NEWFOUNDLAND IN THE 'SEVENTIES 239 



Sandy Pond in vast herds in the spring and fall, 

 but no doubt they are still pretty plentiful in 

 some remote parts of the country. The shores of 

 Newfoundland are indented with numerous and 

 excellent harbours, the interior is full of lakes and 

 is traversed by many streams navigable for canoes, 

 fur is pretty plentiful, wild fowl and grouse 

 abundant, and the creeks and rivers are full of 

 salmon and trout. 



A great portion of the interior of the island 

 consists of barren, swamp, and water, but there are 

 large tracts of valuable timber, and of good land 

 suitable in every way for farming purposes. The 

 climate is very pleasant in summer and the fall ; 

 the winters are cold, though not so severe as on 

 the mainland, but they are protracted far into 

 the spring, through the chilling influence of the 

 great mass of Baffin Bay ice that comes down 

 the coast about the month of March. For that 

 reason, and because the extent of good land is 

 limited, and also on account of the proximity of 

 Prince Edward Island and the mainland, where 

 both soil and climate are better suited to the 

 cultivation of crops, Nev^oundland will never be 

 much of an agricultural country. It has great 

 mineral riches, chiefly consisting of copper, which 



