Each fisherman received, besides, before his departure from port, a 

 gratuity and an advance which constituted the principal part of his remuner- 

 ation. In general, the giving of advances and the mode of sharing varied 

 notably from one port to another. As on all boats going for distant expedi- 

 tions, the feeding of the fishermen was then based on salt fish. Scurvy, con- 

 sequently, was prevalent among them. As a result, the crew took to the cus- 

 tom of feeding themselves on the products of their fishery in a proportion 

 more or less important and the state of health would progressively improve. 



Departure from the ports of outfitting took place in February or March. 

 The return was from October to December, according to whether the boat 

 had succeeded in getting its load more or less quickly, so that the fishery 

 was followed, in general, from April to October, sometimes up to Novem- 

 ber. 



The cod being everywhere abundant in Newfoundland waters and in the 

 neighboring regions of Cape Breton and Acadia, the main question for the 

 captain was to find for the season a bay presenting good conditions for the 

 drying of fish, which was done ashore on the beaches. The better of these 

 sandy beaches have extended level stretches of large pebbles which hold the 

 heat of the sun and furnish better conditions for aeration and drainage of the 

 moisture. At first there was room for everybody but with the rapid increase 

 of the number of boats, the choice of the better places led to many disputes. 



The Malouins (natives of St. Malo), who were soon the most numerous 

 and, with their corsair temperament, the most resolute in defending their 

 places, had at an early time adopted as their exclusive fief the northern 

 peninsula of the island, which they called Petit- Nord. According to Father 

 Charlevoix, the fish were somewhat smaller there than in the Placentia Bay 

 to the south of the island, but were better suited for the Mediterranean and 

 Levant trade, a statement which indicates that at the time of that historian 

 of the 17th century, the cod was a commodity of distant export for the French 

 dealer. 



In order to guard against intrusion, the Malouin flotillas were accom- 

 panied by coast guard (garde- cotes) vessels armed at community expense 

 and, as these boats, which did not take part in the fishery, moved from one 

 bay to another in exercising their surveillance, they used the opportunity to 

 land "barbers", the presence of whom among the fishermen resulted, to 

 their profit, in the first organization of medical assistance. 



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