20 TIISTOUR'AL SKETCFI. 



possess lauds and Iniild lioiiscs and lake sonie steps towards selt'- 

 governmeut. In 17^9 the Britisli Govei'nnient ajipointed a 

 Governor, and for the first time New fuundhind \va.< recognized 

 as a British Colony. 



I]VrPROVKMKNT,S--SETTL,EMKXT ALT-OWKD. 



The residcMit piipnlatiou had tlien grown to he 0,000 stiong. 

 The Fishing Admirals, however, were not abolished till long' 

 afterwards, but they weie brought under some sort of control ; 

 and as the population increased and intelligence spread, their 

 claims to authority fell into VicU-merited conteni])t and passed 

 into oblivion. Courts of Justice were establislicd ; the na\ iga- 

 tiou laws were extended to the island ami a collector and con- 

 troller of customs appointed. Freedom of religion was jirnclaimed 

 wliich ended a dei)lorable system of J'eligious persecution which 

 liad grown up. Still so late as 1799 houses erected in St. John's 

 without a license were pulleil down liy the order of the Governor 

 and restrictions on building and enclosing and cultivating tlie 

 ground were not entirely abolislied till 1820. The year 1825 

 saw the first roads luiilt by Governor Duckworth. A jjost-oftice 

 and a newsjmper had Ijeen established at an earlier date — 1805- 

 and 180G. In 1763 the resident population was 7,000 ; in 1785 

 it had increased to 10,244; in 1804 it Mas found to be 20,380' 

 an<l in 1834 it was 75,000. The population of St. John's was 

 then 15,000. 



SLBSTANTIAX, I'KOGKESS. 



Since the removal of these noxious restrictions the Colony has 

 made resi^ectable ])rogress, and of late years this progress has 

 been greatly accelerated by the introdiiction of mining, lumber- 

 ing and other industries. During the long European wars which 

 followed the Fremdi Revolution, the fisheries became very pros- 

 perous and the i)rice of fish tivbled. Tlie peace of 1815 termin- 

 ated that artificial prosperity and brought on a commercial crisis. 

 In 1832 the great boon of Representative GoA'ernment was grant- 

 ed to the Colony, and the new era of self-government began. 

 Provisions were annually made by the local legislature for build- 



