BBITISH, COLONIAL AND OTHEB COBBESPONDENCE, ETC. 561 



their coasts, as well as on the coasts of Newfoundland, naturally 

 turned the attention of the British subjects to the same business, 

 many settlers emigrated to Newfoundland for the purpose, while 

 others spread themselves along the shores of Nova Scotia and Cape 

 Breton, so that there appeared evident danger of the trade and fishery 

 being lost to England ; and that instead of its being a British Fish- 

 ery, as it had hitherto been, it would become a Colonial Fishery. 

 To prevent the increase of inhabitants on the island, the most posi- 

 tive instructions were given to the Governors not to make any grants 

 of the lands, and to reduce the number of those who were already 

 settled there. Their vessels, as well as those belonging to the colonies, 

 were to be denied any priority of right in occupying stations in the 

 bays or harbors for curing their Fish over the vessels from England ; 

 and he was instructed to withhold from them whatever might serve 

 to encourage them to remain on the island; and as Lord North ex- 

 pressed it, whatever they loved to have roasted, he was to give them 

 raw; and whatever they wished to have raw, he was to give them 

 roasted. With a view to secure the return of all the Fishermen 

 carried out, half their wages was made payable to them in bills or 

 cash at the end of the season, and their employers were obliged to 

 find them a passage home, and allowed to retain forty shillings of 

 their wages for that purpose ; and to give an advantage to the Bank 

 Fishery over the Shore Fishery, as well as to encourage the fitting 

 out from England, without offence to the Colonies, a Bounty was 

 given upon the taking 20,000 tail of Fish by bankers from England 

 that carried out two green men, or youngsters that had never before 

 been at sea. The effect of every one of these regulations has been 

 the very contrary of what was intended; and the Witness's own 

 experience as an Adventurer in the Fishery these five years past 

 enabled him to correct his judgment as a politician, and to point out 

 their pernicious tendency, as well as to suggest the remedy. 



That soon after the Act of the 15th of His present Majesty was 

 passed, he perceived, from comparing the governor's returns with 

 the preceding ones,, that the young lads left in the island were 

 greatly increased, instead of being lessened, as was expected; and 

 upon conversing with persons who had been there, and were con- 

 cerned in the Fishery, he learned that half the wages a youngster 

 was entitled to was not sufficient to pay the expense of fitting him 

 out the first year; and besides, they often wanted to have something 

 for mothers who they had assisted to support. The traders therefore 

 hired them for two years, and left them the winter in the island, 

 employing them in the Salmon Fishery, or in cutting timber, or other 

 work as well to save the expence of their passage home as to avoid 

 paying them half their wages, which would have left their employers 

 out of pocket. This he experienced to be the case with the youngsters 

 he took out and brought home ; and upon this account, as well as upon 

 another which he shall mention, he had given up fitting out for the 

 Bounty, as he finds many others have done, and consequently fewer 

 youngsters will be taken out, and fewer seamen made. The Bounty 

 is most injudiciously appointed, as it ought to be (as the Greenland 

 Bounty is) a kind of security against a bad voyage, whereas it is 

 only paid upon a good one, for the banker which catches 20,000 tail 

 of Fish, and lands them before the 15th of July, is sure of succeed- 



