1164 MISCELLANEOUS. 



fishery was often spoken of in terms like the following: "To come," 

 says Sir William Monson, (writing in 1610,) " to the particulars of aug- 

 mentation of our trade, of our plantations, and our discoveries, because 

 every man shall have his due therein, I will begin with Newfoundland, 

 lying upon the main continent of America, which the King of Spain 

 challenges as first discoverer; but as we acknowledge the King of 

 Spain tne first right of the west and southwest parts of America, so 

 we, and all the world, must confess that we were the first who took 

 possession, for the crown of England, of the north part thereof, and 

 not above two years' difference betwixt the one and the other. And 

 as the Spaniards have from that d&y and year held their possession in 

 the west, so have we done the like in the north; and though there is 

 no respect in comparison of the wealth betwixt the two countries, yet 

 England may boast that the discovery, from the year aforesaid to this very 

 day, Tiaih afforded the subject, annually, one hundred and twenty thousand 

 pounds, and increased the number of many a good sJiip, and mariners, as 

 our western parts can witness by their fishing in Newfoundland" 



That in the manner of prosecuting the fishery, much time and money 

 were lost, is obvious to practical men without explanation. To plant 

 a colony, and thus afford inducements to the fishermen to live perma- 

 nently near the fishing-grounds, was an object highly desirable to per- 

 sons of broad and liberal views. The plan, postponed by the untimely 

 end of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, and the attention bestowed upon coloni- 

 zation in the more genial region of Virginia, by Sir Walter Raleigh, his 

 kinsman and associate, was now to be renewed. 



In 1610, and the year following, two charters were granted for the 

 purpose. The first, from the rank of several of the patentees, is de- 

 serving special mention. The merit of the enterprise belongs to Mr. 

 Guy, a merchant of Bristol, who published several pamphlets, and 

 induced a number of commercial men of that city, and several per- 

 sons of influence at court, to join him. Among the latter class were 

 the celebrated Lord Bacon,* who was then solicitor general; Lord 

 Northampton, 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 Newfoundland, 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 fifty in number, were des- 

 ignated 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 hitherto 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 suppose that Whitbourne, of whom we shall have occasion to speak 



* Francis Bacon, Baron of Veralum, one of the most remarkable of men, was born 

 in London, in 1561. He was created Lord High Chancellor of England in 1619, and 

 died in 1626. 



