FISHERIES OP THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC 111 



the severe aspersions that have at times been made 

 upon the relations of the employers to the fishermen, for the 

 cash must of necessity in large part be spent in the company 

 store. Thus the company's talent was returned to it with 

 usury. The credit for goods led to advances to the men which 

 in many cases made them almost serfs to the establishment, 

 though by this practice of advances the company was certainly 

 the loser. For 99 years this system was maintained in the 

 Robin establishments, and still later in some of the other 

 concerns. 



"Charles Robin retired from the fishing in 1802 a very 

 wealthy man,, and was succeeded as head of the firm by his 

 nephew, James, who died in 1864. When the Abbe Ferland 

 was writing in 1836 he made some comments on the mode of 

 administration of the Robin business, which had become the 

 historic procedure. Charles Robin was then dead and the 

 heads of the house were his nephews. I presume Ferland 's 

 account a faithful, as it certainly is an interesting picture of 

 the conduct of the business. 



ABBE FERLAND 'S ACCOUNT OF THE ROBINS. 



" 'Neither of the owners,' he says, 'resides on the pro- 

 perty. The head of it (Philip Robin) travels in France 

 and Italy, thence by letters communicates his plans and 

 orders, which are carried into effect by the Jersey resident 

 (James Robin). In Gaspe, the business is conducted by six 

 commissioners, placed two by two (presumably at the three 

 large establishments, Paspebiac, Grand River and Perce). 

 These employees must be unmarried men, or if married they 

 are not allowed to have their wives with them. Very strict 

 regulations govern them, entering into the minutest details 

 as to their conduct, even specifying what dishes are to be 

 served each day at their table. If these rules were faithfully 





