QUESTION THREE. 103 



more permanent and certain footing than formerly, the state of 

 society has continued rapidly advancing in respectability and civiliza- 

 tion, and is now better than could be expected from a fishing station, 

 the internal improvement of which has been so uniformly discour- 

 aged. The settlements continue almost continuously along the south- 

 ern shore, as far as Fortune Bay, and at most of the harbours there 

 are places of worship. The settlement at St. George's Bay is perhaps 

 more agricultural than any other on the island. 



The following extracts are reproduced from " British America " 

 by M'Gregor, published in 1832 for the purpose of exhibiting the 

 British policy in Newfoundland and the effects of that policy. 



In 1674, however, farther application, by petition to the king, was 

 made for a governor; and the petition being referred to the Lords 

 of Trade and Plantations, their lordships proposed that all planta- 

 tions in Newfoundland should be discouraged, and that the com- 

 mander of the convoys should compel the inhabitants to depart from 

 the island, by putting in execution one of the conditions of the 

 western charter. His Majesty was induced to approve of this re- 

 port; and under its sanction, the most cruel and wanton acts were 

 committed on the inhabitants ; their houses were burnt, and a variety 

 of severe and arbitrary measures resorted to for the purpose of driv- 

 ing them from the country. 



The extent to which the cruelties committed on the inhabitants 

 had been carried, induced Sir John Berry, the commander of the 

 convoy, about this time to represent to government the policy of 

 colonizing Newfoundland. His advice, however, was not attended to. 



In 1676, on the representation of John Downing, a resident inhab- 

 itant, his Majesty directed that none of the settlers should be dis- 

 turbed. But in the following year, in pursuance of an order in 

 council that had been made on the petition of the western adven- 

 turers, the Committee of Trade, &c., reported, that notwithstanding 

 a clause in the western charter, prohibiting the transport to New- 

 foundland of any persons but such as were of the ship's company, the 

 magistrates of the western ports did permit passengers and private 

 boat-keepers to transport themselves thither, to the injury of the 

 fishery ; and they were of opinion that the abuse might hereafter be 

 prevented by those magistrates, the vice admirals, and also by the 

 officers of customs. 



A petition, on the part of the inhabitants of Newfoundland, soon 

 followed this representation ; arid in order to investigate the matter 

 fully, it was ordered that the adventurers and planters should each 

 be heard by their counsel. The question was thus seriously argued, 

 and afterwards referred, as formerly, to the Committee of Trade; 

 but no report seems to have been made on this occasion, and no steps 

 for regulating the settlement or fishery of Newfoundland were 

 adopted, until the Board of Trade, instituted in January 1697, took 

 up the subject among others that came under their province. They 

 made a report, which, however, applied more to the defence of the 

 island, than to its civil regulations, and went no farther than to 



U. S. Counter Case, Appendix, 565-566. 



