236 A GLANCE AT THE CIVIL HISTORY OF LABRADOR. 



newspaper statements of famines in Labrador due to- 

 the failure of the fisheries m late years, that the white 

 population of the coast has been somewhat diminished, 

 and we doubt if the total population exceeds 12,000. 



For the following brief history of Labrador we are in- 

 debted to the chapter on Labrador in Hatton and Har- 

 vey's excellent work on Newfoundland. 



The boundaries between Newfoundland and Canadian 

 Labrador are thus defined in the " Letters- Patent Consti- 

 tuting the Office of Governor and Commander-in-chief of 

 the Island of Newfoundland": "We have thought fit 

 to constitute order and declare that there shall be a Gov- 

 ernor and Commander-in-chief (hereinafter called our 

 said Governor) in and over our Island of Newfoundland,, 

 and the islands adjacent, and all the coast of Labrador, 

 from the entrance of Hudson's Straits to a line to be 

 drawn due north and south from Anse Sablon on the 

 said coast to the fifty-second degree of north latitude, 

 and all the islands adjacent to that part of the said coast 

 of Labrador, as also of all forts and garrisons erected and 

 established, or which shall be erected and established, 

 within or on the islands and coasts aforesaid (which said 

 islands and coast, together with the Island of Newfound- 

 land, are hei^einafter referred to as our said colony), and 

 that the person who shall fill the said office of Governor 

 shall be from time to time appointed by commission 

 under our sign-manual and signet." 



In 1 864 the boundaries of the Newfoundland portion 

 of Labrador were thus defined :* " The western limit of 

 the government of Newfoundland is lat. 51" 25' N., 



* Appendix to the " Journal of the House of Assembly," 1864, p. 613. 



