THE FISHERIES. 14o' 



<liscovei'e(l by tlieii- own explorers, tliey at lirst took no pait in 

 tl)e prosecution of its ricli tislicries. Tlieiv i^ a cuiidiis li-tter 

 preserved in " Purclias's Pilgrims." Tlie writer was a certain 

 John Rut, master of an English vessel Avhicli, liy some chance, 

 fnuml its way to the Harhour of St. John's, wlieri- he addressed 

 this letter to King Henry VIII. It liears tlie (hUc of August 

 3rd, 1.127. Among other things tlie Avriter inf'oi-nieil His Majesty 

 tliat he found in the Harbour of St. JnhiTs eleven vessels from 

 Normandy, one from Brittany and two from Portugal, all en- 

 gage;! in fishing, but no English vessels, which honest John 

 considered a shame, seeing that the island belonged to England, 

 and that other nationalities were profiting liy these valuable 

 fisheries. "Whether the hint thus conveyed had any etfect or 

 not, we tind that a dozen years later, A^essels from London, 

 Bristol, Bideford, and Barnsta])le were engaged in lishing on the 

 Banks of Newfoundland. In 1578 fifty English vessels were en- 

 gaged. in the fi.shery on the Banks or along the .shores ; and when 

 Sir Humi)hrey C4illiert arrived in 1.583, he found thirty-six .ships 

 in St. John's Harbour of which .sixteen were English. Even at 

 that early pei'iod, so well were the extent and value of these 

 fisheries understood, tliat Lord Bacon declared " they contained 

 richer treasures than the mines of Mexico and Peru"" — a i-emark 

 ■which time has amjily verified. 



KNGI.ISH FISHKKMEN. 



The merchants and traders of the western countie.-- of England 

 speedily discovered the importance of the Ne\\foundland fish- 

 eries, and embarked exten.sively in their prosecution. They 

 established fishing stations along the eastei-n coa.st of the island, 

 sending out large numbers of tishernien in the spring who re- 

 turned at the close of each season. AVhen Captain Whitliourne 

 arrived in 161."), he found 170 English \-essels emiiloyed in fish- 

 ing ; and in 1626 Devon.sliire alone sent loO vessels to engage 

 in this industry. The French too, had greatly extended their 

 iishing ojierations, and founded a settlement named Plaisance oi> 

 the shore of Placentia Bav. Permanent settlements of English 



