Hi 



Act t'orlli loawell up tin: Knglisli clniin af![uinst us, to niak« it meet, if possible, the obvious 

 nioiii'v claiiii we luul iiKuinst Great liritain, if it wai» seen fit to enforce il — we now put 

 it in onl\ m a si'l-ofl- appears in llic tcsiimony lliat our lisliino-vcssols, Roing into 

 Ni'\\timnillan(i, cniployi'd tiie men there to (isli. and tiiat il liad a very deU'lt'ri«\H mora! 

 (ili'icl npun till' liai)its of tlie Nowtoiuidland lisliernien ; liial liii") liud bucn, up to t lie 

 liniu llic Americans apjieiired there to bu) their l).iit, an incUislrio'us peoph', in a certain 

 Hcnsc ; they liad (ialicd a certain part of tiie year under contrnctH, which it seems they 

 mnld not i,'t't rid of. with a class of owners who held them in a kind of blissful bondage; 

 lull thai when the Americans appeared, they led tiiem to breuii tliesc contracts, aomo- 

 tinics tempted them to fall olTfrom their agreements, and put money into their pockets; 

 ihey i)aid th(>m for work ; they gave them labour at a time when they ought to have been 

 lying idle, wlien if was belter for them to lie idh- ! OIi. it steadied tliem, im])roved them, 

 raised their moral lone, to hv idle, and tended to preserve those desirable relations that 

 existed between them and llie mereliaiits uf St. .lolm's! A ;^reat deal was said about 

 that ; bill at las! tlieri! came upon the staml a witness, whose name, if I recollect, was 

 Macdonnell (p. '.i\'.i of Ihe Hritisli testimony), a Hrilish witness. 1 did not Know that lie 

 would not be fully as well (ilUd with these feudal opinions us the others had been. He 

 said ihe people at Fortune Bay were well iAY. I asked him :- 



■' Q. You say llie |icii|ili^ tlowii ill I'l'iLiiiu' l!ay an' w«l) nil'' — A. TIuti" arc simio poor people 

 ihorc, 1ml as a ijuner.il lliiip,' the noojilc aw A\ c iniirorlnlili' 



" Q. Villi Huv llu'V liiivu [lilcj ol' iiioii(^) sIiiumI ill ilieir liiiuses ^ — A. Soiiii- ul' llicin iiavL'. I know 

 Mii'n will) wi-nl rmm l.allnvo ilowii thoic. wim wito so well »\Y llicv ntiiod Irnin flu' lisliiiiu' tnisiiicss 

 The larf'i:st |wn uf till' iiiiiiii'v llii'v luiiili' Wiis ill ■'upiilyiii;,' Imii te those I'n'nch vessel? which eorae 

 from Fniiiee to lisii. 



'•(,,>. WhiMiMliil voii liiiil iliijin ? — A. At Hi. I'liluis. Thi' lueii nl I'oriuiie liav .>ciiic herring, 

 cupi'lin iiiiil siiiiiil, iiiiil mil t.hdiii across to St. I'l'ler's, uikI sell iheni in ilic l''n'iirli vcs-els which are 

 lyiu)» waiting' lor them 



"Q. Tlmt is their inarliiii ; — A. Yes. 



" (,>. 'riiey also sell to the Aiiierii ans ' — A. Yes ; they ^,'o in ;inil obtmii ,i :,'ii::it li^'sl ni Iniii ni Now- 

 rounillaiiil, lint SIP iiiiieli I'orliiiie ii.iy as al. St. .Jnliii's. 



' Q. The moil with jiilcs ol' inoiiey, wiiere tin tlioy live ' — A. They luin have pkiily ot" money nnd 

 yet live in ii jiovel. They arc not acnsihle eiioiiL;ii to enjoy tlie money iil'ler iluy have luaile it 



" IJ. We have lieeii lolil. on the contrary, that they spunil all their iiioiiey as fast as they got it on 

 rum and Inbauoo; did you linil that to he true '—A. I doubt that. For the last two or three years in 

 MuwfminiUand I ioiiiiii very tlnv men who dniuk riira, hut when I lirst went then I iound many mm 

 Iviukcrs. I lliiiik lliry iinist have had a liel'orm Clul> there. 



■' Q. Vou think llioy liavo. improved ! — A. Yes. They are coinfonalile in tlie;r lionie.-> 



•'Q. They ai-e .■^aviiiL; people ? — A. Yea. 



" Q. I mean thosi^ jieople who catch bail, who are paid in cash on tin' .spot : h.ive they any market 

 lor that e.^cept the French ami Aniericans ? -.\. 1 think not." 



Nothing has been attempted since to contradict that statement. It is in accord with 

 the nature of things. There is always danger in putting money in any man's hands, and 

 there is also danger in poverty. The wise man saw that poverty had its perils as well as 

 wealtii ; and nothing can be worse tor a people in the long run than tiie condition to 

 wiiicli tlic tishermcn of Newt'oundland had been reduced. And now, believing fully in 

 tiiis testimony of Mr. Macdonnell, I cannot doubt tiiat our coming among them and 

 lni\ing their bail, stimnlalin;;- them to work, and paying them money, has led to their 

 hoardin.;- money ; has led to the aiistinence from those habits which so beset the 

 lialf employed and tiie idle man, wlm has a large season of t lie year with nothing to 

 do, l)nt has a reasonable expectation thai, what with his labour and what with his credit, 

 somebody or other who owns a r~liip will support him and his laniilv. 



I would like, also, to call \oiir attention, on this (piestion of getting liait, which is 

 of some importance, to the test.iiionv of .Profes.Mir liaini. wliieii, 1 .>uppose. iioiu- of you 

 liave forgetten, whicii shov\'s thai we need not catch our bail tor thi' cod in British 

 waters, lie is iLsked, on page 1;>7 of the American evidence : — 



t^i. Well, now, what .are the iniliiods ivf prisfrvaliim of this bait f We iiavi li,>aiit m ti.eir using 

 sail liams, etc. Ua- much ntteiilion liecii paid to the possibility of '.^roatei preserv;itioii of the 

 bait tlian we have evor yet liml i — A. S'l.^, The .■icieiue >>\' jircserving bait, a? well im nf ijic preserva- 

 tion of fish on shipbuani, is very low iiHlfeil lAr below what can bo applied, and I lr,i\r im doubt will 

 bo applied, both in koei)iiiu tish for fooil ,iiid in keepiii'j; it for bait. 



" Q. Now, will yoM slate what oli-nvatioii yon have made respecliiiij ;Iie method of [ireserviiig- 

 fresh bait troiu the start all the voyajxe ihroiiu'li ;-- A. .\s a i^eneral rule it is now preserved i iilier by 

 salting or freezing,'. Of course they keep it as long as it will remain willioiit spoiling, and when you 

 have to c.my it beyond that time either ice ii or .salt ii. Salting, of eniiijie. is a very simple process, 

 but it alters materially the te.vlure and taste lo suoli a de'.;ree that tish or oilier bail ihat. under certain 

 circumstances, is liiglily prized by the lish, is lonked upon with a great deal of iiulifleieme when salted. 

 Now, there iH'o special inothodsofproserTingthe tisli or bait by .mnie chemical iirepaiiiiiiu. winch preserves 



