196 HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF NEWFOUNDLAND 



hi spite of It is one of the paradoxes of history that the total 



'and more 6 disappearance of the British fishing-fleet from the waters of 



British Newfoundland increased the number of British ocean-going 



to New- ships connected with the fishery. According to theorists their 



foundland, number should have been halved ; but in practice it was 



seq " > tripled. In the middle of last century a second but less 



startling historical paradox occurred. The relaxation and 



repeal of the Navigation Laws confining colonial trade to 



British ships was accomplished in 1849, and instead of 



diminishing added to the number of British ships trading with 



and New- the colony. A third paradox occurred in 1900, when New- 



landers foundland fishermen were drafted into the Naval Reserve for 



began to the first time. For two centuries and a half Newfoundland 



strengthen r . , , . . 



the Nary, was regarded as a prime source ot naval strength ; but it was 



1 9 00 ' nearly a century after this theory was abandoned that New- 

 foundlanders began to contribute sailors to the Royal Navy. 

 In the following table, which illustrates these two first 

 paradoxes, three periods have been taken fifty years apart : 

 the first period is the last peaceful period of five years during 

 which British fishing-ships came to Newfoundland; the 

 second period is the last period before the Forties when the 

 Navigation Laws petered out ; and the third period illus- 

 trates a typical modern lustre. 



AVERAGES. 



1786-1790 1836-40 1886-90 1906 



British ships cleared inwards g 8 



in Newfoundland. 



Ratio of Progress 32 53 9 1 IO 



and began Newfoundlanders began to rely exclusively on boats for 



tolmildand favx principal fishery; yet by another paradox the colonial 



"the S Bank" fishing-ships increased. The fishery of Newfoundland became 



a shore-fishery, and nothing else, because a shore-fishery 



