12 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



COMING OF THE WHITK MEN— SIR HU^IPHREY GILBERT. 



Nearly five c:'iiturie.s passed. Tlie year 1497 arrived, and on 

 tlie 2ud day of May in that year a small cai-avel named The 

 Matthein manned by 18 stout English sailors, left the i^ort of 

 Bristol. She was conunanded l>y John Cabot, a Venetian hy 

 birth, who was in the seiviee of Henry VII. of England. On 

 the 24th of June following, hearty English cheers greeted the 

 first sight of the Island of Newfoundland. Thus liy right of dis- 

 ■covery it belonged to England, but it was not till 1583 that it 

 was formally taken possession of by Sir Humphrey (jill>ert, in 

 the name of Queen Elizabeth. This gallant English Knight had 

 formed the purpose of colonizing the island, but misfortunes 

 •overtook him and when returning to Englan<l his little vessel the 

 (Toklrni Hind awl all on board sank beneath the waves of the 

 Atlantic. 



THE FIRST FISHFKMEX. 



Nearly thirty years elapsi'd after tlie failure of Sir Humphrey 

 Gilbert's expedition before any fresh attempt was made to found 

 a Colony in Newfoundland. During that period, however, the 

 island rose into increased imjtyrtance in connection with its fish- 

 ^'ries. Indeed long before, the news of the almndance of iish on 

 the Banks and in the waters around tlie shores of the island luul 

 led the fishermen of various nationalities to visit these regions in 

 ])ursnit of the iinny trilies ; and to use the harl)ours and coves for 

 •curing and drying them. The first to take advantage of this new 

 sea-harvest were the fishermen of Brittany and Normamly. They 

 were soon followed by the fishermen of the Bascpie Provinces in 

 the North-west of S])aiii. The Portuguese speedily took ]iart in 

 the same fisheries. lu loTT there wei'e 100 Sjtanish and 50 Por- 

 tuguese vessels thus employed, but they srwn began to diminish 

 in numbers — the enter])rise of both nations being drawn to the 

 gold regions of South America. Ere long, hardly a Spanish or 

 Portuguese fi-hing vessel was to be seen in these .stormy seas. 

 FRENCH FISHERIES ANI> I>lSCOVERIES. 



Not so with the French who followed u]) these fisheries with 

 vigour and success. In 1577 the Fieiich jwid 150 vessels eniidoy- 



