NEWFOUNDLAND, 
dillrifil being naked and barren. In fome parts of New¬ 
foundland there is timber fufticiently large for the build¬ 
ing of merchant-ftrips: the hulk is made of juniper, and 
the pine furniflies malls and yards ; but as yet none has 
been found large enough for a mall fora large cutter. 
“ The filhery is divided into two feafons ; that on the 
fhore, or the Jhore-J'eafon, commences about the 2,0th of 
April, and ends about the 10th of O&ober; the boats filh 
in from four to twenty fathoms of water. The moll im¬ 
portant, the bank-fjhing-feafon, begins the 10th of May, 
and continues till the lall of September, and is carried on 
in thirty to forty-five fathoms depth of water. Banking; 
veffels have failed from St. John’s to the bank as early as 
the 12th of April. At firft they ule pork or birds for a 
bait; but, as they catch filh, they fupply themfelves with 
a (hell-fifli called clams, which is found in the belly of the 
cod: the next bait is the lobfter; after that the herring 
and the launce, which laft till June, when the capelan 
comes on the coaft, and is another bait; in Augull the 
fquid comes into ufe, and finally the herring again. The 
greateft number of cod-filh taken by a fingle filherman in 
the feal’on has been 12,000, but the average is 7000. The 
largell fifii which has been taken was four feet three inches 
long, and weighed 46lbs. A banking veffel of 10,000 
filh ought to be filled in three weeks, and lb in proportion; 
and So quintals (112 lb. each) for a boat in the fame time. 
In 1785, 541 Englilli veffels filhed on the bank, a number 
exceeding that of the French. A heap of dried filh, twenty 
feet long and ten wide, and four deep, contains 300 quin¬ 
tals. An extraordinary fplitter will Ip lit five quintals of 
filh in an hour. The average in that time is two. There 
is no filhing during winter, on account of the inclemency 
of the feafon. It is fuppofed that the filh in a great mea- 
fure quit the banks before that time, as in general they 
are very fcarce when the filhing veffels go upon the banks 
early in the fpring.” 
Newfoundland is governed by a vice-admiral of the 
Britilh navy, whole jurifdiftion extends alfo overthe coall 
of Labrador. 
A pamphlet was printed in the year 1814, chiefly for 
local circulation, by Dr. Carfon, of St. John’s, which 
places the importance of this illand in the moll favoura¬ 
ble point of view. This trail was written in confequence 
of a recent ail of parliament whereby the inhabitants of 
St. John’s found themfelves aggrieved. We lhail make 
a few extrails, as the work itfelf is fcarcely known in 
this country. 
“Newfoundland (fays Dr. Carfon) is fituated in the 
entrance to the Gulf of St. Laurence, in longitude 52. 
to 59. W. in latitude 46. 40. to 51. 40. N. The illand is 
watered by many fine rivers, fome of which are navigable 
for more than twenty leagues. The lakes and ponds are 
numerous, many of them beautifully romantic. Of the 
foil little is known, everypojjibledifcouragement having-been 
placed in the way of agriculture. There are only a very 
few fpots reclaimed by an imperfeil hulbandry. The 
winters are not fo fevere as in the fame latitude in the 
continent of America, and do not fet in fo early. The 
lall week of lall December, the thermometer was but fel- 
dom under 40, and only one night as low as freezing; at 
prefent, January the 5th, there is neither frolt norfnow on 
the ground. Iron, copper, and even more precious metals 
are reported to have been found in the illand. Coal is 
known to abound in one diftrifl. 
“ In political and commercial points of view, the illand 
of Newfoundland merits more particular attention. Placed 
in the entrance to the Gulf of St. Laurence, a fmall 
naval power, advantageoully fituated, would be able to 
control the navigation of our river. The extenfive tradls 
of land along the banks of the river St. Laurence, and 
along the chain of lakes which interfeft this part of the 
American continent, nearly as far as the Pacific Ocean, 
are fo well calculated for producing herbage and corn, 
and all the advantages of a palloral and agricultural life, 
with a falubrious climate, a circumltance fo inviting to 
Voi.XVU. No. 1158. ' 
13 
fettlers, that the nations on the confines of the St. Lau¬ 
rence, and the lakes Ontario and Erie, promife v in a fliort 
time to become rich, populous, and powerful. In the 
fame proportion as they increafe in population and in 
wealth, the illand of Newfoundland will become of more 
importance to the commercial interells, and to the politi¬ 
cal interells of-Great Britain. It will be as a caitle guard¬ 
ing the plains that lead to thefe populous and fertile regions. 
