228 VIKINGS OF TO-DAY 



sending a doctor in the mail-boat, and carrying 

 home sick men to do away with their arrange- 

 ment, and grant a subsidy towards the maintenance 

 of a steam vessel, which could do the same work 

 far more effectually and, I doubt not, at less expense 

 to them. 



One word more in favour of the support of the 

 Mission on this coast. The system of trade, which 

 is largely a credit and barter system, deprives the 

 men of the use of cash, even what they have really 

 earned; and until settling-up day in the fall, few 

 feel themselves at liberty to draw upon their little 

 portion for the necessary comforts of their toil; 

 hence the distribution of the woollens, cuffs, etc., 

 comes as a great boon to many a poor fisherman 

 whose hands are cut by the lines, or whose clothing, 

 scant at all times, has become deplorable by the 

 wear and tear of a seafaring life. The writer has 

 seen much of this, and well knows how such gifts 

 would be valued. 



I trust that, as one who has lived and worked 

 upon the coast, and who knows by actual experience 

 something of the need of the Labrador shore, that 

 I have said enough to evoke the sympathy of all 

 who are willing to give one thought to the toilers 

 of the deep, to bestow upon your noble Society the 

 means for extending their work in this direction. 

 We are far away, but it should be remembered 

 that a large quantity of fish is exported to England 

 from Newfoundland ; besides, we claim kindred, we 



