12 The Fishery Question. 



mates the number of dry fish sent to market 

 at three hundred thousand/^ Saco, Rich- 

 mond's Island, the vicinity of the Kennebec 

 and the Penobscot were soon famous as ad- 

 vantao^eous fishinor ^rounds. Without knowl- 

 edge of the geography of the country the 

 French and EngHsh governments granted 

 patents freely in the wilds of North America. 

 Everywhere the boundaries were indefinite, 

 the titles in question and monopolies of the 

 Fisheries assumed, if not expressly mentioned, 

 Companies and merchants urged their respec- 

 tive governments to reprisals. Charles I. at 

 the beginning of his reign recognized the im- 

 portance of the Newfoundland Fishery, beside 

 making some provision for the better govern- 

 ment of the island. This action, however, 

 was more than neutralized, in the opinion of 

 his subjects, by the remission to the^ French 

 of the former tribute on their catch. There 

 were grave fears for the fishery fleet in 1625. 

 Turkish pirates were blockading the western 

 ports of England. From Newfoundland also 

 came letters of Lord Baltimore, describing the 

 depredations of the French, his own retalia- 

 tion, and a request for men-of-war to protect 

 the industry. 



