MISCELLANEOUS. 1183 



suitable for drying, and in the materials required for "flakes and 

 stages." The coasts are everywhere indented with harbors, rivers, 

 coves, and bays, which have a ready communication with the waters 

 of the interior; scarcely any part of which such is the curious freak 

 of nature is more than thirty miles distant from navigation. The 

 proximity of the fishing grounds to the land, and to the homes of the 

 fishermen, the use that can be made of seines and nets in the mackerel 

 fishery, the saving of capital in building, equipping, and manning 

 vessels, the ease and safety which attend every operation, combine 

 to render Nova Scotia the most valuable part of British America, and 

 probably of the world, for catching, curing, and shipping the pro- 

 ductions of the sea. 



Yet the colonists look on and complain of us. They will neither 

 fish themselves nor allow us to do so. In the words of a late official 

 report on the "Fisheries of Nova Scotia/' "From seven to eight hun- 

 dred [American] vessels are said annually to pass through the Gut of 

 Canso, which usually return home with large cargoes taken at our 

 very doors. There is always a great deal said about their encroachments, 

 and we are apt to blame them that our fisheries are not more productive 

 than they are, and, instead of engaging all our energies to compete with 

 them, we are employing a host of revenue cutters, <&c,, to drive them from 

 our shores. Everybody must see that the Americans are placed under 

 many disadvantages for prosecuting the fisheries in British waters, 

 and that if proper enterprise were employed, our advantageous position 

 would enable us not only to compete vjith them successfully, but also to drive 

 them from our shores by underselling them in their own markets. But 

 we find that they almost entirely monopolize our deep-sea fishery, 

 while we loolc idly on and grumble at their success." This covers the 

 whole ground; and coming, as it does, from the pen of a colonial 

 official, is conclusive. 



Judge Haliburton, in his efforts to rouse his fellow-colonists from 

 their lethargy, adopting as his motto, that 



"The cheerful sage, when solemn dictates fail, 

 Conceals the moral counsel in a tale," 



utters similar sentiments. His renowned hero, "Sam Slick," the Yan- 

 kee clockmaker, in the course of his "sayings," thus speaks of the 

 people of Nova Scotia, and of their advantages: "They do nothing in 

 these parts," says Sam, "but eat, drink, smoke, sleep, ride about, 

 lounge at taverns. * * * Thev- are a most idle set of folks, I tell 

 you. * * * They are in the midst of fisheries, squire; all sorts of 

 fisheries, too. River fisheries of shad, salmon, gasperause and herring; 

 shore fishery of mackerel and cod; bank fishery, and Labradore fish- 

 ery. Oh dear! it beats all; and they don't do no thin with 'em, but 

 leave 'em to us. * * * I never seed nor heerd tell of a country 

 that had so many natural privileges as this. Why, there are twice as 

 many harbors and water-powers as we have all the way from Eastport 

 to New Orleans. They have all they can ax, and more than they 

 desarve. * * * You've heerd tell of a man who couldn't see Lon- 

 don for the houses; I tell you, if we had this country you couldn't see 

 the harbors for the shipping." 



The cod-fishery of the shores differs so little from the shore fisheries 

 at Newfoundland, St. Pierre, and Miquelon, already spoken of, that we 

 shall not here give an account of it. The vessel fishery, both on the 



