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SHORTIS PAPERS
VoI.2,Pt.l
.. ' c., ~
MAY
41m

'l'HE SPANIARDS - OUR OLDES1.' CUSTONERS
(I. I
Il.F.Shortis-Historiog~~
It is my intention to devote my few remarks here tonight
principally to my personal knowledge to the many Spaniards that
visited Newfoundland during the sixties of the past century, when
I was a boy. As an introduction it is necessary to give a short
outline of the very earliest history of our country in fact the
Spanish connection dates back to pre-historic times.
'I:here wasno
greater authority on our early history than the illustrious prelate
this late lamented Archbishop Howley and in the last article that
he made for the IINewfoundland Quarterly" magazine on our Name Lore I
he told us that there was undoubted proof that the Spaniards or
basque fishermen had visited and traded with the Indians of Newfoundland
fully forty years previous to John Cabot's discovery of
our country.
The very name Daccalaus, which Sebastian Cabot
christenedourIsland,isoneoftheverystrongestproofs.
Cabot
thought that the word Baccalaus, which the Indians repeated so often,
had reference to the name of the country, whereas the Red Indians
were really enquiring whether the new arrivals \'1ere in seax:ch of
codfish,astheSpahiardshadcalleditsoofteninpreviousyears.
Spain made claims to certain Rights of the Discayans to fish in
recognize them. I firmly believe~_that, if this subject were more
deeply investigated in the old Spanish records, confirmation of their
prior discovery to that of John Cabot would be early demonstrated.
It must be remembered that, in olden times 1 a Royal Charter was a
wonderful advantage to the adventurer
\\C\\lSC'L\'>·h.O" -\lr:>",'\~"'- fX-'-'i-"'\~ o~ \,\ Ii :"\1(,\,-h",/ \)~L ~\ ( \
\.\\ "he P\C'v~\\C""-( I-\\'\\'¥~'I -'31 ~)~ (I"C,.

Columbus and Cabot stand on pedestals, whereas those who had
beaten the track and prepared the \'lay for them, are wholly forgotten.
I could mention many other instances or Royal Charters, such
as Gasper Cortoreal of Portugal, Jacques Cartier of France, men,
who, by their influence at Court, took precedence of others who
had been discoverers here long before them.
In the year 149B, we have the information, from a letter written
by Pedro de Ayala, the Spanish Consul in England, that he had seen
Cabot's chart showing the discovery of the "New Island" to be about
four hundred leagues from England, which he considered was the same
landdiscoveredbySpanishsubjec.ts.
'!'hese early Spanish or Basque fishermen were not above shore,
but they were also daring whalers or sealers.
Their adventures to
kamea
Islands in search of seal and walrus are duly chronicled, even
by the English.
These hardy Biscayans continued their voyages here
right up to December.
We have the record in 1577 that the Basque fleet was frozen up
in Newfoundland or Labrador, and five hundred and forty men perished.
In the Spanish records of 1553, we find that t\W hundred ships and
six thousand men were employed in Newfoundland.
King Philip wished to send a convoy of ships of war with them,
but the Biscayans, thanking the King, preferred to go without the
convoy, believing they were safer in twos and threes than they would
be in a large fleet.
Heavy taxes were the bane and curse of these Biscayan fishermen,
and. they carried on their trade in spite of their Government, who
never missed a chance to tax them heavily.
'l'he numerous wars between Spain and England, before and after
the great invasion of the Invinciblel\rrnatlc in 1580, has serious
consequences to the Spanish adventurers in Nfld. at that time.

'I'he great fleet of Basque fishermen practically disappeared
from newfoundland after that date.
The defeat of the Spanish Armada was a terrible blow to the
ascendancy of Spain.
From that date the British, who had been "Singling the beard
of the Spanish King", as Drake called it, now took the lead, and
had been Mistress of the Seas ever since, and long may Britain rule
In 1601, we
find the Spanish men-of-war trying to intercept
The hatred of the English for the Spanish at this period is
well known to all Britishers. To be captured by a Spaniard spelled
death. There was a proberb current throughout Spain at that time
that exemplifies the fierce fighting of our British ancestors;
"War with the world but peace with England",
'l'hedesperatefightingofDrakeandGrenvillehadbutthe
fear of the British in the Spanish heart.
With facts like these
before us, it is easy to understand why the British authorities
in all their treaties with Spain refused to allow them any fishing
Elizabeth never missed a favorable opportunity to have a hit at the
Spanish King or his people.
She and her advisors knew that the
inevitable day for a great fight was approching, and she was ,~eady
and willing to take up the gauntlets at any moment, and with that
Nhen the Treaty of Utrecht was signed in 1713, it contained a
very ambiguous clause, granting to the Biscayans and other inhabitants
of Spain "all the privileges to which they can with right pretend",

The Biscayans took it for granted, and were probably led to
believe by their own Government, that their claims for fishing rights
in Newfoundland to be allowed.
I~e know for certain that the Biscayans continued to trade
with Placentia, as the old tomb-stones, dated 1676 and 1694, are
still to be seen there, showing that they must have had a very
intimate relationship with the old town.
A sketch of these old
tomb-stones, \"ith inscriptions and explanations, taken by our late
patriotic prelate, Archbishop Howley, was published in book form,
and distributed amongst our literary people.
In 1715, some Biscayans arrived at Placentia, and the British
Government at onee ordered them off.
lIe told them his reading of
the 1'reaty was such that the Spaniards should not enjoy any privileges
under the Treaty.
It is said that Biscayan traders registered their
vessels under British mmership, and sailed under theBritish flag.
A case, as late as 1765, is kno\'ln, where two of those vessels
were found to be really owned by Spaniards.
The last attempt that we find recorded of Spain laying eliam
to fishing rights in Newfoundland occurred in 1761.
A Treaty was
being arranged between England and France, when proceedings were
suddenly interrupted by Spain advancing her claims, which were
strongly supported by France.
l"lilliam Pitt soon put a stop to that movement, and in a. letter
to the British Ambassador at Nadrid, he informed them that "no
concession ,;auld be yielded to Spain, no matter how strongly abetted
and supported.
1'othevisitortoSt. John's during thc early sixties and
middle seventies, the contract between the city of those days and
that of today, is painfully apparent; I mean in an industrial point

of view, having regard to our staple industry-the cod fishery.
In those days, from the first of July to the last of October,
the waterfront of St. John's, as far as shipping is concerned, is
comparatively deserted.
An occasional cargo and passenger boat,
paying us their weekly visits, are a melancholy substitute fod the
flotilla of Spanish brigs and bargues, as well as brigantines and
sloops, whioh swing in the stream from Kenneth McLea's in the West
End to Fox and Harvey's in the East End.
Those vessels presented a splendid appearance with their trim
and well-kept-rigging, with their taut masts, surmounted by the
Spanish flag floating in the breeze, although for the past year
or so (1917) several small Spanish vessels have arrived and
purchased cargoes of fish, and returned to their m

In the days I speak of, Newfoundl"and was in a highly prosperous
position, notwithstanc1ing that the price of fish was very much below
what it has reached during the past few years, and this prosperity,
I have no hesitation in saying, was largely due to the annual presence
of the Spanish fleet in our waters.
Their presence here meant employment to sail makers, iron-workers,
carpenters, butchers, farmers, laborers, etc, and whatever was done
directly for the ships, the captains of those vessels paid with a
generous hand. It was a pleasure to deal with those captains. They
were gentlemanly and courteous, and the spirit of the hidalgos was
conspicuous in everyone of them.
The principal firms, which dealt largely with those Spanish
owners and captains were those 'Of W. H. Thomas, C. F. Bennett &
Co. J. \'1. Stewart, Baine Johnston & Co., Job Bros. & Co., .Lawrence
O'Brien, while to a less extent the firms of Kenneth NcLea & Sons,
Hogshett & Co., R. Alsop & Co., Wesson & Co., Fox & Harvey, Stabb,
Rowe & llolmwood, loaded several each during the season.
To give some idea as to the amount of wealth brought into their
country by the Spaniards in the early days of our country's history,
and especially during the mic1dle of the past century, I shall relate
an events that took place somwwhat over seventy years ago.
In a certain year of that period, four large Spanish vessels
arrived at St. John's from Spain late in the Fall of the year to
purchase fish for the Spanish market, but owing to some cause, probably
the weather being unsuitable for c1rying the staple, they were
It was a very cold winter and St. John's Harbor was frozen
Over that month, and in those days we have no ice-breakers of the
Nascopce style to keep the Harbor open. In fact, \ole had no steamers

of any sort - nut even a John Green or an InGraham.
One tright frosty day a commotion was created in St. John's
by a num'.:>er of horses and catamarans l,roceeding down ·~la.ter ::it.,
surrounded by a guard of special constables armed with [luns, which
n turally drew hundreds of the curious ",-nongst our citizens to the
scene, to ascertain l·..'hat Has the unusual occurrence. Box-carts Here
placed upon the catamarans, and these carts were filled up with
scores of small bags, containing Spanish dollars to the amount of
$64,oao. This amount ,laS deposited in the Bank of British North
AmeriCa in the East End of St. John's, in payment for the four
cargoes purchased by the owners of the "'panish vessels.
The loads of silver dollars were conveyed across the hprbor
over the ice, and tre old gentlemen, from \-rhom I r_eceived there
particulars, "as one of the Party who accompanied the procession,
an~ who Has, at the time, a clerk in the emplo:,- of the firm of C.
F. Bennett Co.
The gre,t majority of those vessels wore owned by merchants
in the Spanish ports of San Sabastian, Bilboa , Valencia, Nalaya,
Seville, Denia and Barcelone.
Some of those vessels were over t,;o hundred t~ns, but the majority
"ere under one hundred and fifty.
They were the "'lisa, Brugs,
"uinta, Fipita, PaguettedeTerraNova, Avelina, Louisita,Activa,
Gaba, Observador, Sieta, Basilia, Beatriz, Dos Hermanos, Joven Carlos,
Vid, ..>ocita, LuisD Villa, 1'orrillico, An'!elica, Romans, Cid Campeador
an d many others.
There were two or three of the one family masters of vessels
tho.t arrived here from loJpain, a~onest Hho:n I remember t"ro Dominiques
nnd three brothel'S of the family of Paris. 'l'he former belon,,;ed to
Vplencia and the latter to the littJe tmm of Venia, which annually
eXt'orts four rnilllons of oran!'Te s aSl.;el] qS other' fpuits. Thero

\{ S nlso n~othe't· .:)panish captain \-1011 kno\·n in .::)t. John's, namod
lloberts, ;rho remained in lle,,d'oundland for about t;,leve ",onths to
bacome proficient in the ,Cn£jlish laneuage. He was a native of
San Sab"stian, and attended the famous Gram",ar School at Harbor
Grace, presided over by John Irving Hoddick, father of ':>ir 'J:homas
G. "oddick, the famous physician of Nontreal.
In those daYs it ;raS customary for any School ;rorthy of the
name to have the ::>panish lan8uage in its curriculums, md many of
our lIeHfoundlanders ;rere quite proficient in that tongue.
The :nost of us, in middle life or over, remember Hr. Patrick
Comerford, Thomas ;;ater md his brother Richard (sons of the famous
master - marin"r Capt. };ater, ;rho first ran the mails between Halifax
and St. John's) lHchael Kearney and many others in i:)t. John's. Hr.
Comerford for many years. I may say" that very few of the better.
off clasS of our people ;rho attended our Colleges, or such Schools
as the Grammar School of Carbonear, prcsideil over by that brilliant
classical scholar Alexander O'Donavan, N. A. ". Trinity College,
Dublin, or the Gr8ll'_mar Scheol at Harbor Groce, but had a very good
knO\;ledge of t"e Spanish l_nguage, ;rhich HaS quickly improved by
their continuous intercourse Hith the Spaniards ;rho arrived annually,
and Here ever ready to render all the assistance possible to enable
the youth to become ;.roficient in the grmd old language of Cnstile.
J.t was no unusual event for the merchants to send one of their
young clerks "cr'oss to u pain to stUdy the lansuage amongst the people
as Hell as to Get ffi'\ insight into the business methods of our good
friends m d customers in the land of the Dons.
One of trese :·:as myoId school-mate, the late I·ir. ·'m. Badcock,
who died in Cetalina about twent~'-five years ago. He resided ;n
"",;ain for nearly t;ro years, and ,·,as a remarkably brilliant younf"
man.
'J:helatoP.:,'i.Kiclly, fathcrof;:.A. O'DKelly, the auctioneer,

etc,h'flS alsoathorouchvpanish .... cholnr.
I could name scores here, as well o.S the outports, who ,·,ere
masters of the "panish language, and who imparted their knowledge
to their frient's during their leisure hours.
The late illustrions
prelate, Bishop J';ullock, was a profound "'panish scholar, and received
much of his education at the University of COimba in "pain.
In the dark days of Ireland, the Irish race alHays found a home
and a welcome on the hospitable shores of ronny "pain.
The Spanish
peoPle received them ;Iith open arms, and many of the Irish refugeesknown
as the l.Hld Geese - rose to eminence in that land, taking leading
positions in the Army, Navy, Church, politics an'i every other walk
ole cannot read the history of Spsi n Hi thout taking notice of
the important part played in that history by such Irish Exiles as
r·'arshal O'Donnell, Duke of Tetuan; Marshal Primm, the King Nakel';
Prendegast, Prcmier of Spain, and mm y othe rs whose descendants
ere todaY holding tile most prominent and honorable positions in
Church and State.
They accomplished the same meritoriouse3 and brilliant career
in sunny Spain as did their felloH-exiles - the Hac !-lations, Neils,
Dillons, etc, of Frmce - the Nugents and Tafes of Austria, O'Roukres
of Russia, Laceys of Italy, O'HigL,ins of Chili, O'Briens and Donohoes
of I';exico, Carrolls, SUllivans, Sheridans etc, of the United States,
in a word, they were found foremost in war, politics, learning, etc,
in every country in Europe, A:n.eric B , Austria, Canad~ and elseHhere,
inclUding Newfoundland.
A country tr3.t produced such heroes as (;olumbus, Pizarra, Hernundo
Cortex, Ponce de Leon; such artists us Velasc;uez and Eurillu;
such Hriters oS Cervantes; sUGhdef"endersof"ChristianityasLo;rola
pni' St. 'fherasu; such menarcho 113 Charl~'s V. and hundreds of ethcr9,

