146 A summer's cruise to northern LABRADOR. 



had been driven off of their own fishing-grounds and 

 obliged to spend the season on this coast, he replied, 

 "Oh, it was the French. Our fishermen have been on 

 this coast for seventy years. It was after the treaty 

 that the French began to fish from Cape St. John 

 around to Cape Ray, and for forty-six years we have 

 come up here in this way. By this treaty the French 

 were not allowed to take anything away from the shore, 

 nor to cut timber above a certain size, and were not, 

 and still are not allowed to reside on the island of New- 

 foundland. They leave from fifty to seventy men to 

 take care of the fishing establishments or ' rooms, ' an 

 officer being set over every ten men to keep them in 

 subordination, while a doctor is stationed at each ' room. 

 The men live like dogs, cooking out of doors ; they are 

 allowed the first catch of fish for themselves. They 

 cook Sundays — after early morning prayers — and work 

 the rest of the day." It is needless to add that the French 

 are looked upon as intruders by the English settlers. 



The Newfoundlanders themselves, at least the poorer 

 families, are obliged to fish on credit, running in debt 

 for their outfit, which is worth ;^i90, including salt. 

 When the season is over and the fish is sold, they may 

 clear ;^i5, as they often obtain 350 quintals of fish. 

 The "longshoremen," of whom there are here seven 

 families, are sadly improvident, often giving up fishing 

 towards the last of the season and idling ; hence as the 

 result, when the traders have failed them, they are re- 

 duced, as happened last winter, to actual starvation. 

 Owing to the lack of fresh meat and vegetables they are 

 afflicted with the scurvy. One man thus suffering 

 showed me one of his legs, which was swollen nearly 



