298 Life of Audubon. 



Here he found twenty sail of Labrador fishermen at 

 anchor, and obtained the information which enabled him 

 to write the following episode. 



" Although I had seen, as I thought, abundance of 

 fish along the coasts of the Floridas, the numbers which T 

 found in Labrador quite astonished me. Should your 

 surprise while reading the following statements be as great 

 as mine was while observing the facts related, you will 

 conclude, as I have often done, that Nature's means for 

 providing small animals for the use of large ones, vice 

 versa, are as ample as is the grandeur of that world which 

 she has so curiously constructed. The coast of Labrador 

 is visited by European as well as American fishermen, all 

 of whom are, I believe, entitled to claim portions of fish- 

 ing ground, assigned to each nation by mutual under- 

 standing. For the present, however, I shall confine my 

 observations to those who chiefly engage in this depart- 

 ment of our commerce. Eastport in Maine sends out 

 every year a goodly fleet of schooners and ' pick-axes ' to 

 Labrador, to prociu'e cod, mackerel, halibut, and some- 

 times herring, the latter being caught in the intermediate 

 space. The vessels from that port, and others in Maine 

 and Massachusetts, sail as soon as the warmth of spring 

 has freed the gulf of ice, that is from the beginning of May 

 to that of June. 



" A vessel- of one hundred tons or so is provided with 

 a crew of twelve men, who are equally expert as sailors 

 and fishers, and for every couple of these hardy tars a 

 Hampton boat is provided, which is lashed on the deck or 

 hung in stays. Their provision is simple, but of good 

 quality, and it is very seldom any spirits are allowed ; beef, 

 pork, and biscuit, with water, being all they take with 

 them. The men are supplied with warm clothing, water- 

 proof oil jackets and trousers, large boots, broad-brimmed 

 hats with a round crown, and stout mittens, with a few 