"Lo made the name or Spain respected in all parts or the loO>:;,lrl, must
occupy a prominent place in history 1'01' all time. -'ho has not heard
or that brilliant md proround scholar and orator, the late Emelio
C.stellar, whose polished diction, poetic imagery and serried arguments,
supplemented by his irresustable convincingness and impassioned
rerver or his delive,'y, made his orations clossic gems chiselled
to a point or perrection.
I have orten heard it said that the ;)panierds were 'an ignorant
re.ce. How little such people, who make this statement, knO\< about
that country and her people!
Her Universities from time irmnemorial have been famous amongst
the people or Et-rope. They are to be round in ever)' city, - madrid,
Seville, Salarnanca, SaragossB, Valencia, Coirnbr", etc, and. eVQn in
t! e \pillroIns not of the puro ;)r>nnish race, nnd I

m"Y hore state that his fathor HaS a Sootchman. But, all the same,
ho inherited ,,11 the c;enuis of his country, Hhich produced a hurillo
anlhich we:'e kept a plentiful suplyofpoultry. 'l'hesehen-coops
were on ~ock, [.enerally aft, but I have often seen the poultry kept
on bOard, and ayoun'; pig or two also.
They apprently lived very comfortably, havine an abundance of
fruit, pastry, pilot biscuits, etc,butitHouldap:.earthateven
the pleasins aroma :from toe Havana cigars and cigarettes had to eive
way before the strong fumes of garlio, with Hhich their food seemed
In the afternoons and early morninr':s they >lent fishinr;, and
utilized certain fish as a relish, that \·re NeHfoundl"nders ",o~ld
bo very reluctant to touch as an article of diet.
I h"ve often soen them [.0 in the cOuntl'y >lith their guns and
shoot robin-,>ectbroast, ",hieh they pronounce" to be ~eliciouR.
They
cooko'lthem nries, anol theycortainlyenjoyed their repast, and
Here sllrprisect \·r!uJn I toli! the:n thnt \;0

.'llHflJ~S dreH a laree number of citlzons to the water - front to viOt"
the scene.
All the Spanish crews left their ships at acertllin hour,
I should say, aboutsevenC'clock. Thelargostboattooktholearl
on the Haters of the Harbor, andin her were eight stalVlart sailors,
who were all ready with the Oars in the row-locks.
'rhen some ten ,or a dozen small boats, ,.ith several of the orews,
amongst whom VIere the misicians and "boneall. At a given signal the
head boat HaS set in motion by the oarsmen, the musicians struck up
with their guitars, and their assistmts with their "bones", which
they ,·rielded betHsen thrir fingers, and one and all sung.
>lith
melodious voices the love-songs of their country to the t.lU18S on
the guitars, and the rhythmic splash of the oars added a picture.
es~ueness to the scene that Hould compel one to imagine that he
"oS, for a tame, transplanted to the smiling and verdant ban'cs of
the Douro and Guedalquivnr in the neighborhooo of Seville or some
other city in the land of sunny Spain.
In this menner they proceeded to River 'Head, where the fresh
I'later runs into the sea; and then commenced their wo·rk, Hhich, ",hen
completed the garments ,·rere bro ght the respective vessels and hun:>
otto dry.
Their clothing was of the most variegated colours -red, yelloH,
green, blue, pink, etc, and as the garments ioJaved about they gave
a kallicloscopic appe",rance to the scene.
Very man:)'. of them had
their ears orna..'11ented with rings, some of them of hu~e dimens·i~ns.
rhey",ereparticularlypartialtocoloureiineck-ties.
'i'heyappeared
to be a social creH, and the captain always treated them kindly.
As a rule, the ca:.)inboy or apprentice vIaS a son or relative of the
r;aptainormate.
They ah!aya treated our people with frL.it, wine, mite, etc, nnrl
it was asourcoofp;reatplollsure to listen to theirvulr'-son fT :

their COU"lt"y, l'ecounting the wonderful e",,,loits of the Cid Conpeador
in some other r,roat horo of the past, when Chivalry was the chief
chr:racteristic of their people in their continuiris encounters with
the I':oors, or ho\.; some fE:VloUS Knight of Calatrava, or Castile carrieo.
off his lady love from all the efforts of the infuriated father to
prevent the motch.
'rhe guitars accompanied the sinz,ers, and it appeared
to me
that every ::ipanish that Came under :ny notice in those
daYs of old Has a musician, at least as far as their favorite in-
They wel'e very regular at Church, and at l~st Hoss on Sunday
you "ould rarely find any of the crew cn board except the cook.
They were alHays neatly and expensively dressed. I mean the Cap-
General1~"
they had velvet cOats, white, red or variQ.£!J.ted
coloured silk vests, coloured pants and dainty coloured patent leather
shoes,
At great festivals they invariably assisted in decorating
the Church, and truly they were master hands at that Hork. The r;reat
prelate, Bishop r:ullock, Has a great admirer of the "punish people,
and did not hesitate to tell his Olm consre!3ation his favorable
opinion of them, and took every opportunity to ShOH his esteem and
respect for them by inviting the Captain and office:'s to the Palace.
An amusins was Hitnessed in St. John's Hhen the Spanish sailors
assembled at niGht in Job's Cove and other like places to dis:,ose of
their pine appels, nuts, doug. nuts, oran~eG, etc, and a laree ex'oJ]
of peO"le usu'llly come forth to purchase the fruit, etc, Hilich tl1l
sailors broU'·;ht on speCUlation to mako a fOI; dallal'S for themselves.
A buzz of voices from the ....poniards, nre~se~ in an i..f'inite
VRriety of colour a nnd costumes, salute -1 the o!\r, find the np~:eal
of tol: e vendors us they c xl::.. i~; i ter1 the i r CtIO.ice f1"' Uits, etc, \.f1 t h,
"Vnya que bar-ato; ho visto ustCd ll - (che.ilp, chet~p, ;you must never 3:,1\-1

Tho ladies, too, most effectually playcd their port in the Babelliko
panto~t1imc, and many Here the i:':err~r" jocumd laughs and spicy,
smart rejoiners that pass d round, Hhile the induotrious and ubiquitous
"small boy" had his eye to business to lift one of the pine
appels, etc, to enjoy a good palstable feed at his ease at one of
his usual res 0 r t s on '~iatty I S v1h ar f or e 1 s e ~'1here .
At times their love of :cusic \;Quld overcome the, and in melodious
vo 1ce s they \..~ould s to ike ou t :
Un~ noctre tan her:noca,
l'~e con-;.ridan a pascar,
Fel'oco:oyladi'"o
en the 16th September, 1861, a sad event occurred Hhich resulted
in the loss of a 3partish boy, a me!11ber of the cre\ol of the ~panish
brisantina l-':ar8ue~'ita. A strong ea1e of' Hind \-laS bloHing at the
time and to save the ship from being injured b:r striking against
Qlorien's wharf', to H'hich shw Has ;:Ioored to take in a car[';O or
codfish, it "'?s deciC'ec to haul her out in the horbor.
'l'he vessel had no ballast in at the time, and the force of ,i nd
WIS such that the vessel capsixed in the harbor, and all the cre"
monaged to escape escept the poor little cabin boy. The vessel Has
subsequently tOi.·lsd up to 1IeHman's whaef, where f,:r. Samuel \ialsh,
ship carpenter, ~uickly placec her on an even Keel and superinterrl ed
all the necessary repairs.
She afterHards loaded at O'Brien's am
sailed for the "ranish market.
The ~paninrds, as I krncH them were a V8PY social, courteous
and in.terestinG clans of men.
They did evepythinp: in their po,,,ers
to amus" the people and mixed with them upon ell occClsions. In the
ni"ht they visitod several houses, and pl~yerl end danced to theip
national tunes until 10 O'clock.
They r.hruys conrlucted themselves as

-15-
entloPlen, Horthy so~ons of the hidalgos of Old Castile. Cur peo. Ie
inv"riabl"J- took part in those entcrtain:nents.
DurinstheRelcettathoytookadeepinterestinit,llnddidall
in their rm,er to m~ke it a suocess. In those days boating, HaS a
favorite pastime, and the young men and young T,-IOmen were always certRin
to be acco.':modated by the ::ipanish oaptains [ind crews, by placinG
their boats (either sailor row boats) at their disposal.
And further
they alHays "rovided the:n with delicacies in the shapa of nonintoxicoting
Hines, tc, I ment~on these facts beCause they call "p
pleasant mereories of my youthful da)'s.
Ann no", the "toanish flaG is seldom seen in St. ,John's or Harbor
Gr ca. rrheir places are taken up by NOrlrJegians, Dutch, end Swedes.
The ':>t 31 ish vessels -..rere of a superior class, many of them real
clip;-·ers, well kept in rigf?;ing and runrling bear; beautifully painted
ani their arfieers and crews Here by no means nig~ardlJ in their
dealings with our people of all classes. On the other hanel, the
majority of other foreign ships, Dutch, SHades, Nor'.-;egians, etc,
are by no reoans a handsome class of ships .. They gener-ally have a
cre\1 of four or five man - they are :nise_able specim.ens of marine
architecture, and man)"" of them are of so ancient date and construction
that, to use a familiar nautical phrase, they "have their rudders
o",t of doors". They run the ships as cheaply as possible, and these
ships are not noted for their sailing qualities, and unless they are
fortunate enou:.;h to have a fair win1 their pas3aees are always so,.,ewnatlenethy.
Cf oourse they oharter cheo"er than Hould En::;lish or "pa-'1ish
vessels, butthenthel>ewasaluaysadifficult.'!in(';cttin' the:nto
I PO ceed to cartain in the !'~e d i t err un i an, be cause t hey Dr e forbidden
tOdosoby their Govrnment.
In the sevonties of the past cent~y the .jpanish fleet visitins

ou' Shoresbe

verypopulpr. certainlJ" proved himself to bo a bravo m.'ln.
There were three or'
four atte:npts to assassinate Alfonso since he
ascended the 1'hrone, but he escaped without injury.
At present
peace and prosperity exists in the country~' and great efforts are
being made to develop the resources.
During the past ten or twleve years, notwithstanding the loss
of at 1 her Colonial possessions, "pain had made rapid strides in
advancement, 8!ld had e;reatly reduced her national debt. She is
gradually building up a Navy, and her numerous iron and other mines
ere no"" Horked as they gave not been worked for many years.
The youn~ King aPl,ears to have a mind of: his ol·m, and does not
hesitate to use it Hhen occasion resuires. It is a good thine for
Net...folmdland tha.t ~pain is rising in prosperit~r and peace, becpuse,
after all, she had ahJaYs been our chief customer for our staple
industry, ane is likelll to remain so for all time, provided HO trade
her fairly.
It is a romarkable fact that if one ",ould secure a good Nel;-
found land doc: - so famous in song and story for fidelity and intelligence
- he 'lOuld have to procure one in "pain. In the old days
when lorge numbers of the "panish vessels visited our Shores, the
captains and officers dweYs purchased a couple of these famous
animols, and nOH I am told, that the eristocr.-cy of "pain always
have one or more of them on their premises or estetes ..
"ewfoundlanders did not knoH hOH to vD.lue them, and li'gi'~tated
them out of existance from the month of the policeman's rifle.
I
could relate many ncts of wanton and cold-blooded destruction of
those noble Animals by tho poiHce in years gone by, more es,Jecially
when they received a dollor for each d0f, shot.. I have seen ~cores
of thRpure brccdofHe'rlfoundlanddo:.;s r-un.rdinrthesheepannevorythln,,;
else about thoir m:1stt:r'sl ~romise~, but J. have nevor' kno\·m cnc

-18-
of thOl1 to destroy nsheep or nnythingolse.
At heme "nd abroad they h"ve alHo.ys been noted for sRving life.
'i'he ;Spanish captains Paid fifty dollars and over for one of those
noble animals, and I remember one Case when the CHuer refused one
hundred dollars. And yet the Same dog was destroyed a felf doys
latter, because the legislators made out theydestroyed sheepand
poultry.
In the late fifties and sixties of the past century there ,,;as
one captain of the "'panish fleet very po,:ular amongst all classes
in St. John1s, more particularly amongst the mercantile com.>mmity,
end that waS Capt. r'~onserette, of the brizantine "Ricardoll, which
Has lost at St. Shotts in July 1863. He after,lerds visited St. John's
as moB-star of the briGantine 1I}~a.Tlola".. He \-.!as 8. ver;l "tasty" man,
and carne ashoredrossedinbluckfrockcoat,v.rhitevestan1shininr;
top-hat. He was always 2 Holcome at all social functions,
frequontly invited to Government House.
There was also another captain, "-lho l,-rUS a Great favorite '\-lith
the people, vi?; Capt. uarciaofthe splendid brig lI,e;nrique".
He
was e native of Alicante, end ",as employed in the fish trade for
I:1any years. He elHays brouGht several gold fish, which "ere to te
seen swimming 3bout in large s:lass globes, and Here much admired
by visitors on board ship.
He left those fish as a present to his special friends, ~revious
to his depnrture on his seveval voyages on return to ,.)pain.
Thene
little fish are noted for their longerity, and I have rep.d sorne't.J'herc
that several of them re still alive in the Huseum of Odessa, nussia,
whichHereplnced thcrein the reicn of Peter the Great.
Very f CH .., Panis h esseIs v isite rl l~ c"foundlanrl durinc the e ighties
and for neveral years not one visited our tibaros - more especiAlly
durinl3theninetios.
AsIsaidbefore·this\-lasngreatlossto

our peorIa, as they \-J'ere f~00d custoMers, e.rl.d paid cash dO\tln f'or' dl
theypurch"scd.
From my o,m cxperience, and I was well ac,,"uainted with many
of them in my carly days, they were a liberal class of men, "'ho
sought nothins but the best, either from the shop-keepers, tradesmeJ;j,
farmers, or any other class of our people with whom they had dealings.
For some inexplicable reason our mercantile 1.' riends appeared,
in Vlter years, to havc preferred our ~reat rivals - the l:orHe~icns -
to visit our shorcs "nd secure oharters which Here formerly in tte
hen ds of the "panish themselves.
For some reason "e legish ted to
Eet clear of them a nd "e succeeded.
The last scene of all in the "panish connection with Hewfoundlend
occurred in 1911. On the 1st January of that year, the "panish
barc,ua "Gu"delhorce" arrived in St. John's after a lonG passaRe from
Lalaca. She \laS so long on the VOY8ge thst all hopes of her safety
were given up, but, at lest, shewasreportedoffCapertaceandHas
tOHed to port. Her creH Hcre unused to a sea-raring life-their
clothinf' was unsuitable 1.'01' facing a lleHfoundland winter end they
presented a;Jitifulappearanceupon their arrival in St. John's.
The Rev. Father OICallahan, the ;;)panish ConSUl ~':orey and citi7.cns
generally interested themselves in the poor felloHs, and Hith the
usual generosity of NeHroundlnders a good amount of money was subseribed,
and they were provided "" th Harm clothing and all the CO::1-
fort necessary to withstand the cold weather, while in port.
She
re'Mined in St. JOhn's ten weeks underGoin!:'; repairs, and l·lr. J. C.
i'~orris \-1 ... 3 en(;"fl:.~cd to make e full suit of sci les, \ihich took three
thousan"l yards of canvas to accomplish, "ith the best hemp and roped
wihsteclc"ble.
Bcfore lcavins the Ceptain shipt'cn five NewfoundlAnd se"men to
work the vessel across to l·jnl'1ga, vpnin., viz: Joseph J. Harris of

