[s. F.DAWSON] THE VOYAGES OF THE CABOTS 221 



APPENDIX A. 

 The Labrador Coast. 



In both of the previous papers of this series I gave testimonies from 

 the most unimpeachable authorities as to the real nature of the Labrador 

 coast. I went back even to Jacques Cartier, and covered a period of 350 

 years, because it has sometimes been thought that the climate has de- 

 teriorated in recent times. Similar testimony could be cited to an end- 

 less length. I shall, however, add only a few more extracts, simply that 

 they may remain in a place of convenient reference for those who, at 

 some future time, may take up this inquiry. I would remark that it is 

 no answer to this mass of evidence to say that sealing vessels enter the 

 floe ice, or to postulate certain exceptional conditions or circumstances in 

 which a vessel might get through the ice and reach the shore. No ice at 

 all is recorded on John Cabot's voyage of 1497, and he reached the shore 

 "without mention of any trouble. The country he reached was of a tem- 

 perate climate, and the sea swarmed Avith tish. On the contrar}', in 

 1498, there was abundance of ice, and it is mentioned as something new 

 and without precedent. Those who argue for Labrador must sweep the 

 ice off the coast. They must find some proof that it does not exist — that 

 somebody went there and saw no ice — and that the fisheries go on along 

 Northern Labrador, as a usual thing, late in June and early in July, 

 They must show that the climate is warm enough, and the soil is good 

 enough to give promise of "silk and brazil-wood," and that the land is 

 "fertile." It will not be sufficient to show that some vegetables may be 

 grown in little plots in sheltered places, where they may be covered 

 during frosts, but that they grow without any precautions in the open 

 air. It will not be sufficient to shoAv that at the heads of the deep inlets 

 spruce or other sub-arctic trees may be found, but they will be required 

 to show that the country is forested down to the shore, that the trees 

 may be seen from a passing ship, and seen so that Cabot could have 

 formed an impression that he was coasting along a fertile countr}^ or, 

 on landing, that he could have found, a few miles from the seashore, indi- 

 cations of the fertility he reported. 



In my previous papers I made reference to the voyage of the "Alert," 

 under command of Lieut. Gordon, E.N. A further account of the voy- 

 age will be found in "Good Woi'ds " for 1888, written by Captain (now 

 Admiral) Mark ham, who accompanied the expedition. On the 1st of 

 Jul}' the steamer rounded the eastern point of Labrador (latitude 53°), 

 that is, south of the point supposed to be the landfall. " Icebergs innu- 

 " merable lay stranded along the shore, some of them of very large di- 

 " mensions." On July 2nd " snow was falling, the weather was gloomy, 

 " and the ship was surrounded by loose, drifting ice, whilst the tempera- 

 " ture was down to freezing point." " One of the icebergs we passed 

 " was estimated to be at least two hundred feet in height and half a mile 



