A Voyage from Jamaica, to England. 
345 
April. 25. We had a NV. W.. Wind, a pretty ftrong Gale and fair 
Weather, which is ufual here .with this Wind. 
May 6, We had a Fair Wind, Courfe, E. by VV. Wind W. by’S. with hazy 
fozsy Weather; the Wind was.now warm, two Days before ic had been 
excefhive cold, when the Wind was at orth. The exrream Sharpnefs 
of the Cold in thefe Parts is thought to come from the Wind blowing 
not only over the Ice and Snow in North America, but moftly from the 
{ame blowing through the Trees and Branches loaded with Snow. The 
Colour,of the Sea Water was now chang’d froma blue to greenifh ; we 
were by Computation near the Banks of,, Newfoundland, where there 
was, and. 1 was told always is, a wetting Fogg. Here, near the Tail 
of the Bank we heaved the deep Sea Line to Ninety Fathoms, but 
found no bottom. Hither come a great many Englifb and French to fifh 
on the Bank great Cod, and near the Shorea imaller fort call’d poor 
Jack. Several Hundreds of Sail, fome of great Burthen, come irom 
France yearly. ‘They, lie driving on the Banks feveral Months a fifh- 
ing, but muft not, come within fight, or make the Land otherwife, b 
Articles, as I was told, between borh Nations, they are lawful Prizes to the 
Englifb, They, put up the firft, call’d mud Fifh, in, Salt they bring 
from France, and ip. fome Months return loaded. On the Banks are 
likewife found Mackarells, Herrings, Holibuts, cc. They makea Bait 
of the Tail of the firft Cod they catch. On the Land they dry them 
On Stages, by turning them very often in the Sun. We faw a great 
many middling fized Gulls of a grey Colour like our Eaglifh large 
Gulls grey above, and white underneath. ‘They iwim about, and attend 
to devour the Guts thrown away by the Fifhers. 
May 7. We had a fair Wind, which continued to the 16th, during 
which time we try’d all Ways we could, to fpeak with Ships, (which 
fhun’d us all they could) that we might learn News, and at laft difco- 
vering a Sail on the 14th, our Fleet fpread at Diftances one from an- 
other, that fo we might be fure one or other to hinder her from efcaps 
ping, which fhe attempted, but on firing Ball at her, the Commander 
came on board with his Papers or Documents. This Ship prov’d to 
be a {mall French Veffel of Rochele, which was loaded partly with 
Wine which had been taken in at Bourdeaux, and partly with other 
forts of Provifions, bound for Canada, and thence to load Coals for the 
Caribe-Iflands. He told us, that by his Reckoning we were Four Hun 
dred Leagues from, Land, that they were des pauvres Gens, and des pauvres 
‘Negotians, with Tears in his Eyes, which mov’d my Compaffion for his 
Circumftances, as I do commiferate others in the like. This inclin’d me 
to make the moft favourable Report for him, being the only Perfon in 
the Fleet who could underftand his Papers. I have been told that fuch 
as he, ufing the Trade of fifhing on their own Coafts for poor Jack, being 
ask’d fuch Queftions and returning fuch Anfwers, is the Occafion of that 
Miftake and bad Tranflation of pawvres Gens for pauvre Jean, which 
‘in Exglifh, 1s poor John, or Fack, and from whence comes the common con- 
temprible Expreffion of our Seamen calling the French or Spaniards of their 
own Trade, fack Frenchman, or Sack Spaniard. I fearch’d his Papers, 
and read hisLetters to the Governor of Quebec, whither he was bound, 
but without being able to difcover by them, or his Crew, that there was 
War between the Englifo and French, tho’. by the Fears he fhew’d of 
his being’ made Prize, we thought ic might be fo. However, we 
a piit : bought 
. 
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