. Gr!lCC, m:.lto: i-tichD.rd }>"!loney, Ct)rboner.r: I.::d\oJ....,rd NOSCHorthy,
St. JOhn's, and tHO other able seamen.
Cn the second day out, during a terrific gale and blinding
snO\;-storm, they lost t heir mainsail, main up' er-topsail and fore
upper-topsail.
The NeHfoundland seamen had to do" he work, and
not~Tithstandin8 the gates of wind and heavy seas, they managed to
make the run across in 18 days.
They Hepe on the ship forty t,JO days altogether, and were paid
off in Halaga, I' eturning to NeHfoundland via Gibraltar and London
in the S. >:i. Canm,/ah. After they lost their upper top-sails, th,¥
carried no square canvas, Hxcept lower topsails and courses.
Upon the arrival here the captain purchased the fish brousht
in from the Horavian Settlements, Labrador, by the steamer H armong,
paying Cash do~m for it, depositin,; the &'1lountiin the Royal aa,'lk cf
Canaca, St. Joh:o's. The sarne may be said with rer;~rd to all the
other Bills contracted, which IJere paid to the cent.
The "Guadelhorce" was" fine, strong, well-built vessel, and
a fast sailor, as well as a good sea-boat. She had "mythological
emblems, such as sea-horses, birds, etc, carved on her deck touses,
surrounded by beautiful scrolls, and her cabin was very large and
constructec Hith greRt artistic skill ond beautiful designs.
She
was afterwards sold in Ealaga to, I think, an "-nglish firm. Thus
passed away the Iflst of' the Spanish mercantile marine to visit our
shores, until last year (luI?) ann the present year, when selieral
Spanish vessels 'Here here to procure cer~oes. But the vesL,els \-Iel";
not ec;ual to those Hhich I have described r>urin" my remarks about
ttles.i.xtios u:1d sevo;.ties of trle past centur:,;. It isprobnble a
larrer fJoet w_ll visit St. John's next year, as \,:e nOH have sev-
8!'al S~:1ni9h tllor'chnnts he';'8 in Businons, pUl'chasing our corl fish
for tho Spanish market,

For my Olm part I hope to see the :panish fleet once morc visit
our country .. A countr'y",rith such a£jlorious l'8CQ!'d in the past,
Hhos e peopIe def i ed an c~ vaffIed all the ef" or t s of t he Carthagenians ,
Ro"ans, ~;oors, and even those of the ereatest genius in >lar the world
has ever produced - Napeleon - Hill once more rise to a position
amonGst the great powers of Europe.
In conclusion, I may say, the present c;eneration do not realize
Hhat the cuttine; off the "panish trade meant to St. John's.
It is
onlysuch"oldfoz,ies" asmysel.f, 'dho spent our happiest days amongst
them in years [lone by Md pal'took of tneir hospitality on board the
ships moored to the >lharf or anchored in the stream, cm call up
reminiselnces of those pleasant days.
Their arrival in the early sum:n,·er was looked for\vF\rd with
anxious expectation.
Tteirarriv!111inthefirstinstancemeantlucrative
employment for the laborers. Their ~resence a.""1ongst us seemed
to disscminate a spirit of cheerfulness, and with the arrival of
the first Spanish >Ie realized that summ.r was with us.
Those vTere prosperous and happy days in HeHfoundland. ffo see
those fresh young sailors, oressed in their picturesque garb, wending
their way in a fine summer's morning to the vard.ous bakers' and
butchers' shops topul'chase freshsup,·lies,
to leave a lastinG impression upon our youthful rn.i.nds.
A remaP:-::able thi.ng ,.bout those sailors HaS their youthful ap-
POU1'ance. They were recruited from the peasant class, and were, f'S
a rUle, handsome younC men. 'l'heif' ereatest characteristic was their
absolute cleenliness. 'j'heir smart appearonce, the musical tone of
t Le lr lnn~uage, tho ~ r unfai1 inr courte sY. and f~ent lemanly de.ne anour
made them pri:ne fuvorites '.-lith the people. As i mentioned before,
onc day out of the Ileek Has ,1evoterJ to Imshin[l of thoir clotpes,
vlhich wos always performed at one of th~ suburban lakes or rivel's.

This .laS an event that was looked f'orHard to by the "small boy" of'
those days. Those events wore ",ore enjoyed by the youn~er r;eneration
of' t het time than all the Garden parties, excuisions, prences and
nicklos of' t,e rresent day.
The 1l2fted heavcmlell lmol-Jn that in pain dialects are more shcrply de:fined
than a'11ongst any othe'" peoples, and so :fac:iliar Ilere our people that many leli:fo~ndlanders could
Make a fair guess,upon hearing a Spania.rd speak, as to lihat part o:f
Spain he came frcM..
In conclusion, I may say thr.t there has been a dif':ference o:f
opinionbetweenourhisorians')stotheorir;inof'Sp2niardsBuy,
FOI' my part I think that t he matter Can be easily cleared up, and
the f'ollOl·line facts will be"r out my assertion.
About 85 years a[1;o, that sturdo' old Ne,,:foundlanc1er, the late
I'r. ".oses Goe·se o:f Spaniards 3ay,

-2Jether
at'ticlp-s nocess ...ry in con r1 uctinr- !1 blacks.lith's shop. Juc,sinrfl'01
the arpearanco of the ruins, the forGe, wbich once stood on the
""'round,. must have been one of large dimensions.
But "'hat I mainly base my contention cn is the fact, that upon
all these instruments were found Spanish names and words in the ::lpanish
lan-uage, which proves conclusive that the "paniardshad a settlement
thoI'e in the e.arly days of our country, and m"de it a depot for ropairing
their shirs and for varioys other purposes.
At what period that old forge was crected no man can toll, but
OUI' onrly settlers must have been a\Jarc of the Spaniards making :it
their headquarters in Conception Bay, and thus it has been handed
r!o-,,:'!1 from eeneration to Generation as Spaniards Bay.

l'l§W}.I'UilIJ..l.ililUX,"'t,;"""J..,..,,"
Historical Sketches of the Irish, Scotch,
and Norsemen in Newfoundland, giving a brief
account of thier discoveries, residences, occupations, etc on the
shores of our country.
Hany of the events recorded by me have be
written by myself, and others have beenp.anded dOlm to me by tradition,
I shall now endeavor to give a sketch of the }"rench in Newfoundland,
and I"ill be as clear, concise and intersting as possibel, being well
aViare of the lir.lited space at my dispossal.
It is impossible,to give all the facts I would wish upon this
most interesting subject; but I shall give an outline of the most
important features and historical points that our Island had had
in connection with France, and .,e must first look at this in the
broad .Jay as . el',foundland I-iaS only the stepping stone to a larGer
It appears to me thatthis is a very apportune time to discuss
this Clatter, as the present alliance between England and France in
this war has inaugurateda new Era for Newfoundland that ',Jill, in
all probability, have the most far-reaching events for our future
developement.
The relations between England and France have been ver;)' different
in the past, and \'le must adjust our views to look at these
matters in a new light.
It has been a continuous struggle beh,een
Sn~land and France for the past 250 years for the control in North
A:nerica, andour country has come into the strufmle in n most direct
hoth nations sm·, the opportunity for a vast E:npire across the
A~lo.ntic, and looki.nrr b::lCk, \'/8 sec the p;rcot ambition of Richclieu
.:s,

to their country. lIe also see the very same idea for a New Er,glnnd
\ihich lil:evJise came to naught, anot not by the competition of foreign
countries, but by the mistake of our OI'In statesmen that created
civil war and rebellion inour midst.
I'lhile England andjher colonies had to fight France on American
soil, they \lere all comented together in one great resolution to
gain the mastery for one race, but when Quebec had surrounded to
victorious \'!olfe, then the seeds of dissepsion sprung up.
• The little Englanders who remain at home in that tight little
islandhave a wonderful conceit, and even to this day they have an
idea that they knovl hOI'1 to do things better than anyone else; but
we, \"I!1o belong to Greater Britian, take a broader view and see the
petty parish politics that refuse to permit even dear Old Ireland
to govern herself as her sons think best.
The same spirit that is creating dissension in theOld countr
today, as \"Ie rach the end of the Great German I'Tar, was the same
festering sora bet\1een England and her American Colonies at the
end of the greatFrench I'Tar in 1765, when the Treaty \las signed.
Let us hope that wise statesmanship l'lill guide the J:jritish nation
at the end of our present \olar, so that \ole may see a peaceful and
happy settlementof the Irish troubles.
The English people must
see their way to arrange a vlider parliament, embracing the great
selfgoverning Dominions, or history l'lill repeat itself, and we
shall vlitness another great divide in the British Empire•.
The splendid fighting put up by the NeVI England colonists
aroainst France in 1745, when the gallant Pepperall captured Louisburr"
and amidst other successors, they recognized their iron strength
awl used it ','Ihen they found their Ovln ambitions thvlarted.
I'le all recoGnize today the map.;nificent fir:htingqualities of
the Anzac battalions, tor;etherl'lithCanadians and Our own loyal

-3-
;:e\'lfoundlanders, and let us hope that legislators \'Iill help forvlard
the ambitions for a greater Britian of the future that \1e all have
in view.
It is impossible to discuss intelligently of the French in
ilewfoundland l'lithout taking into consideration the vast Empire that
France really occupied in North America, vlhich at one time extended
from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Nexico. Quebec lVas their great
centre of Government, an.d Nel'lfoundland '/US the stepping-stone to
and from the Old Country.
Placentia was their capital, and many
efforts l'lere made to gain possession of the whole Island.
Our
city of St. John's had to surrender more than once to French occupation,
but it >las only for a short time. It was in the reign
of ~harles 11, \'Ihen a l'leak Government .IaS in po\'ler in England, bribery
and corruption \'las the order of the day.
Rights >lere given to France
that astonished all those living in and trading 11ith Nel/foundland.
The crioinal proceedings of Englsih stateermen at that time have
been the great source of all our troubles diving two hundred years.
':Ie P.lUSt nO\'1 take up those facts as little more in detail.
Early occunation by the French: In dealine; "Iith the subject, \'Ie must
all recognize that the French were not amongstthe first discoverers
of presentation to assist the Spaniards in establishing their rie;hts
of discovery, but there is no mention of the French making such claims
for the::Iselves - therefore they did not exist. This is remarkable
I/hen \'Ie consider that so many of our oldest and most important tO\'lns
have French names.
It forces us at once to the conclusion that it
\-Jas the Jerseymen, and not the Frenchmen, vlho really \'Iere the pioneers
discoverers and settlers of our count;ry.
For the first hundred years after Cabot's discover.v of Ne\'l-
"oundland, lie have very little information as to \'Ihat \1aS done in
tt IS countr:'. Cartier's voyages are on~ of the very interestinr;

items that i;ive some particulars.
Sir Humphrey Gilbert's visit of St. John's, and the proclamation
of British oVJnership of Newfoundland, followed soon afterwards by
the British settlement in Virginia, Champlain's settlement in Quebec
and John Guy's settlement in Cupids and Harbor Grace brought in a
nevI era of development.
There was no lafw or order previous to
that, and we know that pirates of all nationalities freauented
The french khave ahlays been one of our greatest rivals, but
their most extenisve fishing operations have been principally one
the Grand Banks and cured as green fish.
They started the Bank
fishing at an early d?-te, and \-Ie find the following dates and facts
l2Q:!:-
Jean Denys of Harfleur is mentioned.
~- Capt. Cook took several French prizes amongst them a ship
of "oven.
l2:!:Q- The French authoriteis at St. ~lalo had to stop ships going
to Newfoundland in order to get Cartier a crew on his second
voyage.
~- The records sho\-, that information was received April 15th,
that vessels were than in St. 11alo waiting for a fair \~ind
to Ne\~foundland, and at Carcolla five ships ready to start.
~- A ship belonging to Peter de Body of Boyanne from Ne\~foundland
with fish viaS captured by a ship of Sirl'lalter Raleigh and
brou[';htintoBrisba.
~- Three French ships in the harbor of St. John's pillaged
the ship belonring to Richard Clarke, and kept him and his
cro\·/prisionersforninedays.
Charles Lei"h in his voyap;e ot Ramea Island (\'lest coast) tells
ho'.,' on the \·/Rj· home he capture? a larrrc French vessel in

-5-
St. ilary's Harbor after a hard fight.
lill- Capt. Mannering, a pirate, took a french fishhing vessel
ill§- Capt. Jacob, a Flemish pirate, captured a French and Portugeuse
ship, and caused damage to wxtentof 1500.
1618- One of Sir \valter Raleigh's captains pillaged a French ship
to the extent of 500.
~- Perhaps our greatest Newfoundland champion against the
French was the doughty i:>ir David Kirke, \1ho took over the planation
at Ferryland at this time.
Sir David used Ferryland as his base
of operations against the French in Nova Scotia, and then he extended
this to Quebec, which he captured.
He was far in advance of his
da~', andhis 110rk had to be doneover again by \101fe,one hundred
Jrears later.
ill2... Lord Baltir.lOre describes a fight he had at Cape Broyle \1i 1;1\
a French man-of-war. Three ships, four humdred men, attacked their
settlement.
Lord Baltimore sent two ships after him and captured
67 prisioners, and kgave chase so long asthere was any possibility
of coming up \1ith them.
arrival each year 11as to be masteror Admiral of the Harbor.
This
very lal'l continued to our own time on the N. IV. coast at St.
Julian's and vicinity.
~- The French were the only rivals of toe British in Newfoundland,
and it \-las estimated they had 100 vessels.
In the early occupation of Ilevlfoundland the French fished in
CO:tmon with the British until they obtained the grant of Placentia
from Kino; Charles 11 and his favorites.
'['hey then extended their
Operations to the so-called French Shore, '"hich at one time extended
froI:l Cape Ray to the Straits of Bellei':;le and thence to Cape BonavisLn.

~_ Vie find Charles 11 on the Throne and v,ranting concessions
to the French.
The policy of the Sovereign led Ne\-Ifoundlandinto
incalculable trouble, that took hundreds of years to be righted.
Placentia-
In this connection it is very interesting to give the
following extracts from the lecture of the illus trious pulate ~t.
Rev. Dr. l1ullock, Bishop of St. John's, delivered in St. Bonavonture
I s College in 1860, and published in pa'11phlet form, a copy of
\-Ihich I received from \-1. J. Sharpe Esq, draper \'Iest End of the City,
"The French founded the town of Placentia - the environing hills,
thektl-lo armsof the sea, with the rapid tidal current reminding them
of the arro\IY Rhone on their own land.
They called it Plaisancea
pleasant place".
"They early sa\-! the ir.lportanceof the acquistion and provided
for the security strong fortifications".
"These are nO\1 in ruins, the great demilune Vlhich guarded the
entrance of the pat is noVi a shapeless heap of rubbish, the remains
of a castle or creveceur Hill are slo\-Ily perishing".
"It is remarkable that severalproperties are still held in
Placentia by virtue of the original French titles, and such importance
did the Government of LOllis XIV, the Grand f10narch, attach
possession of the place, that all the grants are signed by his minister
Philippeau."
"Nor were the French oblivious to the necessities of religion
of the Convent of our Lady of Angels, Quebec, Vias established there
in 1589 on the s1.te of thepresent Protestant Church and burying
('"round. A fe\-J old tombstones of the date 1630 and 1690 still rema1.n
to mark out the place \Jhere they stood".
"The records of the foundation of the Convent and the EpiG-
Copal visitation are in the arch1.epis~opal palace Archives Quebec.

