41 



Guy, a merchant of Bristol wlio published several pamphlets, and in- 

 duced a number of commercial men of" that city, and several persons of 

 influence at court, to join him. Among the latter class were the cele- 

 brated Lord Bacon,* who was then solicitor general ; Lord Norlhanip- 

 ton, keeper of the seals; and Sir Francis Tanfield, chief baron of the 

 exchequer. The patent states, that "divers" of the king's "subjects 

 were desirous to plant in the southern and eastern parts of Newfound- 

 land, whither the subjects of the realm have for upwards of fifty years 

 been used annually, in no small numbers, to resort to fish," &c. The 

 patentees, nearly litty in number, were designated as "The treasurer 

 and company of adventurers and planters of the citie of London and 

 Bristol, for the colony and plantation of Newfoundland." The limits of 

 their territory were fixed between Capes St. Mary and Bonavista, 

 comprising that part of the eastern and southern coasts which had been 

 hithorlo the chief seat of the fishery. 



The privileges granted were as liberal as could be desired ; the only 

 reservation being, that all British subjects should be allowed to fish at 

 will, and free of tax or restraint, on the coasts. 



The conception was a grand one, and connects Lord Bacon with our 

 annals; but no results, such as were anticipated, followed. Yet, I sup- 

 pose that Whitbourne, of whom we shall have occasion to speak par- 

 ticularly, alludes to this colony when he says, "Divers worshipfuU citi- 

 zens of the city of Bristol have undertaken to plant a large circuit, and 

 they have maintained a colony of his Majestie's subjects there any time 

 these five yeares, who have builded there faire houses, and done many, 

 mher good services ; who live there very pleasantly ; and they are well 

 pleased to entertaine, upon fit conditions, such as will be adventurers 

 with them." Whitbourne also mentions by name in the same paper, 

 which I conclude was written in 1621, the "WorshipfuU John Slany, of 

 London, merchant, who is one of the undertakers of the Newfi)undland 

 plantation, and is treasurer unto the patentees of that society, who have 

 maintained a colony of his Majestie's subjects there above twelve years ;" 

 but I find no otlier account of Slany or his associates. It appears, too, 

 that another company, having obtained a grant of land at Newi()undland, 

 sent out a party who wintered tluTo in 1613 ; but soon becoming weary 

 of their attem{)ts for settlement, they transferred their grant to other ad- 

 vonturers. Among the obstacles to colonization at tliis period, piracy is 

 not to be overlotjked. Whitbourne frequently suflc;red at the hands 

 of freebooters, and in 1612 Peter Easton, a noted pirate, with ten 

 well-appointed ships, made hims(^lfcompl(3te master of the seas, levied 

 a general contribulion on ihc vessels employed in fishing and impressed 

 from those at Conc(^pcioii l'»ay om; hundred men fJir his own fleet. 

 I'irates continued to harass and jjhnider the fishermen f()rsev(>ral years. 



In 1613 we notice the birth of the first child of European piucnts. 

 Two years later, Richard Whitl)onrne, already mentioned, who had 

 made many voyages to Newl()undlaiid, arrived at that island with a 

 oonnnission from the admirahy to empannel juries and cornet al)uses 

 and disorders among the fishermen on the cotist. He summoned a 



•Francis Bacon, Baron of Voraliim, ofin of thn most remarkable of mm, wafl boni in Lon- 

 don, iu 15G1. Ho wua croatod L(jrd \V\^\i Chaucollor of England in ItiJi), and died iu 1626. 



