if Cull could catch the author of that book within
the reach of his long duck-gun, he would be as dead as any of
the Red Indians that Cull had often shot.
" What became of the poor creature, who was at the tender
mercy of such a nlan, has never been ascertained, but Mr.
M'Gregor thinks she never reached her tribe, and Mr. Cormack
is of the same opinion.
" She was stained, both body and hair, of a red colour, as it
was supposed, from the juice of the alder, and was not very
uneasy in her new Rituation, when in the presence of her own
sex only, but would not permit any man to approach her, ex-
cept her enslaver, to whom (which speaks volum
s for him) she
was ever gentle and affectionate.
" In 1809, another attempt was made under the immediate
auspices of the Governor-Admiral Holloway, when Lieutenant
Spratt, of the Royal Navy, was sent to Exploits Bay with a
painting, representing officers of the navy shaking hands with
an Indian chief, and a party of seamen laying parcels at his feet;
Indians presenting furs, and a white and red woman looking at
their respective children, with a sailor courting an Indian girl.
But none of the tribe were found. Sir Thomas Dutchworth,
published in 1810 a new' Proclamation for the protection of
the Red Indians.' And soon afterwards Lieutenant Buchan, of
the Royal Navy, was sent to the River of Exploits, with orders
to winter there, and to open a comnlunication with them. In
1811, a reward of one hundred pounds was offered to anyone
who should bring about a friendly understanding with the Red
Indians. In 1819, another female was taken by a party of fur-
riers, who met two men and a woman on the ice in Red Indian
Lake. The woman was secured, but her husband and the other
savage resisting, they were both shot. Her husband was a fine-
looking Indian, six feet high. They took the ,vonlan to St.
John's, having first named her Mary March, from the month in.
which she was taken. She lived all the rest of the year at St.
John's, and was sent back to River Exploits in tbe ensuing
winter, under the care of Captain Buchan, with presents to her
tribe; but she had contracted sickness, and died on board. Her
body was wrapped in linen, placed in a coffin, and left on the
margin of a pond or lake, where it was likely to be found, as it

AND AS IT IS IN 1877.

509

was, by her people, who conveyed it to their place for the dead,
where it was founcl several years afterwarcls, by 1\11'. Cormack,
lying bl'side that of her husband. Nothing was seen or heard
of this }Jeople again until the winter of 1823, when a party of
them was seen on the ice in New Bay, an inlet of the Great Bay
of K otre Dame, by some furriers. On the first n1eeting, these
amiable white::; shot a lnan anù woman, who were approaching
thCll1 apparently for food. The man was first killed, anù the
wonml1, in despair, remained a calm victim. :\11'. Cormack was
told the:,e facts by the very barharian who shot her.
"Three other WOlll{'ll afterwar<.ls gave themselves up and
were brought to the capital. They were all in a starving con-
dition ; and what becallle of the other two doe
not clearly
appt-'ar. Shanan(lithit, the one brought to St. John's, was very
kindly treated there, and lived six years, dying in the hospital,
ill 1
2!), of a puhnolldry (lisc<lse, to which, it appPàl'S fronl her
c0I11111unications her tribe was subject. I have seen a Ininiattu'e
of this felnale. \Vithuut being handsonle, it shows a pleasing
countpnance, not unlike, in its expression, to thosp of the
Canadian tribes-round, with prominent cheek-bones, sonwwhat
sunken ey JS and small nose. She lived in "'\11'. Cormack's
h011SP until he left the colony, and then in that of the .Attorney_
General, )11'. SiUUllS, by whom she was lllOst kindly attended
to. But it appears consumption was the fatal diseuse of her
nation, which had carried off 1\lary !\la.rch, and thus the hope of
making lwr the 11lCanS uf reùeen1Ïng thp crueltie
which had
Leen practiseJ upon her peoplu was lust."-No
OnCe the reel tHall f-;ported along thl' shores of N C'\"'-
founùlantl in perfect
ècurity, their huntin
g-round
Ull-
intrude(l upon, alHI their peace unhrokl'll l)y thl'ir cruel
per.secutor, the furrier; 1ut
L
boon as Europeans Legan
to settle in the country, the .Frellch and .English furriers,
perceiving the skin dres
;c:s of the In(lians, ëlntl the rich
fur ,vhich f';('I.ve(1 theul as beJdiuct' at l1i o 'ht , concl'ived
o 0
the diabulical purpuse of shooting thelll for the vahutl)le
fur
,\'hich they ahvays carri ,(} - "ith theIn, anJ thus
COlnJnenecfl a cold-l.loodt'( I war ag-ainst the:::;c lluhapp)

*
t'e.I. luillia.tUl't. of her in "'\\'nntfel'il1
T)IOII
hts," pag-e ;;7;$. b\' P. Toctjul..