-7-'
T:1us \'Ie sec t\'lO great and.'powerful nations established on the
s,

i"l their olm hands, and the records sho\1 that on five different
occasions British buceaneers raided Placentia and carried away
many valuables.
~- During the next thrity years the French occupation of Ne11­
foundland reached its climax.
Frontence \1as in charge of Quebec,
and he guided the destiniesof New France in a remarkable manner.
He had many able subordinates, one of Ilhich "las Pierre Ler10ine,
better knolm as D'Iberville, ",ho so successfully rarded all the
::e\1foundland to"m in 1696-7, capturing St. John's and all the'
principal places in Conception Bay, but ",as defeated by our 200
heroic fishermen at Carbonear Island.
D'Iberville had carried all
before him, from the Forts of Hudson Bay right through St. John's
but our hardy fishermen of Harbor Grace and Carbonear \1ere too
Duch for him, not"'ithstanding his treacherous endeavors to aeceive
France at this time employed about twenty thousand men in the
Nellfoundland fisheries, andher naval power had risen in proportion.
'
Her influence in North America even threatened the very existance
of the British colonies in the New England States.
About this time we find the British fishermen drawing up Rules
and Orders to prevent aliens taking Bait between Cape Race and
Bonavista, I'lhieh in the end surrounded the deathnoll of the
Frenc:-'men. They were driven to extremities, but the full ~orce of
the Bait Act l'laS not known as well then as it became 150 years later.
l1Q.:2- The French made further invasions of Newfoundland. St. J~hn's
I'laS again captured, but only for a very short time.
l2l2- The Treaty of Utrecht decreed that Placentia I'laS to be e;iven
up. ',Ihile pres"rvin" the o.mer ship of tellfoundland to the British,
it ~ranted concurrent ri;:;ht of fishinr; to the French. This II(1S a
r;reat source of trouble for Ilel1Ioundland for the next 200 years.

The !'rench Gavo
Bounties to their fishermen Hhich spelt ruin to
UOt:fou.1d1nnderSHhenevertherewnsagoodfishory,but\olhichis
too IO:1.'! a sto!'~p for :ne in this article:
1888: 7he unr~u~ c0nretiticn from Bountieo, aimed at the ruin of
our liewfoundland merchants, brought the fanous Bait Act into force.
This brings us down to recent times.
1906- King cdHard Vll He have to thank for the removal of the
French rights for concurrent fishinG en our Shores, and the ~;'rGnch
~O(>~y have no riGhts in NC~-JfolU1dl'1Yld \-faters except those enjoyed
uneer International l"Hs and their ownership of St. Pierre md
l10w I wish to give my re.l;lders a few personal recollections or
se!"'l.e famous Frenchmen who have lived amongst us durine my O\-ffi tirne.
It will be a ple~slng re:ne:-:l~rcnce to ;.lilly.
1. re-:'l9'11:,cl' ;..,any French.'11en "'Iho resided in ~r(lVTfoundll_nd duro ing
thopast half century. Hany of our people in micdle life can call
up recollections of t10nsierr J. C. Toussaint" for many ye['rs French
Counsul in St. John's, and proprietor of the well-knoHn Hotel de
Faris in the eastern portion of the Gity; He also kept a lar;jc
s·...loon in }-1ar'Lo1' Grace, in trc s lf11e t:.O:..l~(, in ..rhich I:r, Joseph Ross
does business at present as a grocer .. Toussaint was a grent sports-
:'tan in his daY~ ~nd waS conspicuous for the erest interest he nlHp.ys
tock in our "nnual ilegatta at ,"-uidi Vidi Lake. He wns succeeded by
t·~ons .. DIIsles, a r~entIem2..'I'1. of culture f;".'"ld rnfine:nm t~ ')3 uns hiro
I .Jt:cr~t l-:CTTY bOUDs in conversation
>,lth both.Eons. 1)'I~les ,,,,s very hiGhly th oUGht of by the f!'ench
·ov(;rnnen t ~ n.nrj ",/r.s in ve s ted wi th the orr-er of the Legion of Lonor ~
,TL1!1 1,th, lEUJ, ,on,] other marks of rlistinction. 'l'he rresent Consul,
1..on,ieur Paul .3u"',ol" js ··,I,so v·J:J·,) TO'""'\',l 1"••< ....t, 11 ';]'.
l' ,C'll :"0(''';'' I t. l~ (u"· [Ul~ 'irl c. I congr ...:tlllfltc him upon his

"roficiency in mastering the "'nglish lan[luBge, as Hhen I first
he.rd h~m in the GeorGe V Institution he had but an imperfect Knowledge
of that language, but now, to hear him speak, ono \-louJc ul-
;::03t lock u~on hi~l fl:J a "n ....tivon.
In the e [~rly :1ixties four or five French coopers can e to
harbor Grace and", rked at their trade as coopers, but theyr emained
only a short time, md 13ft, I think, for 'hortis, \>1'\5.' S tU(ly~n
for the prcisthood

!tlth e f,.,rnoUs Univorsity of' Louvnin, ..Jelf:iu~ (h0 \.fa:. th(; fir::>t
fOl~n n~·n( t r:r.tcp th t :1..i.:: tal:' i c Sf: ~ t of learninr-) the professors
"ere surprised that the spoke French so fluently, and this may be
attributed to the teaching of Frichet, nS well as his natur"'l Gift
fOl' quickly m~sterinG cny 1~n6u.:J.~e. ?icrrc rJrickd t H&S

ut the >I01'st was yet to come. 'L'hey gave a supper that
night in hon~""r of the Regatta, and Touss" int, of course, W1.S the guest
of honor, Dmongst Rll the cloice cinho3 on th8 tDble that of l>C[~u'_-
ifully cooked fish appealed to Tous3aint's palate, and he did not
know, at least for a long time after, that he >las invited to partake
of his o>m splendid nc.tive trout, for the recovery of >lhich he had
offered such a handsome reward. I re;;ret I cannot give aome of th>
e:< .... ~e9siona of Tous~ ~int over the 1099 of' his trout, '-lhich WD\lld
teveryusefuldurinsapoliticnlconpai[n, but possiblyJ.Jr. \Iatt3
nay "lhisper so:ne of them in the editurial ear.
ThelOe "ere other Frenchmen who,'esided in Newfoundland, but
sp~ce at rr.y dis:,osal prevents ~c fro~referr~n~ to them. Still I
i Y 'll~ntion Cotton, tho bilker, rnd A.lphonse Gaudet who was
also in the sa:ne trade in Toussaint's amploy. lonsieur Bio1el, viceconsul
for France in a f f'!"1i 15 ar and ~orulD..r f;cntlerncn in St. JOe-ill IS.
ne is father in law to Consul Suzor, and no matter how busily enraged,
he has ah·rays a kind word end hr.arty welcome for anJ~ !'9PSOn
T,lecannoHlookbnckuponthehard,lanefightovertheFrench
Shcr e ",uestion.
Mmy attempts were made by the British Governncnt
to t,.y and find 0 settlement. "ewfoundlnnd made prededent after
president for all the self-2;QVor-ning colonies, or 1"3 ....,.e call them
toda~y !:3:ri tish Dom.inlons BeJond the Seas. ~abouchere, in his f:Jnous
dispatch, [ranted us our Hagna Charter "hen he sbated that no Ie"
>Jouldeverbe passed without our consent.
Hotwithstandincthis,
efforts were m.... do to bribe and coerce our stntesmen into makinf;
scttlementnth::t.t"' olOuldrncetthe views of the Frenchmen. J.nevery
CaS e \ole sr:o;'led n. s tiff b .... c k- bon e , an d our vi ~ 1 i "ro;o hamp den, the I ... to
:lon. J,mes Jail'cl, carrien the >Jor to the l.lrJtish Prury (;oun3il nnel
'ti.ner1newri,htsthatcoulr1notbeusu[ire'l. 'fin R.itActwostl,e

,hect anchor that tield the pluck and r'ecourcefulness to find the
means to do without Imperial help. It shoHed the Breat and heroic
French nation that not"ithstandine their immense ",)alth and pOHer
"c had a resource that crippled their industry. It Has a hard up
hill fi",,,t for a 1'eH of our keen, intellectual merchants to convince
our politicians that the Bait Act Has really Hill t they considered
it, but niGht Has I'~ight, anti our small volony conc:.uered.

EEI'iP'S GREAT F'IRH (GAllB OlfEAR-->-S1'.!U.. VDLUME 2./I-{9)
Eo ? Shortis - Historiof'rapher.
~'Iatts and Elson were joint agents for George and JamesKemp,
until '.:"tts retired to go into business for himself, in the early
part of the nineteenth century.
Henry Gorbin Uatts weS the nephew of John Gosse, the merchant,
(Garbonear). H e was alos the nephew of George Kemp of the firm of
George &: James Kemp. Pike &: Green, who were noted as being the 1'irst
merchant of prominence in Gonception Bay, oHned 1'i1'teen acres of
land on the North side of Garbonear Pond.
The Kemps were related
to them and '.e"e wealthy people of Dorsetshire.
The l;emps bought
out Pike 6: Green's business and subsequently became the ,,,ealthiest
firm in Newfoundland trade - being related as milliona~res. \fnen
the Kemps retired to Poole, they left their nephew, H. G. \-latts,
as their agent, and during tis agency he massed an ilT'_rnenS6 aInount
of money for them, the trade being so successful that it was said
"everything the firm touched, turned to eold".
The rule ,lith all the old '..lest of England firms ,ISS, that when
an Agent married, he was supposed to give up the agency_ H. C.
Hatts, wrote to hisuncles that he was going into business for himself,
and for them to ap;oint an agent.
'':hey rec;,uested him to retain
the agency 1'or a
year to instruct the neH agent, Er. bIson, which
he did.
After the peace of Paris nearly all the lle",foundland business
houses went do',ll1, but the Kempa \-lere so \-!e~lthy they easily withstood
the shock. H. G. \'Iatts also "stood" the crash but lost so '~everelY
th"theneverfullyrecovered.
The Kemps
sold out their interests in the J'eHfoundland trnde
(they ha'J brroch business in Brigus and Ghmge Islands) to the nell"
firm of "lade, ';lson &. 1,,0. ;llade Has the son of the Healthy John
Slado of Poole who'd as the principal partner. '£he firm of Slade
Llsonaco • consisted of Slade, .c.lson,Dlddollandharrison.
--1,,,,-,,;

lqtt0P {IInrrison)1.-lasagiantinstaturc, six feet eight inches in
heiht, stoutnl1dHellproportioned.
7ho:nas 1"01 y of Earbor Grace \-la3 a rich man and as tailor by
tr'lde. He had on only daughter, and an a visit ot her W->.S a lady
named Hiss Dalton from Ireland.
John Elson saw Hiss Dalton and
became infatuated Hith her. I may here state that the famous Hon.
Patrick l{orris of St. John's, married Hiss Foley, Elson would
leave Carbonear every evening to visit Hiss Dalton, and there Has
no road betHeen Carbonear rod Harbour Grace in those days, so he
would walk dOl.ffi the south side of Carbonear, and up through
Nosquito (Eristol's Hope) by t·lay of Bear's Cove Hills into liarbour
Grace. Elson Has a very clever al1d highly educated man. His
Hife's relations ca",e out to Carbonear, and he built a very fine
house to please hIs 'dire \-tho \-las so:newhat _Ga~t a"1d ambitious. She
had a brother ,,-!ho ra"1 a very large account \-lith the firm. Hr.
Elson's aunt, a J.;rs. Behan; also lived Hith them. Biddel, one of
the firm, ca"lle out to Carbonear and quietly took note of how
affairs Here Going, and unfortunately Elson did not knOt·' of all
that was goinG on, or, it may be, \1aS not firm enough to stop the
reckless expenditure, and the result Has he Has forced out of the
trade, Hhich declined rapidly and the house closed do;m or failed.
H. C. ':latts conducted a hrge business andhad maoy vessels. In
a certain year, oneof those vessels was out all the Hinter. She
left HamburG in October;' and being on the paSsll13 ..... over six months,
she Hns given up for lost, but she reached across in Harch, Hith a
full load of h'ovisions. On a subse(,uent voyaGe, she was caup:ht in
tho ice and lo~t on Ca-bonear Island in 1817. Her time Insurance
had cxpired, conaec;uently the ves~el and Carho became a total loss.
l.e had anotLor vescel built at ?reshHater (boloH Carbonear) by
James Clarke, \1ho \-las also api;ointed ma~tcr. .:ihe 'HaS over ninety

tons and "IUS ntllllod the "ilingl100d". She left Carbonear for Inarket
with a full cargo of fish havin" first to call at ::It. JOhn: s to have
the vessel reGistered.
Clarke, the master, was heavily indebted to
}.essrs Hart & Robinson - hafing been a big planter of theirs, and
ol,ed them someHhere about Five thousand pounds.
Robinson went on
board and found that the vessel was not l:legistered and seized her
for Clarke's debt. The Case VIas triedin St. John's, and VIaS given
in favor of Hart & rtobinron - the cost of Court being over two
hundred pOlmds. j{atts appeale d the Case to the Privy Council and
Sir James Scarlett, a celebrated cOU!lsellor in those days, took
charge of the case, but such VI s t he law then, that the HasteI' Has
Olmer until the ship ,':as registered. The costsin this CE-se anounted
to over "'ix hU!ldred pounds. !C.r. Scarlet took the c~se before the
Bar of the House of Commins, "lith the l' emIt that the 1m: was a. tered
shipping laH abolished. 'l'his ,{as the first Case brought from lleHfoundland
to the Privy Council.
Another 'hardship befel him a bout this time, and prior to the
takinG of the "rtinguoodlf. H:lrt Ct. r{ovinson purchased a cargo of
fish from him and sent a vessel to Carbonear to take delivery. The
HasteI' and super cago went on a "spree", and all efforts failed to
sober them up sufficiently to take delivery. A week passed - them
bad weather Ca:ne on- and finally callle the news of the Peace of P ~ris.
A p,reat loss to the l'ewfoundland Trade set in - fish dropped t"oDty
shillings a qtl. Hart & "ovinson refused to take delivery or the
cargo except at current price.
Hr. ':latts refused to put the fish
on board, unlcss he received a ·'uavantee of tho price it Has sold
for - two pounds per quintal. 1·;1'. ':Iatts took an action aGainst them
before JudGe Cololough, who Gave a decision in favor of Hart & .lobpractically
ruined his business.

