NEWFOUNDLAND IN THE 'SEVENTIES 241 



cod-fishery of the great banks, and she further 

 retained certain vaguely defined rights over that 

 part of the island known as the French coast, 

 namely, the shore from Cape Ray to Cape John, a 

 distance of about 400 miles. The possession of 

 the two islands above mentioned is of the greatest 

 value to France, and at the same time causes no 

 practical inconvenience to the Newfoundlanders. 

 It is true that a great industry has passed from us, 

 and that the fishery on the great banks is almost 

 entirely in the hands of the French, who employ 

 about 300 vessels and 10,000 men — ^half the 

 number of ships and seamen engaged in their 

 Newfoundland fishery, in that branch of the trade 

 alone ; but this is not owing to the convenience 

 offered them by the possession of fishing stations 

 at St. Pierre, or to any lack of industry and enter- 

 prise on the part of our men, but is caused by the 

 high bounties given by the French Government, 

 which enable their fishermen to undersell our 

 people, and renders competition on our part 

 useless. The state of things existing on the 

 French shore is, however, looked upon as a real 

 grievance by the English inhabitants of Newfound- 

 land. France claims a strip of land half a mile in 

 width along the whole western seaboard of the 



