Ch. rX. SOUTH AMERICA. 405 



their owners account; the other is to employ the 

 Ihip's company in fifhing in the inhabited bavsj 

 and for this the French make ufe o<^ the harbours 

 on the weft part of the ifland of Newfoundland, 

 which as being defart, and likewife an article ftipu- 

 laced in the treaty of peace, no oppoficion is n-^de 

 to it : for this fcems to me the meaning of the ex- 

 preflion often occuring in the trcatres, J bat the 

 EriglifJj Jh^ll admit the French and Spaniards into the 

 harbours of NewfcU'idland : and not as fome infiH: rhe 

 harbours v/here the Enghfh have fetdemenis, they 

 having referved thefe Íov their own convenicncy. 

 This certainly is the moft natural inccrpietation, fir 

 the latcer being their dwelling and the befb part of 

 the ifl.ind, it is not to be thought that they would 

 give them away to others, the convenience of har- 

 bours being the fole and chief advantage of this 

 ifland: and this was the only point in view amidlt 

 the contelLS of nations for the polTellion of a country 

 valuable only for the fiilieryj and where the inhabi- 

 tants, at lead two thirds of the year, labour under 

 all the inconveniences and hardfhips of deep fnows, 

 hard froils, and other rigours of winter. 



The weilern coail of this ifland, diflinguifhed by 

 the name of Pcdt Nord, and no lels provided with 

 bays and harbours than thole inhabited by the En- 

 glifh, forms the department where the French vcf- 

 fels repair to fifli ; as likewife north beyond tne river 

 of St. Laurence i and fl.retcnÍMg eaílward forms Bel- 

 iifle ftreight. In all thefe parts it is an inviolable 

 rule, that the veflTcl which comes nrft has the privi- 

 lege of cnufing her bay, and the bell part in it for 

 fiihingi and likewife has the title of admiral oí it: 

 and as fuch not only all the limber works which 

 happen to remain there ndon^ to the mafl:er, but he 

 alfo afllgns to every vcflel her particular birth, t::ougti 

 herein he has always a regard co the date of th;Mr c.^m- 

 Íi3g into the bay: and du.mg the whole time of the 

 D d 3 fiihery. 