1'IJESCO'1'CllllENINNE\'i!"OUNDL1\ND
year I gave an article on Irishmen who have made a name
in Newfoundland. I received so many complaints,
and it was copied in so many journals in the United States, Canada,
Newzealand, Australia, England, Scotland and Ireland, that I have
been induced to take up my subject for this article on the Scotchmen
who have become famous in my Native Land.
I know that I am attempting something in which I cannot give
satisfaction to all, and I am sure to ami t the names of some who
should be mentioned, but still I am going to do my best.
To give a complete history of the Scotchmen who have done so
much to build up this Newfoundland of Ours is beyond my humble efforts,
but it should have been attempted long ago.
The subject is
an entracing one, and the Scotchmen of Newfoundland have carried
their prestige to such an erninense in so many directions that I
find it almost impossible to know the best way to begin this article.
We find them as pioneers, Explorers, Sailors, Sportsmen, Athletes,
Statesmen, Parliamentarians, Soldiers, Scientists, Scholars, Poets,
Educationalists, Engineers, Doctors, Lawyers, Ministers and Bankers,
not to mention Merchants and Patriots.
In all these different ways
they have excelled, and well may this country be proud of its illustrious
Scot.chmen. ~Ie find them in the very highest positions as
Governors, Premiers, and taking the chief seats in the Courts of
Justice.
Probably the one amassing the greatest wealth in Newfoundland
was Sir Robert Gillespia Reid from Cupar Angus, the builder
and operator of our Railway System, with its many diversified branches
in electricity and machine Shops, besides his fleet of nearly t\;enty
of the finest steamers that were ever built on the Clyde, everyone
of which has u. goo

h..Jvctogobacktotheveryearliestrccords,orclseanarticle
of this kind would not carry \'leight \'lith Ne\V'foundland readers - so
that I must start from the beginning.
The very first information that we have of Newfoundland comes
from the old Norse Sagas with records of their voyages in the years
998 and 1005 Heluland, markland and Vinland, that is, Labrador and
Newfoundland. In the Sagas of Eric the Red we have the information
that Thorfinn Karlsifni had with him on this voyage two Gaels, who
were Scotcnmen. Their names were Haki and Halkia. I must give a
few words about these pioneers, as they are undoubtedly the first
Scotchmen to plant their feet on this hemisphere.
They were noted
as two very fast runners, and were swifter than the deer.
The Sagas
mention that they were places ashore, and Karlsifni remained there
for three days.
The Scotchmen had instructions to run to the Southward,andinvestiagethenaturofthecQuntryandreturnagainon
the third day, which they did, one bringing some berries and the
other some herbs or wold grass. Now if there is anyone doubting
of their being Scotchmen, please listen to the description of their
dress. They were clas in a garment which they called "Kiafal" (probably
the Gaelic name)- "There was a hood on their heads. The dress
was so fashioned that it was opened at the sides and sleeveless,
and was fastened between the legs with buttons and loops, while elsewhere
they were naked".
'l'here is no doubt about it that they wore
We are greatly disappointed about the meagreness of information
in there old Sagas, but it is certainly refreshing to get a few facts
like there, and it shows that the old Norsemen were attracted by the
handsome appearance of the kilts, just as we arc touay, and it must

have been a strange dress to them, or they \V'ould have never mentioned
it so particularly. NO\< to make the proof of their being Scotchmen
soubly sure, the Sagas relate:
lilt was when Lief, son of Eric, vias
with King Olaf in Norway,
and that he bade him proclaim Christianity
to Greenland that the King gave him these two Scotchmen.
The King
advised Lief to have recourse to these people if they should stand
in need of fleetness, as they were swifter than the deer".
King Alfred reigned in England from 880 to 901, and we know
how the coasts of Scotland and England were harried by the Vikings
from the North at this time:
so it is really not surprising at
all to realize that these events I am relating are Authentic.
Now that I have mentioned about the old Norsemen I must give
the facts about the voyage of Columbus in 1492.
In the list of the officers and sailors on his first voyage
his crew were most cosmopolitan in nationality. Among them there
\'laS a Jew (Luis de Torres), and Irishmen from Galway (\vm .. Harris),
an Englishman (Authur Lawes), Italians, SpaniaI:ds and other nationalities,
though, of course, the Spaniards were largely in the majority.
It is also related that there was a Scotchmen (name not
stated); but here is an interesting fac t, "'l'hat after Colmbus
New lIorld"
(Extract from the Spanish 'l'ranslation of the Early voy-
This brings us to the voyage of John Cabot in the "Hatthew"
in the year 1497. The records of this voyage are very meagre. We
know that John Cabot was an Italian, and that there was a crew of
eighteen men, but with the exception of Castione, a man from Burgandy,
we have no record of the names of thte others, but I am ready to
vouchif we could only find the II s hipS Il articles you would find that

there was a
Scotchman in the crew.
The next one hundred years is alrnost ab1ank in our records,
but we do know that fishing operations were kept up in England,
and I have no doubt that soine Scotchmen came this way. In 1610
John GUy was appointed our first Governor, and we have the records
of his first settlement in Conception Bay.
The fishermen were then
determined to live here all the year round, \ihich was a
great step
In 1618 John Hason, the next Governor, wrote a
most interesting
discourse on Newfoundland Life to stir up immigration.
This discourse
was sent to his friend Sir John Scott in Edinburgh, and was published
there by Andrew Hart in 1620.
Both John Guy and John Mason were
Englishmen, but Nason had charge of two British Man-o-war in 1606 on
a very important mission to reclaim the Hebredies with Andrew Knox,
bishop of theIsles.
(The Norsemen claimed Sovereignty of the Hebprobable
that for good service rendered here that Nason received
the appointment of Governor of Newfoundlanc.l in 1615, and we see
in his Discourse that he was determined to get Scotchrnent 0 emigrate
to Newfoundland as undoubtedly he recognized them ass the most desirable
settlers, not even excepting those hardy buccaneers from
the South of England.
John 11ason on his return to England in 1620 became acqua.inted
with Sir William Alexander, Earl of Stirling, and it was his efforts
his splendid work. In Hason's Map published in Vaughan's Golden
Fleece in 1628 we find the present district of Burges and LaPoile

It is quite possible that the Guy Colony, which had already
sold portions of their grant to Falkland and Vaughan, claimed this
Nestern District as being between the latitude of Cape St. Mary's
and Cape Donavista, and there was a prospect of getting SirWilliarn
Alexander to start his plantation inths section of the country.
Perhaps he had larger ideas, for we find that in 1621 he received
the princely grant of the whole Peninsula of Nova Scotia from
James 1, to which he gave the first Scotch name that I can get any
record of in America.
Although Newfoundland cannot claim Sir
Hilliam Alexander, still it was undoubtedly by reason of Newfoundland
that he was induced to start his plantation, and in his book
he gives osme very interesting facts about the earliest Newfoundland
settlements. Before leaving John Nason, I \o]ill give a short
verse of his, published in the Golden Fleece, that will sho\>] what
he thought of this country, andhiseffortsforitswelfare:-
"Oh, how my heart doth leape with joy to heare
Our Ne\V'found Isle by Britaines prizeddeare,
l'hat hopeful Land which Ihnters six I tried
And for our profit meet at full descri'd. lI
IIIIow this Land shall thrive he dothbewary
Thus ships and coine increase, where least we thought,
For Fish and Traines, Exchangeandallunbought".
I cannot pass over sir David Krk, that sturdy old Loyalist,
who kept the flag flying at Ferryland, and offered a new home for
Charles 1, shold his enemies prove too much for him. It was he
who assisted the French. Sir David Kirk has a good Scotch namehis
birthplace WLlS in the North of England, Llnd we know from his
records that he was knighted by His Najesty in Scotland.

connection between Scotland and Newfoundland, but no doubt after
the Jacobite 1t1arS of 1745 many Scotchmen came to Newfoundland as
well as to Canada.
lJefindtheScotchluenexcellingatwhatevertheyputtheir
hands to, but it is remarkable that they never took kidly to
fishing. It has often been remarked that a Scotchman will start
out as !'-laster or Shareman in a boats crew, but it is characteristic
of the roll that inside of a year or tow, the Scotchmen will have
a share in two or three boats, and his part of the work in future
will be to remain on shore and manage the business while the others
dothefisbing.
and many claim their birth-right form Berwick to Aberdeen and from
Dumfries to the Ilebridies, still Greenwck was undoubtedly headquarters,
and it was the mercantile influence from that centre that
brought so many Scotchmen to Newfoundland.
'fwo hundred years ago,
Greenwck was a fising village - a straggling row of thratched
cottages with only six slated roofs in the town.
but from that
time, about 1707, its conunercial activity started with America.
It was principally with the West Indies at first, but about 1760,
shipbuilding was established, fostered no doubt by its connections
with Ne\olfoundland. rr'he vessels built in Greencok have always been
held in the highest esteem, and still continue.
A gtaving Dock
was first established in l786, and from humble beginnings it now
exceeds overlOO acres in extent, capable of docking the largest
ships at all times.
Other important manufactures started at this
tirnc-sailcloth,ropewalks, also anchor anc.l chain and cables,
which have since developed into extensive anLi world-\'lidc business
ofSpinningl1illsandotherimportantindustries,includingthe
Juaking of boilers, steam (\ngines, locoll~otives and other similiar

TheSeal and Hhale fisheries were once vigorously prosecuted,
but are non extinct.
It was the foreign trade of Greenock with
the West Indies and Newfoundland that first brought prosperity to
that town, but their industries are now so diversified and worldwide
that its trade is very different today.
It is indeed very
interesting to note that \vhile Newfoundland benefitted so much
from the 'Scotchmen that came here, still those who remained at
home prospered as well ~
der Chiefs thatone would think there must be some interesting stories
laid up in Scotland of the yearly exploits to
Newfoundland one
hundred years ago.
Later on Dunder and Aberdeen had their Whaling
Fleets visiting us every Spring, but it was Green ock and the Clyde
that were directly interested with the Cod fishery, and I feel
sure that our Newfoundland harbors were house-hold words in many
homes,
Robert Burns, that poet soc.lear to all Scotchrnen, had heard
of us and possibly he often wished to visit,-
Where sailors gang to fish for cod".
Oneofthecights to be seen in the Old Church Yard at Greenock
today is the tombstone of "Highland Mary", and she too, as well
out having an in timah knowledge of Newfoundland.
The trade with
Newfoundland still continues, but in a madofied way.
I find it impossible in this article to give you the consecutive
historical facts of Greenock 1 s earliest connections \vithNewfounuland
that I would like, and I may make a few mistakes, but I shall be
only too pleased to be set right; and as I said at first, I hope
that sOIlle abler pen than mine will now record in writing what should
huvc been attempted long ere this.

The firm of Hunter & co. \Jas a very large concern
early in this country.
'I'hey were leading merchants in l7BO
when Hr.
Hunter was called as a witness in Court to prove the existance
of the Labrador Trade at that time.
'I'here were undoubtedly
many
firms that branched off from this establishment.
started in St. John's in 1840, and two other brothers, George and
Andrew, who started at Harbor Grace, firs came
to Newfoundland in
Penny should have a
page for themselves.
managers and resident partners of the Hunter's firm.
The Masonie
Lodge has much to thank the Taskers for, and their, and their name
will live while there are any Hasons to help each other.
Stuart & Rennie: Afterwards Rennie, Sturart & Co, is another
very old firm, record of which .I. have in 1791 .. Nr. Rennie came
originally from Glasgow, and descendants of his ably uphold the
name in St .. John's today.
~ is another firm still well remembered. They are said
to be the first to have started our trade with Brazil, and from
officialreturnsfcirOctober18l3,thefirsteargoof2049quintals
of Codfish was exported from Newfoundland to that country.
l'lithin
100 years Brazil has become the principal customer that Newfoundland
has,andourbestthanksshouldgoouttothisoldfirm.
James St\-leart was an able man and took a leading part in politics,
as well as mercantile pursuits. We find that about 1872 he has
NcJJride & Kerr; 'l'his was another important Greenock firm,
better known in recent years under the name of Goodfellow & co.

Nr. Goodfellow came out as book-keeper to the old firm, and \-las
eventually their successor.
It needs no word of mine to state in
what esteem James GoodfellOlv was held by the people of St. JOhn's.
He waS a leader in every good work for the benefit of Church and
State, and'-lhenaCityCouncil\olas firstestablished,he\oIasthe
people's nominee.
Scotland in the North. He was a relatiave of the great Dr.
Livingston. Carbonear was where he first landed, but after a short
time he joined J. & \'/. Stewart at St. John's. He worked his >lay
to manager, then partner, and eventually controlled the Head Office
at Greenock.
The Newfoundland business could not get along without
him, and he cam back to St. John's, built "Richmond"- that
beautiful residence and grounds near Cross for Topsail, and lived
there for many years.
l'/hen his sons grew up he started the firm
of Kenneth NcLea & Sons, but a few years after his death they left
for 110ntreal, where the well-known firm of J. R. l'lcLea still does
a considerable share of Newfoundland trade\Vith that City.
I could mention many more Scotoh firms which flourished and
carried on anextension business inall its branches, Imports and
exports,codfishryandSealinginallitsdifferentmodesincatching
and curing the fish to the building and manning of vessels and
steamers for the Seal Fishery, but for one rcaeson or another they
have gone out of business.
Baine Johnston & Co.: There is one firm '-lith us today Baine
Johnston&Co., that dates back probably for one hundred and fifty
years. '1'0 give an account of the Scotchmen in Newfoundland without
particular notice of this firm would be like describing the play
of Hamlet \Vith the role of the Prince left out.
In the two great
fires of 1846 and IU92 this finn lost a~li1ost every old record, but

the traditions are handed down faithfully, and '/011 may the survivors
of this old firm be proud of their illustrious ancestors.
Greenock has alwasys been the headquarters for them. We find the
firm under the name of Lang, Baine & Co., at Port-dc-Grave in 1780.
The business was removed to St. John's about 8000. Mr. Lang was
then Senior Partner, and after his death Mr. Johnston of !1offatt,
Dumfrieshire, was appointed to his place.
Hr. Walter Baine was at one time !1ember of Parliament for
Greenock, and he o\'lned the premises where the firm still carryon
business, besides other properties in St. John's. About theyear
1835 Mr. Johnston Grieve, a nephe,; of Mr. Johnston, was admitted a
partner in the firm, and later Mr. \'lalter Grieve, Mr. Charles Philips
Hunter and Mr. Robert Grieve. In theyear 1871 Mr. \Ialter Baine
Grieves - in 1875 his brother Mr. James Grieve became partners.
The latter has been an invalid, and the management has always depended
upon Mr. Halter Baine Grive. \'lhen we consider what worry,
torment and anxiety he has passed through in the past, nearly, half
a century in the upheavals and vicissitudes of carrying on the very
ex tensive fish trade that this firm has always done, lie may well
understand the grit and determination of the Scotch character. In
no other trade "Iill you find such exercise of Faith in a prospective
chance of catching fish, and then again in the good will and faith
in the men employed. The fish business of Newfoundland can be said
to ,be born of Hope, but resulting only too often in heart-breaking
disappointment. It is impossible to go through. so many troubles
without treading upon some person's toes, but when we meet the
Principal of that firm today (\'I. B. Grieve), with his hearty, cheerful,
kindly, "lOrd and smile, we may well trace back his history to
find Ilhere hisoptimistic spirit finds its progenitor. There is rarely
a public gathering but you will find him taking part. His bon mot
and words of wisdom are the thoughts that you carry away after all
have had their say.
In my intimate acquaintance with intimate acquaintance with
Mr. W. B. Grieve, have seen many of his good kind deeds that must
be recorded only in Heaven. He would never forgive me for publishing
what his left hand knows nothing about.
f1r. Grieve has served the Colony in both Houses of our Legislature
with honor and credit to himself and benefit to our Country.

