NEWFOUNDLAND NEW GUINEA. 



201 



to prevent any permanent settlement being made 

 upon the coast, the whole of which was dedicated to 

 the purposes of the fishery, and the cultivation of 

 the soil or cutting of wood within six miles of the 

 sea, was expressly prohibited. Notwithstanding 

 these statutes, however, settlements were made, 

 which have progressively increased to such an 

 extent that the island can now boast of a resident 

 population of 80,000 souls. The British government, 

 seeing the impolicy, as well as the impossibility, of 

 preventing settlements, have repealed all the old 

 prohibitory statutes, and directed the lands to be 

 granted. The cod fishery is now principally carried 

 on by the planters and coasters, in small boats from 

 the shore ; though many larger vessels are still em- 

 ployed upon the oank and along the coast of Labra- 

 dor, which is a dependency of the government of 

 Newfoundland. This fishery commences in April or 

 May, and continues until the end of October. The 

 number of inhabitants engaged in it is about 25,000. 

 The fishery carried on by the French is transitory. 

 The fishing ships from Brest, St Maloes, and other 

 ports, rendezvous at St Pierres, or at Croque (a sta- 

 tion on the east side of Newfoundland), and, after the 

 end of the season, return to France for the winter. 

 The cod fishery has much declined, but another, now 

 of much greater value, has lately engaged the atten- 

 tion of the inhabitants : this is the seal fishery. The 

 fields of ice, which are annually swept by the cur- 

 rents from the Polar seas, are carried along the 

 eastern coast of the island, and bring with them 

 myriads of seals. The vessels engaged in this fish- 

 ery are from fifty to two hundred tons burthen, car- 

 rying from fifteen to forty men. They are fitted out 

 from St John's, Harbour Seau, Carbonear, and other 

 ports, about the first of March, and proceed to sea 

 until they meet the ice. The vessels are then forced 

 as far as possible into the fields, and the crews dis- 

 perse on all sides in search of the seals, which are 

 very inactive and easily taken. These animals are 

 valuable only for the tat and skin, which are 

 stripped off from the body with great facility. 

 There are several species. About 500 sail of ves- 

 sels and 10,000 men are engaged in this fishery, 

 which is over by the end of April. Newfoundland 

 has not yet any local legislature, nor have the people 

 any voice in the government. The laws and statutes 

 of Britain extend to the island, and the executive 

 government is vested in a governor and council. 

 There are courts of criminal and civil jurisdiction, 

 and justice is administered by a chief judge and 

 three assistant judges. 



The aborigines of the country are now supposed to 

 be extinct. They were generally called Red Indians 

 by the Europeans, from their custom of painting 

 their faces ; but they denominated themselves Beoths, 

 or the Beothic tribe. They are represented as 

 having no resemblance in their appearance, manners, 

 customs, or language, to any of the North American 

 tribes, and they liave been supposed to be the descen- 

 dants of some ancient Scandinavian colony. They 

 were a very harmless, inartificial race, who subsisted 

 upon the deer and other animals which they en- 

 trapped in pits and snares. They were formerly 

 very numerous, but their dread of the settlers drove 

 them from the sea-coast into the interior, where they 

 were often unable to procure food. A few years 

 3go. five or six stragglers came to one of the settle- 

 ments in extreme want, representing themselves as 

 tlie only remnant of their race. The account they 

 gave was, that, owing to excessive cold and the 

 depth of the snow, they and their brethren were pre- 

 vented from procuring food, and had set out from 

 their encampment in the hope of reaching the coast, 

 but that the rest luul perished by the way. Two of 



this remnant, only, lived to reach St John's, where 

 the last died in 1828. Since then, the strictest 

 search has been made, but not a trace of the tribe 

 has been discovered. 



The trade and commerce of Newfoundland is ex- 

 tensive and valuable. It supplies Portugal, Spain, 

 and the Mediterranean, with fish, and its oil is 

 shipped to Britain. The principal towns are St 

 John's, Harbour Seau, Carbonear, Placentia, and 

 Ferryland. The inhabitants may be reckoned at 

 80,000; of which one-third are Catholics, and the 

 remainder are Protestants of various denominations. 

 St John's, the capital of Newfoundland, on a bay of 

 the same name, is in Ion. 52" 29' W. -, lat. 47 32' 

 N. ; population, about 12,000. It has one of the 

 best harbours in the island, with from ten to seven- 

 teen fathoms of water, up to King's wharf, a mile 

 from the mouth of the harbour. The fish caught on 

 the banks are dried and packed here for Europe. 

 The streets are narrow and dirty, and the buildings 

 generally mean. The government house is a large 

 and handsome building. There is a Roman Catholic 

 chapel, an English Episcopal church, Wesleyan 

 chapel, and Independent meeting-house. St John's 

 is the residence of all the public officers. About 500 

 troops are generally stationed here. This town has 

 suffered greatly by fires. In February, 1816, a con- 

 flagration occasioned great loss ; in 1817, November 

 7, 135 buildings were burned ; property destroyed 

 estimated at .500,000; on the 21st of the same 

 month was another great fire ; and, in 1818, August 

 21, a fire again broke out, by which great loss was 

 incurred. 



NEW GEORGIA. See North America. 



NEW GRENADA. See Grenada, New. 



NEW GUINEA; next to New Holland, the 

 largest island of Australia ; between 15' and 10 

 S. lat. ; and 131 20' and 149 20' E. Ion.; square 

 miles, 275,600 ; population, 500,000. It is separated 

 from New Holland on the south by Endeavour and 

 Torrey's straits, from New Britain on the east by 

 Dampier's straits, and from Gilolo by Pitt's straits. 

 It was discovered by the Spaniards, in 1528 and 

 1543, but is still little known. Forrest merely an- 

 chored on the northern coast, and Cook landed on 

 the southern shore. Dampier, Carteret, Bougain- 

 ville, D'Entrecasteaux, only visited some of the 

 neighbouring islands. Le Maire and Schouten, who 

 sailed along the greatest part of the north coast, had 

 several interviews with the natives of the surround- 

 ing islands, but did not land upon the main island. 

 On the western coast lie several small islands, which 

 are connected with the Moluccas. The coasts ap- 

 pear to be high and mountainous. In the interior 

 there are some lofty mountains, covered with per- 

 petual snow and volcanoes. In some parts they rise 

 above each other in three successive ranges. Swine, 

 dogs, birds of paradise, parrots, sea fowl, fish, ginger, 

 cloves, nutmegs, cocoa, betel, sago, bread-fruit, bam- 

 boo, &c., are found here. The inhabitants are a 

 negro variety ; they have projecting lips, a flat, 

 broad nose, a large mouth, large eyes, shining black 

 hair, and a black, rough skin ; they are strongly 

 built, and go nearly naked, having only a thin stuff 

 made of the fibres of the cocoa nut, round their loins. 

 The habitations on the coast are built on piles, with 

 a sort of a bridge, extending above high-water mark; 

 a dwelling of this kind is occupied by several fami- 

 lies. The furniture consists of some mats, an earthen 

 pot, a hearth, &c. The men appear to be employed 

 only in war and the chase. Cook observed, in one 

 part of the country, a peculiar weapon used by the 

 inhabitants : it was a short club, which they swung 

 on both sides ; fire and smoke were seen at the same 

 moment, as on the discharge of a musket ; but there 