It is nearer to Europe than any other part of the weltern 
liemifphere; with Britain, with Portugal, with the Me¬ 
diterranean, with the Well India illands, with the conti¬ 
nent of North and South America, it has a direfl and not 
a dillant navigation.” 
An illand fo fituated, fo fortified by nature, poffeffmg 
fuch natural fources of wealth, fuch capabilities of im¬ 
provement, cannot fail to interell the members of the 
Britilh fenate. Were the population, dift'ufed over the 
extenfive tradls of 'Britilh North America, to be concen¬ 
trated in Newfoundland, it would add more (fays Dr. C.) 
to the wealth, power, and political influence, of the mother 
country, than ten times the population fcattered over its 
extenfive poffeflions in North America. A dift'ufed popu¬ 
lation is necefi’arily feeble, and ill calculated for attack or 
defence. Britijh North America confiantly requires the aid 
of Britijh foldiers. Britijh gold is expended in cultivating- 
thofe fields that may one day be in pojfejjion of its enemies. 
One million of people concentrated in Newfoundland, 
well informed, and poffeffmg the freedom-infpiring fen- 
timents of Britons, would give more commercial enterprife^ 
and add more to the political influence of Britain, than 
ten times the number fcattered over its extenfive poffef- 
fions on the continent of North America. In Newfound¬ 
land might be concentrated a power, clad in a coat of 
mail, which the weapons of its enemies could not pene¬ 
trate, and at the fame time well calculated to pour its 
thunder on the heads of the enemies of Britain. 
That an ifland poffeffed of all thefe advantages, and 
having fo many capabilities of improvement, a commerce 
at once calculated to fill the coffers and to add to the 
ftrength of the Britilh empire, fhould be fo completely 
neglefled in all the effential points of colonization and of 
government, while fo many feeble, puny, and rickety, 
fettlements, are graced with a refident government and 
colonial affembly, is a matter of juft furprife, and cannot 
be reconciled to the dictates of wifdom or found policy. 
The following extract from apetitionof the inhabitants 
of St. John’s, to the prince regent, merits attention, as well 
from the reafonablenefs of the prayer of it, as from the 
points of local liiftory which it contains. 
“ Hitherto unaccuftomed to approach the throne, we 
are now induced to exercife that invaluable privilege for 
the purpofe of reprefenting to your royal highnefs, that 
the town of St. John’s contains ten thoufand inhabitants, 
and that upwards of five hundred fail of veffels from 
Great Britain and other countries entered the harbour 
during the preceding feafon. That the ifland has been 
governed by laws of an ancient date, calculated at the 
time they were enafled to promote the welfare of the fifli- 
ery, but inapplicable to exilting circurnftances. Then, 
certain trails of ground in this town, denominated Jkips ’ 
rooms, were appropriated to the public ufe, and fo conti¬ 
nued until the laft feffion of parliament, when we were 
furprifed to find an afl had paffed, intituled, An Aft 
for taking away the public ufe of certain ftiips’ rooms in 
the town of St. John’s, in the ifland of Newfoundland, 
See. See. See. 
“That our governor, fir John Thomas Duckworth, 
K.B. has dil'poied of thefe (hips’ rooms on building-leafes, 
on terms fo exorbitant and unprecedented, that part of 
them have been leafed at the rate of leven hundred pounds 
per acre per annum, producing an income of near tw r o 
thoufand pounds. The enormous rents obtained for thefe 
vacant fpots can only be accounted for, from the circum- 
ftance of his majefty’s mod dutiful and loyal fubjefls 
being prevented building dwelling-lioufes, and on fome 
E occafions 