His father, Mr. J. J. Grieve, Vias one of Her f'lajesty's (Victoria)
advisors in this Colony before the days of Responsible Government,
and served here faithi'ully. I might go on to enumerate many things
that any of us would be proud to have our name connected with, but
in this article, I can only glance over these items: possibly at
another time I will give a more extended history of this firm,
which dates back to the very commencements of the Scotch firm in
this Country andhas outlived them all. The vitality and survival
of the fittest gives ita standing here today that everyone from
the Governor to the humblest fisherman is proud of. My hopes and
prayers are that it will go on for khundreds of years more, producing
grand men as it has in the past, \'Iho understand the business and
needs of our country in a may that outshines its rivals as does the
red gold the other metals. There are several branches from this
old parent firm that I have to tell about, but let me first mention
a few items.
From the earliest developement of steamers in Ne\"/foundland trade
this firm took the lead. 'rhe S. S. "Bloodhound" was a pioneer at
this Seal fishery. The S. S. "Panther", in conjunction with Capt.
Abram Bartlett, the father of so many Arctic explorers, of Brigus,
follo\'led shortly after. The first paddle try steamer -. S. "Blue
Jacket" was sent out to this country by "'aine Johnston & Co., in
1862, and employed in the here. The same firm built. the S.
S. "Ariel'! for the late Capt. kand originated the first
Coastal Service. Their steamer the second "Bloodhound" \'las selected
by the renounded Captain, now Admiral Markham to get ahead
of all rivals in the race for the North Pole. The attempt of the
S. S. "Euphrates" to develop the drift net herring fishery in Placentia
and Fortune Bays, also at Bay of Island and Labrador, without
one cent of assistance from Government subsidies, is one of;the many
instances \'lhere this firm has tried to benefit the Trades of the
Colony. They recognized the immense value of the Herring Fishery
to Old Scotland, and would like to see it carried on the same way
here. Among the many Scotchmen connected for many years Vlill this
firm Vie must mention the late Neil Campbell and the presents official
t1r. John Hepburn - good men land true.
One of the brancE's from Baine Johnston & Co., which took a
very "mpOPBan" place in forming not alone the Trade policy, but the
Political standine;of this Country, \'las Walter Grieve & "'0, in 1861.

James JOllnston Grieve and Halter Grieve Here brothers, l>Ut
tlleydidnotsec alike in business matters, so the latter started
a new firm; and as everyone kne\y there was a keen rivalry between
them~
'l'here was plenty of room for both, and probably exemplified
the old saying that "Competition is the life of Trade" ~
Tne first Newfoundland steamers for the Seal Fishery were
tile "Bloodhound" and the "ivolfll, both
the same year, and were
started Ly these rival firm~
In some old papers that I have, Halter Grieve was the Chairman
at very inlportant meetings denouncing, not alone the French,
but the British Government, on that terrible nightmare that Newfoundlandpassed
throug!l over the French Shore Question.
\.....alter Grieve had a worthy successor in his nephew, who was
partner in tne firm with him~
'l'here was no shrewder man in New-
Newfoundland 'l'rade was not worth knowing.
In 1885 he became Premier.
During his:premiership the French rivalry with bounties and
an aggressive pOlicy brought the French Shore Question to the
front again. It was a fight for existence for Uewfoundland and
its Fsineries, but we should be thankful that we had men at the
helm to meet the occasion, and we were more than a match for the
French, although they were backed up by the Ilritish Government.
of our rivals and upheld Nevlfoundland. fisheries than the Baitl\ct.
\~nile many claim the credit for it today, still it was the Premier l
Sir Hobert 'l'horburn, to whom we have to give thanks in the Greatest
Jneasure.
It is impossible for any of us to say HhatNewfoundland

turn that blow asiue and place Newfoundland on a
surer founoation
tnan she had ever been before. I will have reason to mention this
Bait Act in connection with other Scotchmen, so I \-lill refrain for
the present. Johnllunn&Co: It is probably not generally known
that John Nunn, who founded the finn at Harbor Grace, came out as
uookkeeper to Baine Johnston & co. about 1827.
l\fterthegreat
fire in Harbor Grace in 1832, the old firm of Danson went out of
\'1as a captain in Baine JOhnston employ) founded the firm of Punton
and Hunn, and built up the prer,lises where the firm still flies the
blue and \-Ihite flag - the same house-flag as Baine Johnston.
'J:heyhad aharcitir.leof it for the first few years, but eventually
became the most important firm carrying on the Seal, Cod,
and also herring fishery in Ne\

Unfortunately it Vias
during the years 1380 to 1895 that the
French \....ere flooding the markets with their bounty-fed fish, and
the competition .was ruinous.
No man worked harder to get the Bait
Act into operation than did Robert Hunn,
and his chief idea in
representing the District of Harbor Grace in politics was to get
this Act enforced in the strongest way.
Everyone sees the good
of this Bait Act today, but it was a
hard fight to convince the
John l1unn represented the District of Harbor Grace in the
House of Assembly, and in the Legislative Council, and he took
an active interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of
Newfoundland..
He will be alwaus remembered as the great advocate
for Confederation with Canada.
\'1hen Charles F'ox Bennett swept
the country in 1869, John Nunn was one of the very fe'i" elected in
opposition to him.
Stewart- Hunn & co, of Hontreal is an off-shoot of this firm.
He lived for many years at Harbor Grace Lefore going to the above
city.
John Baird & Co., an off-shoot of Baine Johnston & Co., 'i....as
another inportant firm in Hontreal.
Those two Scotchmen were very
intimate friends, and had close connections with Newfoundland, and
this brief sketch would be incomplete without mentioning them.
James Baird, Ltd; is another of the Big Herchant Houses carried
on by Scotchmen, although, like John Hunn & Co., their headquarters
have always been in Newfoundland. Han. James Baird now in his 86th
year, is one of thewondersofbusiness life today.
Ueisathis
office every day, and ready to give soli

In 1852 Hr.
Baird and his brother, David, started as Drapers,
and did a successful business under the name of Baird Bros. In
1672, he starteed under his own name, assisted by his nep.pew, James
Gordon, and eventually the firm w~s called Dairu Gordon & co, but
after Hr. Gordon's death it was christened James Baird, Ltd. It
is said that I·lr. Gardon's heirs got $350,000 at the time of
his
death, and James Baird was reckoned a millionaire. He has been
identified with all the Local Industries, such as Boot & Shoe
Factory, Gas Company, Cordage Co, Consolidated Foundry, l'/haling
& Sealing, Co's, floating Dock, etc, but he will be handed down
in History as the IlHaIRpden of Newfoundland", owing to his great
fight in a lawsuit with the British Government over the French shore
Question.
This\o1as one of the great events in the controversy
that Newfoundland had in the competition with the French for supremacy
in Newfoundland, and together with the Bait Act, had placed
our country where she is today. He had been a member of the Upper
House for many years, and with the courage of his convictions, has
tal).e too much space to enumerate even a title of theIa. Anyway I
will give something that will be of historic value about:
WalkingSticks
'l'he walking stock of some of those old Scotchmen is probably
the most valuable keepsake or heir-loom that it is possible for
any person who treasurers these old remembrances to gey.
His
walking stick was a kind of sceptre, distinguisting the head of
the firm from the juniors, and while it was a very humble appendage
veryoften,stillitcarriedabadgeofauthoritythatisdifficuit
to express today, but it is really amusing to find the anecdotes
that are handed down about those veterans, connected oftener with
the walking stock than anything else.

You hear one person say; my
remembrances of Peter ~lcDrid~
arc seeing him walking the wharfon a Sunday afternoon \'lith his
old friend, 'l'om Gleenn, (the heaven-born Finance Ilinister). ~'hey
wereprobal>lydiscussing the political situation, and Peter used
to give that stick of his such a swing at times that it "auld not
be good for the person under discussion if he were near.
Old John Hunn had a characteristic "ay of carrying his walking
stick tucked under his arm, something like the pictures you will
sec of Nelson with his spy-glass.
It was very amusing to see some
of the big planters of Harbor Grace imitating this attitude of Hr.
Hunn.
There was no mistaking the genuine regarcl and .respect they
all had for hir.l, and it was undoutedly a desire on their part to
sho\V' off, or as some \'lould say, let off a little brumptioris"
\-.Jalter Grieve \'las never seen without his \-,aIking stock, and
he head a habit of touching up the men ',ith it to make them more
around a little faster. One after noon he was strolling around
the Wharf there \"as a shower of rain in sight, and of course a
rush to get the fish under cover. One chap must have come in for
an extra dose of that walking stick, as the store-keeper received
orders shortly after to send a barrel of flour up to that man's
house. It was a eharacteistic story of that kind-hearted but
quick-tempered old man. I might og on to enumerate many stories
of this kind, but I need only to draw it to your atcelltion to refresh
the meraory of many readers for similar anecdotes. It only
needed a quick word and a shake of that stick to show the most persistent
seeker after supplies that he had the final word.
It was
no use talking to the skipper any more - the uplift of the seeptre
carried more weight than a policeman's baton.
If we have any aspirants today among the younger generations

with ambiton to take the place of these old merchants, let them
take my auvice and first select a real substuntial Halking stick,
and never be seen without it.
In the sketch of the Scotchmen in Newfoundland, I have given
particular notice of some of the large Exporters or Fish Nerchants.
There are many people who think they know all about the Newfoundland
trade, and will air their opinions by the yard in the local
press, but b~yond a superficial gloss they do not know what business
is until they start into exporting fish.
IIhenthey invest their
dollars in that business there are very few of them who can hold
their heads over I·,ater and show a
good balance sheet at the end
The export fish merchants are the greatest patriots in Newfoundland.
It can be truly said of them that they were working for the
country. '1'0 work things properly they have to slave morning, noon
and night, and take risks that American speculators, with all their
competitive excitement, cannot compare. rllhe Wheat Pit in Chicago
is only playing narbles compared with the Newfoundlarld Fish Exporters
\'lhen you realize the tension and excitement of fitting out men
for the fishery, then have a scramble to get the fish, only to ship
it in turn to the tender mercy of the Greeks and Italians, one may
readily wonder where the incentive comes in this wonderful game
the only men who have a
real graph ofthc Country's affairs are
the Export l1erchants, and no able-r men have ever put a foot in bhis
they did not succeed in tbe task that thierambitioncalled for,
still they laid down their lives, in many cases, in a struggle for

usiness supremac y that even a Scotchman, with all his thrift and
ingenuity, could not endure.
Now I will turn to another class of Scotchman who have helped
to buioa. up the country, and these are the Buyers, who go once or
twice every year to the Old Country to buy Dry Goods principally
but everything in general from a needle to an anchor. That is
where the money is made, or as the Scotchmen say-"when a thing is
bought right itis half sold".
These buyers originated about sixty
years ago, previous to that a few of the large Fish I-lerchants imported
everything.
It was only natural that after serving apprenticeships that
many of them had the ambition ot start for themselves.
They saw
the chance to make
a progressive movement in Dry Goods shops.
and a cloth cap instead of the old elsinore, but it is the ladies
who set the pace for hats and feathers, blouse and hobble skirt,
nottospeakoflingarieandfour-belows.
universally slected for this work.
His well known business instinct
for a bargain, his knowledge from child hood of the value of money
and the relective value and merits of blankets and cloth, and, in
fact, everything you can mention eminently qualified him for the
position.
It is wonderful what care they take of every penny or
baubec as they liked to call it. 1'hey would sooner sign a ch~que
for one thousand dollars then see a
man get the advantage of five
Here are a few of these Scotch buyers. 'l'he most of them have
Pilssed to their reward, but there are still a few of them with us.
Just imagine you were on one of the Allan Liners about forty
years ago with Hobert Wright, Charlie Honderson. \~illie Irving,

John Patrick, \'1.
Frew, Henry Blair, Robert 'l'ernplcton, James Baird,
vavidBaird,JohnDaird,Johnt.1cLFraser,\'l.1I.Davidson, Robert
Laurie, Alexander Harshall, l\lex Rogers, John Paterson, Victor
'J.'ravers, James Foster, Hobert Balmer, Hilliam Duff, l\lex Hobertson,
c. R. Thomson, Lunsden, Jabez Finlay, John Ansterson, and
others! I ,-/ould like to give a complete list, but someone else
must help me. Ivhat a galaxy of names we have here, and what memories
will it not bring up to many who have travelled with them!
'l'here never was a jollier, heartier, good-natured crowd to be
found anY\rmere.
'l'hey took charge of steamers and hotels wherever
they went, and well did they know
the value of the thousands of
pounds that were behind them.
A buyer has the privilege of speaking
his mind. How they helped one another was a big word (I mean
when he did out come into direct competition with his own little
shop at home.)
Ivhat tender care they took of any sick passenger,
and what concern it was to them if they saw any young chap going
astray! How is it possible to make any special mention of those
worthy names, but I think everyone of the", would say that Sandy
Harshall, as they loved to call him, was the Keenest buyer among
the whole lot.
i'race his career from humble beginning, step by
step, setting one firm after another on its legs, and then amassing
wealth for himself. He had a long level head. The King
Haker they called him in politics, but he never remained with any
political party very long.
Ivhenanygreed,graftorboodlestarted
up he denounced them whether they wer friend of foe.
'l'hen there was John Paterson in Harbor Grace, who worked his
way, boy ane.! Iaan, to a most honorable place in that corrununity.
he took charge of the kirk and every Scotchman who went to Conccptionuuy,andheleftanarnenevertobcforgotten.
\-J1ll.0uffinCarbonearwasbornncarhistoricDannockburn,

and was allothr of the real sort, who had the glad hand for everyone,
whether they saw alike in politics or religion - as long as he knew
the man ""Hi honest and upright.
\;hen the House of Assembly passed il Resolution of sympathy
to his family il few years ago, they did honor to themselves in
remembering a colleague of twenty years ago. Between fifty and
seventy years ago (1840) there was quite a number of Scotchmen
came to harbor Grace. The firm of George, Henry and Andrew Rutherfoni
brought many of them, and afterwards Paterson & Foster brought
more. Here are a few of them still well remembered,- John Brunlees,
Tom and \"/ill Henderson, James Jarvis, Hugh Youndall, Dick Rutherford,
Mark, John Syme, who afterwards moved to St. Johnts as General
Nanager of J. & \i. Stewarts - John Cathrac, llorison, Neyle, Gordon,
Thomas Cairn's, Hurray, Hilson, James Croo, Neil Ste''/art, Lony-wil1,
'l'aylor, Monroe, and many others.
It is indeed pleasing to note that Andrew Rutherford, who was
a Nerchant over seventy years ago still carries on business there
attending his shop daily sumner and winter. notwithstanding that
ch is a nonagenarian. Old Father ~rime appears to have made little,
if any, change in his hearty kindly manner, and it is the wish
of everyone in Harbor Grace that he may reach the one-hundredth
mile-stone in health and happiness. He can tell many stories about
the Old Ram (sign over shop), and the copper pennies which adver-
'i'here was quite a few Scotchmen gathered round John Nunn &
Co's el,lploy. Hho can forget Dan Fletcher, Janes Coates, Captains
John and Duncan Hunn, Capt. Baily, Capt. Cunningham, John Fisher,
n~s Son Peter, also \·lm. Beatty and others. There \"as old Or. l\llan
anuUr. Uow,cousins, fromncarI.:.dinburgh, and the friends of
lJoth rich ilnupoor-

