726 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



THE FISHERIES OF RHODE ISLAND. 



RHODE ISLAND IN THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES. 



FISHING BY THE ABORIGINES. Arnold, iu speaking of the food used by the aborigines of Rhode Island iu U>22, 

 says: "But of all their different sorts of food, none were more higlily esteemed than clains. In all seasons of the 

 year the women dug for them on the sea-shore. The natural juices of this shell-fish served them in place of salt as a. 

 seasoning for their broth, their nassaump, 1 and their bread, while the. tenderness and delicacy of the flesh have pre- 

 served its popularity to this day, amid all the culinary devices of an advanced civilization."- Whales, sometimes GO 

 feet in length, were often cast up on the shores, and, being cut in pieces, were sent far and near as a most palatable 

 present. In the early part of the seventeenth century, hunting, fowling, and fishing were the chief occupatious of the 

 Indians. They used nets made of hemp, setting weirs across the rivers, and killing the bass with arrows as the fi.sh 

 became entangled in the meshes of the nets. The head of the bass was considered a great luxury. The sturgeon they 

 caught with a harpoon of their own invention, going out iu their canoe* to attack it. This fish was so highly esteemed 

 by them that they would rarely sell it to the English. 



THE SETTLEMENT; FISHERY PRIVILEGE. Rhode Island was Cr*t settled in June, 1636, at Providence, by Roger 

 Williams, from Massachusetts. Two years later, William Coddiugtou and others, who had, like Williams, been 

 persecuted for their religious belief, came from Massachusetts, and purchased of the Indians the island of Aquidneck. 

 They effected a settlement on this island, now called Rhode Island, and from this sprung the towns of Newport and 

 Portsmouth. In Ifi43 a third settlement was made at Warwick, by John Greene, Samuel Gorton, aud others. This 

 same year Roger Williams sent to England and obtained a patent for the, united government of the settlements. 

 The patent was dated March 14, 1643-'44, but, did not go into operation till 1647. It defined the settlements as the 

 "Incorporation of Providence Plantations in the Narraganset Bay in New England." 



This patent continued in force till 1663, when a charter was obtained from King Charles II, of England, incorporat- 

 ing the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." In this charter was the following paragraph relative 

 to the fishing industry: 



"Provided alsoe, and oure express will aud pleasure is aud wee doe by these presents, ffor vs, our heirs and suc- 

 cessours, ordeyne and apoyut,that these presents shall not, iu any manner, hinder any of onre lovingo subjects 

 whatsoever, ffrom useing audexerciseing the trade of ffishiug upon the coast of New England, in America; butt, that 

 they, and every or any of them, shall have ffull and ffree power and liberty to continue and vse the trade of flushing 

 vpon the said coast, in any of the seas thereunto adjoyniuge, or any armes of the seas, or salt water rivers and creeks, 

 where they have been accustomed to ffish ; and to build and sett upon tho waste land, belonginge to the sayd Collony 

 and Plantations, such wharfes, stages aud workehouses as shall be necessary for the salting, drying and keepeing of 

 theire ffish, to be taken or gotten upon that coast. And tt'urther, for the encouragement of the inhabitants of our 

 sayd Collouy of Providence Plantations to sett upou the busiuease of takeing whales, itt shall bee lawefful ffor them, 

 or any of them, having struck whale, dubertus, or other greate ffish,itt or them, to pursue unto any parte of that 

 coaste, aud into any bay, river, cove, creeke or shoarc, belonging thereto, and itt or them vpou the said coaste, or in 

 the sayd bay, river, cove, creeke or shoare, belonging thereto, to kill and order for the best advantage, without 

 molestation, they makeing noe wilfull waste or spoyle, any thiuge in these presents conteyned, or any other matter 

 or thing, to the contrary, notwithstanding. 



"And further alsoe, wee are gratiously pleased, aud doe hereby declare, that if any of the inhabitants of our sayd 

 Collony doc sett upon the plantiuge of vineyards (the soyle and clymato both seemeiug naturally to concurr to tho 

 production of wyues), or bee industrious in the discovery of ffishing banks, iu or about the sayd Collony, wee will, 

 rl'rom tyme to tyrne, give and allow all due and fitting encouragement therein, as to others in cases of lyke nature." 



There having been some troubles as to the extent of Rhode Island during the deposition of Charles II, after his 

 restoration to the throne, the people of Rhode Island presented a petition to the King, in which they asked that 

 Rhode Island might be restored to the state aud extent of land which it enjoyed when the first charter was granted, 

 and that thus the people might be encouraged to "goe on propagating plantations * * , promoting of * 

 ffishiuge, &c." 



FISHERY LAWS AND REGULATIONS. In May, 16?0, in the 24th answer to a set of questions from the lords of the 

 privy council, the assembly said : "We answer that a fishing trade might prove very beneficial! provided accordiuge 

 to the former artickle there were men of considerable estates amongst us willing to propagate it." 



The Rochester court of common pleas, on March 6, 1687, passed an act to encourage fishing iu Pottaquamscot 

 Pond. 



On June IP, 1716, Starve Goat Island was granted, upon petition of three fishermen of Providence, for tho purpose 

 of curing aud dry ing fish. 



Ou October 28, 1719, the Warwick assembly empowered tho town council to preserve and improve tho fishing iu 

 their rivers, forbidding the setting of weirs, dams, or nets ; also established veudue masters iu their town, to bo chosen 

 before the annual election, whose fees were to be 2| per cent, on the* amount of the sales, and who were to settle with 

 the owners of the goods within five days. 



'Maasaump is a pottage made of unparchod meal. 



2 Arnold's History of Rhode Island, from which work, in connection with the colonial records of the State, this historical sketch is 

 compiled. 



