QUESTION ONE. 21 



purpose of curing and drying their fish. So carefully was the very 

 idea of anything like permanent possession, or right of possession, for- 

 bidden among the English fishermen, that occupation of any particular 

 place on the shore during one season gave no priority of claim what- 

 ever to that place for the next season. The beaches along the coast 

 were marked out by the Fishing Admirals, as they were called, and 

 divided into separate " rooms " or areas, each one sufficient for the 

 fishing purposes of one ship's crew for one season; from which cir- 

 cumstances many of these old areas or spaces are called " ships' 

 rooms " and " ancient ships rooms " to this day. At the beginning 

 of each season these rooms were assigned by the Admiral for the time 

 being, one to each of the several ships in turn of arrival, to be used or 

 occupied by her crew for the season. The captain of the first fishing 

 vessel that arrived on the coast from England in the spring was the 

 Admiral for the season, and was clothed with full judicial and ad- 

 ministrative powers. In order to emphasize and give the fullest 

 effect to the " policy " of preventing settlement, the inhabitants (if 

 any) of the coast were by express law prohibited from taking up any 

 beach or place until all the ships arriving from England were pro- 

 vided for. There was then, literally, no local government of any sort 

 on the island; no courts of justice, no judges, magistrates, or other 

 ordinary tribunals, for the administration of justice, of the protection 

 of the people in their simplest and most rudimentary rights and 

 liberties. 



Not only was the condition of the colony virtually that of bar- 

 barism and anarchy, but the whole " policy " of Imperial legislation 

 and government was directed to the perpetuation of that condition 

 and the prevention of any amelioration. A few commercial monopo- 

 lists in England, interested in retaining in their own hands the whole 

 business of the fishery in Newfoundland free from competition of 

 any sort then the only business in the colony which was supposed 

 to be of any value had sufficient influence with the " authorities " 

 to secure the continuance of this state of barbarism in the island for 

 many years, until the appearance and gradual growth of civilising 

 institutions took place. 



******* 



The " policy " by which, until within a comparatively recent period, 

 the Imperial Government was guided in all its relations with the 

 so-called " French shore " of Newfoundland was that of hindering 

 and discouraging by every means short of express prohibition the 

 settlement of population and the establishment of law and order. 

 Although that part of the colony always has been included in the 

 terms of the commission to the Governor, and therefore strictly within 

 the " jurisdiction " of the Colonial Government, yet this jurisdiction 

 was for many years, and for all practical purposes, a mere fiction; 

 and nothing bearing the semblance of government, control, or au- 

 thority in that part of the colony, that could possibly be prevented, 

 was done or permitted. 



In 1832, within fifteen years after the treaty of 1818 was signed, 

 the British historian John M'Gregor made the following statement: 



It is certain that none of the British plantations have been worse 

 governed than Newfoundland, nor in any has more confusion pre- 