I reserve John Irving HoLldick for the last, the Schoolmaster
parcxcellencc, one of the greatest Scotchmen tnat ever came to Newfounulanu.
Ho\Y' proud I fell in saying that I was a pupil under him!
It makes me feel that I can hold up my head with the best in the
land. \[nat a lover of Scotland was my old Domine, and what a ring
he gave to that dear old voice of his when he ,muld tell us he
waS born in the Royal town of Jedbough!
How times have changed in Newfoundland since I went to
school!
It was then one of the celebrated things to mention about
cross Newfoundland.
\-ihat took him nearly three months '-Talking
from Random Sound to St. Geroge's Bay can now be traversed easily
It was in 1882 he detennined upon exploring the interior of
the Island, which was utterly unknown, and. supposed to be occupied
by the Red Indians, in whom he was greatly interested. The Government
was opposed to this project, and prevented an official from
going as a companion with him. Cormack writes,-III could not add
to my party either by hiring or obtaining a volunteer". This hardy
Scotchman \Y'as not to be baulked in his enterprise, and embarked
with a Nicmack Indain only. lIe endured many hardships, but his
diary is optimistic in the extreme for the future of Newfoundland
as a contrast to the conjectures entertained by others.
Near Bay St. George he christened the Jamieson l10untains and
Jamieson Lake after a Professor in Edinburgh. As is usual with
Scotchmen he was always looking out for some of the clan, and mentions
that there was none on the coast\

f~r5t
to visit the Grand Falls on the Hamilton niver, Labrador,
that rivals Niagara in grandeur. 'l'here were many Scotchmen connected
with the Hudson Bay Company at Labrador, but Sir Donald Smith,
nOW Lord Strathcona, \."ho lived for thirteen years at Pigolet, was
looked on as a Newfoundlandr, and should come in for an eulogy,
but has so many that I need only show that he is not forgotten in
our list of worthy men from the Land of the BrOlYn Heather.
Then there was Capt. Buchan, who made those very interesting
expeditions for the Government in 1810 up the Exploits River to
try and open negotiations with the Boethic Indians.
He did his
work well and leaves a Diary of remarkable imprest. The Government
were too late in taking up this work, but I am pleased to note
the fact that a Scotchman was selected for the intricate diplomacy
Now for a Poet: ALout 70 years ago James Sharpe lived in
Harbor Grace. He came from. Dunfer line, and held a position connected
with the Court House in Harbor Grace. I can repeat snatches
of many, but probably the most important pOeht was the description
of a celebrated dinner held in Brigus. lIe brings in a verse or
more from each of the persons present, and as they were all very
important me the poem of fifty verses made quite a hit, and was
often repeated.
It is still handed down almost complete.
'I'he pOeJil describes a controvcrsary between t~10 other Scotchmen
present, Robert Brown and Dr. Doby, who were rivals for the beautiful
Hiss Danson. It \'las a sumptuoris dinner and the guests were possibly
warned up with refreshments for which Brigus \'las famous at
that time. 'l'hecolltroversy led to a duel being arranged for the
following morning.
\'ihile they were getting ready Dr. Doby pens a
good-by letter tol'liss Danson, and this verse is still often used
When St. Valentine's Day Comes round;

Julia, lovclyJulia,dcar,
'I'his ink is mingled with a tear.
'fa think that we so soon may part,
Is worse than life's blood from my heart.
Needless to say the duel never came off, but everyone heard
of it and Dr. Doby made the amende honorable by at once proposing
to Hiss Danson, and she happily accepted him. It will be a surprise
to many to know that the wild young harum-scarum Robert
Brown, \..,hom Sharpe says \

Sandy Drat-In, Ledingho.m, Carson, NcLaughlnn, l'1cF'ur13l1e, Keppie,
.,,,tson, noss and Henderson, anil ,.,hen "lemention the Heid Nfld. Co,
let us not forget (;pawford, the buyep for the i:nmense concern.
"lhen we talk of journalism who "Till forget Archibli d Munn
of Harbor Grace, who made the Standard whet it is today - one of
the best papers in the country.
Scotchmen have taken such a
prominent place in politics whenever my important crisis was at
stake that it deserves an article of its mIn to mention them i:1
that sphere alone.
Then there were ministers and schoolmest6rs that the clergy-
C'nn only do justice to, so that I will skip them wi. th the mention
of those famous names of Fraser, !-lcRae" Graham, }~cNab" Robertson"
Paterson, "utherland, ~:uir, McNeil, etc. It was Rober.t Stott,
M. A. of Anerdeen University Hho made the Scotch School, as it
'-"'1S Called, the chief seat of EdUCation, in St. John's ror rnmy
years. His brothers James end David are with us today.
Custom House: NOH for a revl words about this necessary Institution
which finds the sineHs of Hal' to run the whole Government. It ",as
started by , Scotchman named Hamilton, but he did not remain long.
It is said of him tl-'at he found the people so disagr.eeable and
odverse to payint> duties that he left the country in disgust.
In
the year 1763, another Scotchma.'1, Alexander Dunn, from Aberdeen,
took up the post of tax-gatheper, and from his >1xertions is now
co lected nearly Four !·:illion vollars year'ly from the hard-working
people of this Island.
~1'hissameAlexanilerDunn,about1770,starteilthefirst
mine that I have any reocrd of in Newfo.jndland. He induced the
Earl of (jallo>1aY at ""hoal Bay, about fifteen miles South of St.
John's. It was 'I.'lorked for tHO years, one shaft at sen level, and
the other fif'ty feet abovo the cliff. The ri chest vein took II le'ld

- 24 -
c:n~cr the soa, hut oHing to the dif'f'ioulty of' keepino; the mine dry
it had to be abandoned af'ter an expenditure of' $ 45,000.
So,ith NcKay gave mining another great impetus in 1846 when he
discovered the !Creat Tilt Cove Mine.
The Geologicol Survey ,las
commenced by another Scotct'-'T19n, Alex Hurray, who organized the Department,
which waS sO ably carried on by his successor, James P.
Howl> y, a Newf'oundlander by birth.
~: I could tell yoy about Governors ",ho were Scotch:n0n and
made records f'or themselves in Newf'oundland, but the f'ollowing ",ill
be suf'f'icient f'or the present. There HqS Sir Thos Cochrane in 1823
whose name ",ill never be f'orgotten.
Gov. Duf'f' in 1775 kept tre
French within their limits. Gov, j'lontaque the next year turned us
whole French population out of' St. Pierre. Had these old Scotchmen
been becked up by the British Gov.
as they should, ",e would heve
a dif'f'erent llewf'oundland. I could tell about a number of' others,
but we had n ~oorl example in recent years in Gov. HcGregor. he
treshed out every qu 'stion on its merits.
"oidiers:
The last f'ight on Signal Hill 150 years ago, when the
French were driven f'rom St. John's, was the result of'good hard
fighting by three Regts of Scotch. tre Fraser Highlanders 9l dare
with an extend~d notice. I would like to tell about Sportsmen, as
they were so many, but l1ichael Thorburn HaS undoubtedly the King
of all in this live. I wish there was space to mention some of' the
moo. y descendnms of' Scotchmen who are upholding their o.m in t,'1is
country.
There are some of' them more Scotch than the Scotch themselves,
such as our lote Archbishop MacDonald, Rev. Dr. D. H.
~'cGrco:or (Catholicsl, Ale x Mackey ',-Iho became famous in 'l'elo£,;raph
circles. 'l'hep8 is Jam Browning, the worthy Pres. of St. dndre'H"S
Sooioty. There is the Reg. of Nfld Highl30'1ders, the finest bony
of Solniers in tho country, end the pride of ourtmn today. It

-25-
shaHS how tho Scotch opirit is i'ostered in our midst, and long may
it continue so. In bringing this "rticle to a close let us all
unite hands m d join in the chorus of th 3 t time honored song:-
"And here's a haJ1d, my trusty friend,
And gie's a hend 0' thine;
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days of auld lang syne.
':/elll tak' a cup 0' kindness yet
For auld Lang Syne.

a
report of the Enclish 1'5 shel'y upon the
coasl; 0f NC\'lfoun

VO\..\l~E
2:{,l0)
,
OUR GREAT SAILING ScALIUG FLSr.T
H. F. Shortis Historio~ranher
"Yon ice-bergs Hake has formed a lake,
That lied our course along;
To Harp her through, her daring crew
Round bOllS and bulHarks strong.
I'll go to tp.e ice and catch the seals
And all the creH will join me,
And ",hen I return I'll draw a Bill
For the girl I left behind me.
Our captain he's a jolly fine man,
And on the bows you'll find him;
he'll brin:; the poor sealer home again,
To the girl he left behind him.
(Old "ongs)
There are many men living in St. JOhn's tOday (and they are not
Hhat may be called very old men), Hho remember the time that in St.
John's, "s Hell as the outpcrts, the two great industrie3 of the
seal, cod fisheries were the eoverning principles of our commercial
and social existence.
Until comparatively recent years, the first
of Hnrch, the day of the departure of the seaJ.in~; fleet, was looked
fO:';lard toby citizens of St. John's "Iith somethins like the ~ame
sort of anxious expectation which characterizes the loyal citizens
of the American Republic on the appro\tch of the Fourth of July. All
classes of citizens vild with each other tobc the first upon the
ocone to witness the dep,grtul'o and bid bon voya;e to our hardy and
fe31'1ess follo:-I-countrj:nen oS they joyously "Ient forth to their adventt:rous
nnd.crilousundcrt3Idn'-.
"'nthoo,edays thefir'atof

of it, nnrl the in.~lucement Hould be e:;reat indeed that could se,luce
the small boy f,>om tho fore-shore to enter the enclosure of the
scho :,l-~~oom. .r'or that doY, at least, the'master or his rod had
nO terrors for the scho ling boy. his mind HaS fully made up to
see the "sHoilers" off, and see the:n he invariably did.
NAHES TO CON JURE HITH
.in those daYs the man who Has swiftest on the ice, and could
nrnw the e;reatest number of seals in a "to\-ll1, was looked up to and
res-ected. 'rime HaS, and no further back than five decades ago,
Hhen it Has deemed of more honor in "'t. John I s to be ,saluted and
spoken to by Captains Terence naIler an, Hilliam Ryan, John Pu:nphrey,
reter ()ummens, oJilliam "'\oberts, ~'lilliam l:.'helan, ~dHard ~']hite" ~.Jm.
Knee, Pierce Feehan, hlexander Grahm" i'homas Duff" Jjilliam Jack:nan,
John Barron, liichQrd 'ike, etc, thro by the highest social and
political ""'l;nates in the Island.
The :nen of those days entered
onto the spirit of the ti:nes in 'ihich they lived. l'hey fully appreciatecl
what the seal-fishery meant to the country.
They knoH
the hard ships a..'1d
dangers contin[!;Hent upon its prosecution, and
they looked up"to the captains and leader's of their adventurous
callinG Hith a feeling almost akin to r~verence.
They were honored
by the people Hho Harked under their directions, ,;ho fully
unclerstocdtheirdaringandcapability, anrlasaref'lexofthis
popular acknoHlcdgement, they Hore honoree' and respected by the
hi~hest in the land.
I connot too often repeat that 1 am proud of the deeds of m:'
countrymen in the nays f~one by. Their adventures, both by sea and
land, Hill ono dlly be told by the historian. "lthou["n hidden for
yeaps" aye, for centuries tho deeds of a noble people nrobolU1d
"Ooner or le,tor, and throur~h unoxp"cted sources, to corne to the
BUPf"co, when the torch-lir;ht of' histor'ical nnalys:s Hill be fL'shed

-3-
U[,on them, awl thoy Hill be assi.'·,ned to that place to Hhich they
legiti~l3.tcly bolon~ in the Glorious sacrifices their O\>lners have
l'1illin r:1 Y made to build up the "mpire of Hhich we are all so proud
to call oursclvcs sons.
110'£ ECUAL TO NBHFOUNDLAJID
':Ie read much in history of the daring and prowess of the hardy
Norsemen. From tIme immemorialthey have been handed down to us as
ex,mples Horthy of eraulatio:1. ~,for one, feel very much inclined
to question their sole title to hardihood and courage. To the
cJeful student of History, it is sometimes apparent that the virtues
of a people are often map:nified, Hhilst their faults are al_
,"ost entirely overlooked.
"hile not attriouting any r'ault at all to the Norsems'1, I
Ie'Ll'"} stroncly to the opinion th&t t~e accounts of' their pro\oJ'ess and
carin" have been someHhat overdone.
\'lhile freely admitting that
they were a hardy and adventurous race, He must be2.r in mind that
for centuries the halo ofp..ntjquity hfJS bee~ surroundinG the:n, and
. they h3.ve been accepted without question e.s tj-pif:Jin2, all that goes
for breatness p.nd courafZs. They were a hard'j'- R.1'1d fearless race of'
men. The spirit of the pioneer HaS stronsly develo~ec1
:1,ture, but I m'd,e bold to say the.t in their most subline acts of
"~venture end darinG, they- fell short of the NeHfoundl:md se,~lcr.
In contr'c.stinc; the brs.very of the tHO peoples, He must ~ot
lose siGht of the fact that the most trivial act of the Norsemen
and Viki.ncs has been carefully treasured - ha.s been told time and
t~.o hi3tor>in.n~ h8VC canonized them in the :'J.inos of posterity.
Unforttlnfl.tel:-- Nm.".foun(~l1.n,l h......:l dl'm'lbnck of no one to rolate
tho nchicver:1Cnts tlJ1r} nct3 of hcroi.sm Ut1C' cours..co \-lhich are porformod

