CHAPTER V 



THE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 



During the course of their development in the eighteenth 

 century the fisheries of New England attained a command- 

 ing position in commerce, in legislation, and in inter- 

 national affairs. In extent and value, the fisheries reached 

 their culmination at the outbreak of the Revolutionary 

 "War when over a thousand vessels gave employment to up- 

 wards of ten thousand men. For three score years they 

 played an active and aggressive part in the struggle between 

 England and France for mastery in North America, in- 

 directly by keeping England awake to the necessity of se- 

 curing the provincial fishing grounds for her own subjects ; 

 directly, by the capture of Nova Scotia and the taking of 

 Louisburg, the stronghold of France in America. When 

 the common foe had been driven from the field the colonies 

 and the mother country turned upon each other. The 

 colonies openly violated measures that were passed prej- 

 udicial to their interests. England looked upon her 

 colonial subjects as means for developing her industries 

 and influence at home, she attempted to enforce her laws 

 upon the people of America, and, failing in that, passed 

 a law that was designed to cripple the commerce of New 

 England and to drive her fishermen from the sea. 



The beginning of the reign of Queen Anne found France 

 and England involved in a new war. One of the causes of 

 the struggle was the claim of France to a part of Maine 

 and to the whole of the fishing grounds from the Kennebec 

 River to Labrador. The French seemed determined to 



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