510

NEW}"10UNDLAND, AS IT 'VAS,

people, who were thought as little ot: by these so-called
civilized men, as a seal or a bird. The poor Indians
were hunted like wolves by those merciless and unfeeling
barbarians, the white men, till at last, of all this noble
race, at one time a powerful tribe, scarce a trace is left
behind. No canoe is now seen gliding noiselessly over
the lakes, no ,val' song breaks upon the ear. If we go
to the River Exploits, -no sound of the Indian is heard,
breaking the silence of these gloomy solitudes. If we
visit that beautiful
heet of water, Red Indian Lake
(their last retreat), no smoke is seen curling from their
wigwams, no footstep is traced, all is barrennes8 and
naked desolation. Where then are the red men? They
are gone; they have passed away for ever, and are now
in the far-off land of the Great Spirit. The philanthro-
pist cannot contelnplate the destruction of the aborigines
of Newfoundland, without dropping a tear for their
melancholy and sad destiny. The Government ende
,-
voured to bring about a reconciliation with theIn, but it
was then too late. The red man lost all confidence, and
his heart was steeled against the cruel treachery of the
white man. It is astonishing that such a length of time
should have rolled on, and so little effort have been Inade
for the accomplishment of one of the sublimest objects
in which man can be engaged, the civilization of his
fellow-man.
Had the Government, in the beginning, sent a devoted
Christian missionary to this degraded race, to charm
them with the music of a Saviour's dying love, he whuld
have been the true pioneer in the march of civilization;
the hearts of these savages would have been tan1ed, their
ferocity restrained, their passions subdued, and the bow
and arrow exchanged for the "oli ve branch uf peace."
The preaching of the GospellIlust precede the civilization
of degraded men. It is a fact which cannot be denieù

that to whatever portion of heathen lands the Gospel has
been communicated, it has conveyed to the savage boson.!
a thrill of pleasure before unknown.

AKD AS IT IS LN 1
77.

511

The Bæûthicks had some idea of religion, though dark,
and Tuixed up ,vith errorH and superstition. They believed
that they ,vere created by the Great Spirit out of arro,ys,
and that after death they ,vent to a distant country to
renew the suciety of their friendH. Thub they helieved
in tho
e great doctrines of the Christian revelation, the
exi
tcnce of a Gud, and the il111nortality of the ,-;oul.
Reason ne vcr could ha ve discovered the doctrine of the
soul's illlIllortaJity to them, because there is nothing in
nature, unaided by revelation, from which the doctrine
could be deduced. The ancient Greeks aucl ROlllanS,
,,,,ith all their learning, eloquence and refineluent, could
not discover the ðOUl'S illllllortality. "That they assert
in regard to it one time, they douhterl it another.
Athens, the scat of Grecian learning and philosophy,
worshipped thirty thousand .leities. Sunk in ignorance
as they were, ,ve cannot sl1ppose that the red Blen ,vere
sufficiently acquainted with the operations of nature in
the vegetable kingdom, or the principles of philosophy
by which the laws of rest and 111ution are governed, as
to ùra,v' any analogy bet,veen thenl and the resurrection
of the hunlan body. Therefore the kno\vlctlge of a future
state Illust have been cOlIlIl1unicated to thcln by a divine
intuition. The dealings of Jehovah are frequent1y dark
and Inysterious.
" The ways of God are in the whirlwind, and IIis paths are
in the great deep; clouds and darkness ar
round about IIis
throne."

In 1827 a Ho
othick :îociety \VaH forllll'<1 in Ht..J ohn'::;,
having for its object the civilization of thè native savages,
and an expedition ,vas undertaken hy ,Yo E. Coruutck,
E
f]., president of the society.
He,> "\Valltlering' Thouuhts, or f-;olital'\ 110\11":-1," l)y thp
Author.

THE END.

.
I

.

m 0 C C ue T" _ ; 1 ' _ w l -i ' ..l)
_ J , ... ..1.0

ll-
O ·
M "'"-
.J.V.J

r; e-.: f 0 l..mc.11
n '2

t4- II

'

,..-
;
MM

,
I
.

,J . .
.

:[

,

:
,

x

.

'\

1

-.."

1

l r J '-
{1 "f