THE GEORGE'S BANK COD FISHERY. 187 



natives still on board, and hastened to Saint John's for officers of the law. Saiut John's is G miles 

 distant from Tor Bay. When the skipper finally reached his vessel with officers the invaders were 

 forced to go ashore. Beyond binding them to promises of no further violence their action was not 

 noticed by the Newfoundland authorities. The skipper conld not obtain his bait from the people 

 of that harbor, but he had escaped without any further injuries. This man I met, and heard his 

 story from his own lips. 



Nor is the feeling of malice and hostility ended yet, for even this present year of 1880 has fur- 

 nished new instances. On August 4 the schooner and many of the crew with whom I had passed 

 the previous summer entered Conception Bay in search of bait. In the harbor 200 (?) natives 

 boarded the vessel, prevented by violence their taking squid, and finally compelled them to get 

 under way and leave the cove where they had anchored. 



I will not say that the fishermen are uot in part responsible for the temper of mind of the natives 

 toward them. Some of the more slippery fellows have, I doubt not, in past times dealt unfairly 

 with the Newfoundlanders. I have heard of some who obtained unfair measure, or who slipped 

 their cables before the bills had been settled. The younger men among the bait-catchers are also 

 somewhat actuated by jealousy toward the fishermen, since the latter are great gallants ashore 

 among the young women, and the latter turn from their native beaux to the Americans, to the 

 infinite disgust and chagrin of the former and the ill-concealed and often unconcealed satisfaction 

 of the latter. 



A further discussion of the manner of obtaining and preserving bait is given by Mr. Osboru, 

 in Section IV of this report, under the head of "Life of Fishermen on Shipboard." 



4. THE GEORGE'S BANK COD FISHERY. 



By G. BROWN GOODE AND J. W. COLLINS. 

 1. ORIGIN AND PRESENT IMPORTANCE. 



The George's Bank cod fishery, or, as commonly called, the George's fishery, was carried on to 

 some extent by vessels from Marblehead as early as the middle of the last century,* but there 

 is no record to show that it was long continued, nor is there any one now living who remembers 

 fishing vessels going there prior to about 1821. 



This fishery is now carried on almost exclusively from Gloucester. Vessels from this port first 

 visited George's Bank in search of halibut about the year 1830, and in connection with the halibut 

 took considerable quantities of codfish. Since the decrease of halibut in that region there has 

 been a constant fishery there for cod. The George's fishery has not yet shown a tendency to 



'William Douglass, in Vol. I, page '.102, of his History and Political Summary of British Settlements in North 

 America, printed at London in ITtiO, says: 



" Marldehead, in New England, shi]>n off more dried cod than all the rest of New England 1" -.sides ; anno 1732, a 

 good fish year, and in profound peace, Marblehead had about one hundred and twenty schooners of abmit 60 tons 

 burthen; seven men aboard, and man ashore to make the fish, is about one thousand men employed from that town 

 besides the seamen who carry the tish to market ; if they had all been well fished, that is, 200 quintals to a fare, would 

 have made 120,000 quintals. At present, anno 1747, they have not exceeding seventy schooners, and make live fares 

 yearly ; first to the Isle of Sable ; the codfish set in there early in the spring, and this fare is full of spawn : formerly, 

 they fitted out in Fehruary, but by stormy weather having lost some vessels and many anchors, i-ables. anil other 

 gear, they do not fit out nntil March. Their second fare is in May to Brown's Bank and the other Banks u< -at the Cape 

 Sable coast; these are also called spring fish. Their iliird and fourth fares are to Saint George's Bank, called summer 

 tish. Their litth ami last fare is in autumn to the Isle of Sables; these are called winter fish." 



