MISCELLANEOUS. 1061 



in the words of the British Act of Parliament, a nursery for seamen 

 to man the British Navy when an occasion should require, have be- 

 come converted into the best nurseries both for the French and 

 American Navies. 



The deep sea fishery on the Grand Bank and other Banks can only 

 be prosecuted in Crafts and Vessels of a large size, and with an expen- 

 sive outfit. The French and Americans, by their bounties, are en- 

 abled to prosecute them to advantage, while every attempt of the 

 British has proved a failure, arising not from want of skill or enter- 

 prise on their parts, but altogether from the superior advantage en- 

 joyed in the form of bounties by their Foreign rivals. 



The unequal competition has swept the British ships from that 

 fishery; it is now monopolized by the French and Americans, and 

 without a rival. 



As the Newfoundland fisheries are now composed of that portion 

 carried on by the British, that by the French, and that by the Ameri- 

 cans, your Committee will give an abstract of each fishery, founded 

 on such official information and otherwise as they could obtain. 



1ST, THE FISHERIES. 



In 1615, Captain R. Whitbourne represents the British fisheries as 

 employing 250 Ships, averaging about 60 tons, and Twenty Mariners 

 to each ship in all fifteen thousand tons of shipping, 5,000 seamen 

 and 1,250 fishing boats. 



In 1644, in a representation made, the fishery was represented to 

 consist of 270 sail of Ships, computed at 80 tons each, and for every 

 80 tons 50 men in all 2,160 tons and 10,800 seamen. 



In the Reign of Charles II, the British fishery greatly declined 

 and the French fishery advanced in proportion. 



In 1677 the British fishery is represented to consist of 109 ships, 

 4,475 seamen, and 892 boats, with 337 belonging to bye boat keepers. 



In 1684, owing to the same cause, the French competition, the 

 British Fishery was reduced to 43 fishing ships, 1,409 seamen, and 

 294 boats, with 304 boats belonging to resident boat keepers. The 

 extraordinary falling off of the fishery at this period is thus ex- 

 plained by the Lords of the Privy Council of Trade, in 1718. 



" But this decay of the fishery trade was not the only loss this 

 Kingdom sustained on this occasion; for as Captain Jones, one of 

 the Commodores of the Convoy in 1682, hath affirmed of his own 

 knowledge, the traders from New England to Newfoundland yearly 

 made voyages for the sake of spiriting away the fishermen, so that the 

 Newfoundland fishery, which was formerly the great nursery, for 

 breeding up stout and able mariners, was now become a mere drain 

 that carried off very many of the best and most useful of all the 

 British Sailors, and it is too notorious that this practice has prevailed 

 ever since." 



