BACKGROUND OF EARLY COLONIZATION 27 



of Newfoundland for the purpose of settling disputes about 

 the preemption of shore stations. Gilbert arrived at New- 

 foundland in 1583 with a charter for colonization, the first 

 of its kind that was issued by the English government. 

 He took possession of the island and all surrounding lands 

 within a circumference of two hundred leagues in the name 

 of Queen Elizabeth. His right was acknowledged by the 

 fishermen of the vessels at Saint John's at the time of his 

 arrival, who paid him quit-rent for privileges that he 

 granted to them. 



England's claim to Newfoundland and its fishing grounds 

 rested on the results of the discovery by Cabot in 1497. 

 Subsequently, her rights to this claim were emphasized 

 by Gilbert's acts at this time. Apparently the English 

 held the right to exclude the vessels of all other nations 

 from the fishing grounds; possibly she compelled the 

 acknowledgment of this right, for in 1585 Sir Bernard 

 Drake with a fleet of ships captured and sent back to Eng- 

 land several vessels of the fishing fleet laden with furs 

 and fish. 



Although the voyage of Gilbert was disastrous to him- 

 self and his colonists, yet the enterprise was helpful in 

 awakening greater interest in American affairs. During 

 the following decade rapid progress was made by the Eng- 

 lish in developing the Newfoundland fishing industry. 

 According to a statement made by Sir Walter Raleigh in 

 Parliament in 1593 these fisheries were the "stay and sup- 

 port" of the west counties of England. The interest that 

 the public had in the fisheries was due largely to the great 

 demand for products of the sea at that period. By the 

 statute-books there were 143 days in the year when the sub- 

 jects of the realm were required to abstain from eating 

 flesh and to live on fish. 1 



The prosperous condition of the English fisheries at New- 



i Sabine, p. 39. 