- l~ -
b~~ her sons, anrl l1hich are unrecorded find unlmmm, but Hhich, I
trust, \·,ill bo one day brou~ht to li:.;ht, and then, and only then,
sh 11 the true lioHfoundlander be knO\-ffi and u:1derstoodbj- the peoples
of the earth.
RA"LY PROS;;;CUTION 0;;' SZAL-FISP.Z;lY
It Hill 'e seen from the follo\Jing report that the Seal Fishery
waS prosecuted by our people, to a very great extent, in the ~8th
century. An e"tract from the Report of tho Tracle in NeHfoundllll1d
before a :loyal Conrnission held in hnt;land in 1793 gives the number
1st Oct 1786
to
Vct 1787
41,141
1787 "
1786 "
" " 1789 "
11 II 1790 II
averagine;32,995forfiveyear s.
" 1788
" 1789
" 1790
" 1791
37,420
25,643
31,910
23,664
\'ihenHec:J."le dO'o:nto the 19th century, He
find the sealfishery
in the zenith of its glory.
In the year 1829, 558,942 seals Here
\:illed and brou~ht in. In the year 1831 there were 686,836; the
year 1640 there Here 631,375 "nd the year 185£1 there were 507,624.
Of course it nay be "aid, and rightly so, that these\!ere exceptional
years, but if He take \!hat may bo looke"l uron as an averaee
ann with which I am fortuns.tely providecl with full particulars, it
::IUst set us thinking that thero must be somethine wpono;, and that
the seals ore not 00 plentiful as in the dllysofourgreatsailinl3
floet. Thefollo,.,inr;, Ithi:1k, is a correct account of the number
ofselllsla:1r]erl andnanufllctured at the sevoral ports of the Island
fopthe';prin,;oflo39:- At St. John'sby980utportvossels 150,576;
at St. John's
by 76 St. John's vessels 91,749; at Harbor Grace

-5-
46, °57; Carbonear 41,019; Trinity 33,000; Greenspond 11,500; Bri~us
9,20 ; Spaniards Bay 6,200; KinG's Cove 5,5uo; Catalina 5,560; Bay
rtoberts 5,200; Port-de-Grave 4,200; Fogo and Twillingate 5,700 ­
makinG a total of 416,341. In addition to this amount there were
1,155 seals taken at Fogo and 1,346 at Twillingate by landsmen. As
l. unrlerstand it, they usually calculated that 80 seals Hould produce
one ton of oil. If so, th t would give 5,245 tons imperial;
but I presume this was some"hat a rough calculation and ",ould not
pass in these days.
AT ITS Z2llITH
In the fifties and sixties of the past century the Seal Fishery
may well be said to be in the zenith of its glory, as to the cuality
and durability of the vessels, as "ell as the fane and success of
the masters. For the past forty years or morel. h"ve done my very
best to presume the names and records of those heroes of our country
who have done so much to bring her to her present prosperolls conditions.
In almost every magazine and neHspaper in St. John's, I
havc kept hmr.nerinG a,·,ay in my endeav ol's torescue fro!1l oblivion the
heroism, enterprise, adventures, escapes, etc, ofourearlyfello".·lcountrymen,
and it is needless for me torepeat lists of the vessels
and masters "'ho sailed from St. John's, Harbor Grace, Brigus, Carbonear,
Day Roberts, and other ports, and 1 >laS well a>lare in so
doing that if I ,·,ere to put it off for ~ny lenr;th of ti!1le, ns> records
would be found for any person to do so in the future. AndJ. "as
correct in my surMise, bee use it is utteply impossible to obtain
eny r arll inf~'omation from docu:nent3 nOH-a-days, as none are to be
hUrl, at least 1."1 the outports, previous to the sixties of the past
c'ntury.
j'ypooreffortshavestrayedaHay-roorlittle>laife-
SC'lttererlhoronndthererr1ongst:Jtro.n;:-:crsinforoiGnlands,Hhoroas
could they be onco more inrluccd to cornc.' b,~ck to t ho lanct of their

hirth, sufficient information could be derived from them for so:oe
comrctcnthistoriantociveusseveralvolu'tesofasinteresting
tales of heroism, pluck, perseverance and ondurancoas ever graced
the pages of the history of any country in the world.
Unfortunately
all my copies ",cnt up in the great fire of 1892.
'i'H~ HEART'S COtJT&iT FLSET
But in all our writings about the seal Fishery very fet< of us
made any extended reference to the prominent parb Hhich the famous
Vikinrrs of the Cab!.e TOl-m, Heartls Content, took in this srent in-

.::>uch vessels nS tho naomi, o"dnod and cOIn.-nanded by the
successful Capt'lin stephen J-"rsons of Bay '(oberts, and many others
Here built by him.
Hr. 11m• HOHe Has another of the famous shipbuilders
of rle"r

And no\·! \'le come to the period Vlhen the heroism, the daring and
perseverance of our seal-killers shall shine Hith a setting ray,
sO en about to be totally obscured, and finally disappear from amongst
us, probably :Corever. The old generation had been ga~hered to their
:Cathers, and a new oQe had sprung up.
The l"st act in the drama HaS
about to be played and in the authentic list Hhich I give beloH are
to be :Cound the names of those Hho were the heroes 0:C the last scene,
ere the curtain had been rung co\·m on the most interesting, fascinating
and heroic period in our countl?y's his~ory:

St. John's lBGl .
~l!J2lieu!JYI;iiTriE..-;@.hi1iiton~
ZamlJisi
"l1aggiel1CNeil
Baggie
(Suppliedbyllowring.!lrothers)
Fanny Bloomer
(Supplied by Stabb ){O\,e &
lIolmwood}
Livingston
l\rtnurO'Leary
Delaney
(Supplied uy hcBride &
Kerr)
'I'riumph
Jenny Lind

(continued)
~plicd1.>Y'fhomas&Uickinsoll)
Henry'fhomas
St. Filian
'l'aylor
(Supplied by Brooking Son & Co.)
Georgel-iilliroa
(Supplied by J. & Ii.
Stewart)
bryand
(Supplied by R.
Alsop & co.)
(SupplieubyJ.Kavanagh)
Tiger
Lynch
UOlphin
(Supplie

(continueu)
(~li~_~~li:!~od&
Co.)
(Supplied by Goodriage & Kelligrew)
Hilgic
-(SuppliedbYJ.HCLo:,ghlan)
HcLoughlan
i73
\,yoming
NcLoughlan
(Supplied by Job Dros & co.),
Sophia
(Supplied by Lawrence O'Brien)
Hollyhock
(Supplied by P.
L.Tessier)
l1argaJ;e~
11ackey
(Supplied by Pierce Dilrron)
Sterling Clipper
(Suppliedbyll.\;oodford)
(Suppli"tlby l\lex Grahilm)
l-4iYhtinyalc
(SupplieduyR. HcLea&Sons)"

(Continueu)
'!§~0..0_d...E.x---..s..t9~~l~~
(Supplieu by R.
Nudge & Co.)
Gazell'e
Kennedy
(Suppliec1 by II. Goodridge & Sons)
Goodridge
(Supplied by Peter Brennan)
'(Supplied by w.
Houn,s

Cleary
Lord Clyde
(SuppliedbyPuntonandl1unn)
Snelgrove
Eclipse
Taylor
Jane&.l1ary
Dolphin
Penguin
G.Taylor 133

superb
R.'l'aylor
S.'l'aylor
Angler
Fitzgerald
J:;mily'l'obin
Emily
Facey 122
(Supplied by w. J. S. Donnelly)
Stapleton
Thompson
Stapleton
(Supplieclby Rutherford Brothers)
commis.s~ry
(Supplied by Daniel Green)
Pilley
H,opkins
Hopkins

Thomas Ridley
NcCarthy
Dolphin
Superior
Kennedy
'l'aylor
Taylor
Hargaret: Jane
HargaretGrant
'l'ruCr'riencl
Spy

IlctcorFlag
Dooling
Delaney
,139

'I'angler
Delaney
Eclipse
Delaney
Delaney
Daring

Kitty Clyde
l1urphy
Hurphy
Snelgrove
Hope
Connolly
Isluy
'£hreeSisters

Helen Lavinia
lee King
superior
Superior

In the yeor1870 there Here
eighty (80) sailingvesselsandtt.1O
steamers fitted out from harbor Grace.
The steamers Here the Retriever
and Hastiff - the former commanded by Capt. Rich"rd Pike,
and the latter by the famous Capt. ~ames Hurphy of Catalina, father
of Hon. John J. I·:urphy·of this city. St. John's had tHenty one vessels
and six steamers, viz. Lion, Nimrod lialrus, Hawk, Osprey, and
H"rtin.
Carbonear had tHenty-five vessels ond Harbor Maine eleven,
viz: Argo, 1-/. Hoodford; Sterling Clipper, Hichl Iloodford; Emerald
Isle, Charles :urry; Elize, Patrick Stapp; BilloH, Jolm Kennedy,
Grace Darling, 'fhcmas St. John; Scottish Lass, Haurice \'1ade; Sarah
J. Cra'dley; Packet; Joheph Hoodford; brig ~Iilliem, 11ichael Costello;
Nymph, 'fhomas Ezekiel (The Harbor Haine List is someHhat previous
to 1870.)
There Here 33 vessels Sailed from Channel, but that at so
H~S in the latter part of the sixties; amongst the", beibg the familiar
names of the Leander Corkum, ChedabuetHo, Hary Joyce, etc.
1870, there Here fifteen vessels, 530 tons, 122 men Sailed from
Channel, the largest being tee J. Bell", Bragg master, 57 tons.
Petty Herbor h"d tHO vessels (there maY have moved) out in the sixties
supplied by Chafe & l"Iarren, viz; ~Varrior and Emma, and Aquaforte the
Margaret, Herlad, l'lary Jane and Emulate.
Ferryland had the Melita,
Anga!10a and Brothers. The brig "Hammer", Carew, master HaS lost whilst
goin" to Cape Broyle from St. John's to land her creH, and "bout
30 men Here drot·med. In 1882 there Here seven vessels cleared from
St. John's, viz! NeI-lHavelock,St. John; ISabella, St. John (P. L.
Tessier); Oban, Ashburne and D"I-In, King (M. Tobin); Ellen, Antle;
Lizzie, Cla~k, (E. Duden); Aminta, Ezekisl (H. I·:onroe). The thriving
vi11 r,.[::;e of HantsHarbor also contributed its contingenttovlardsQur
oncegrestsealingfleet, ondthefollowingis o list of the vessels
which sailed frm the port in the sixties; brig Jessie, John I:."rch,
master;brill:hl.l:·lOS Clift, Josu[.hBurt;Corsoir, JohnPelley;brirl

Intripid, Alfred Pelley; Brig Hobert &. James, ThomeS Smith; briCS
• Gourka, ~licholas short, brig Bandit, Philip Smith; The limited
space at my disposal prevents me from giving a full list of the
vessels .,hich Sailed from the various ports in the seventies and
eighties, as I am sure nothing is more interesting to Newfoundlanders
at home and more esoecially abroad than to have the fmniliar names
of the heroes of the ice-fields brought to their memory, as ",ell as
the equally f""iliar names of the vessels in ",hich they performed
such noble ~,!Ork in building u:J our country to Hhat she is today.
This is the race from \.;hich the NOHfoundl2l1ders have sprune:;.
Ther-6
is one glorious fact ;rhich should be written in letters of (';old in
the history of our country, arld that is: Hotd tn3t3~din3 th2t
~un ireds of thousands of our fellm;-countrJT1en have prosecuted the
tiDul-fishery durin!; the past one hundred yeat's,-
there is r.ot on
loss of life or even 8 serious injury.
There is one story that I have heard mnny years ago. Almost
sixty years ago, thottypicial"ndsuccessf'ulseol-l,illeI'Capt.
'11m• Knee, in the brig Ice il.in~" arrived in St. John's with a full
load of prime vlhite coats. 'rhe~' were pd. d off at BrOOking's in
lioylestm;n by an order on the !lank of British lOI'th America and
the amount ;:as handed them by the Bank offici"ls in "panish dollars.
I th;.nk they ,""de a Dill of about '::-orty ,-,oun:!s each ($160)•. T hey
h'3.d to plr.ce the rroney in the:'s caps, soul-uente:::"s or llhatover
they had on their he«d ",hen they entered the B,n ,,; ond they
created quite n cOI'1t"liticn l"'unninc dO\nl l:he street bare-headed,
·..Ii th the ~ilv0r jinslinr; in their hCnr1-Gonr l:.:hich they hugged to
theil:' bosmns. ~':n old -;ontlo:'1,.}n ~.·ha Hi tn":-''::;IJ 1 i;ho evont tal·)
::'rom the ye..,r 1882 commences tho. very p~l.!,id dccrei!.~e in tl.e

place in the :;~evl harine ,.:locks \-Iaters at harbor Greece, 'Hhere she
,,"s setteed in for seve:,al yoars, towed 0: t the harbor by the .:i • .:i.
J;sry, and doposited neor the DIeck ~OCkS on .:iouth -ide. 1 could
not help thinkinG s trIa So -d old shiffi "Jane Hmslie ll \·:n.S passing
the Beach forthe last time >/here she had sone so much for the commercial
prosperity of the to'.·m, t at, at intervals, she rai. sed her
bat tered~ he ad above the t.,zat(~rs of the harbor, us if to take a. partin..;
Cln.'1ceqttheeloriesofthepast, andvieuthesceneswhere3he
p:,oudly entered will canvas set, cre'.-Jscherring, gunsfirins,fla;s
flyin~, as s':e returned from the ice-floes under the command of
the veter.n Capt. John Kennedy of Carbonear as·..:ell as under the CO:l1-
mand of his fother before him:
The ship that once to Ridley's Hharf,
Shall plOH the deep no more-
For now she's gone, so let her rest,
Eer-Sealingdaysnreo'er·

Tlffii·IE:NACSOFTHEICS
,lot in modern times has there been another Spring and Summer
so prolific in mishap to Atlantic shipping from contact with ice.
The llewfoundland sealing fled has especially suffered.
It may be
interesting to recall a
fe.; of the more notable ice calamities of
the past tHenty or thirty years.
Perhaps the most notable instances
of an ocean liner colliding Hi th an iceberg is the Case of the Guion
line:' "Arizona" in llovember (7th) 1879.
Icebergs are found in the
,lorth Atlantic at all seasons of the year, and a record of mishaps
to seacoing craft lrToulc exhibit disastrous :Tiiscd.ventures in
every Heek of the fifty-tHO. The "Arizona" at that time HaS a
cravl,ed vessel of the Atlantic, and had some six hundrcd passenRers
on board, Hhen in a dlinse fog she ran full tilt "gainst an ice
mountain, ans smashed in her forepart from stem to foY·e:n')st. If she
qad not been a stoeenchly built ship she must enevitably have founded
as it Has, hOHever, she succeeded in reaching St. John's forty-eiGht
hours later, the collision havine taken place on the Grand tlank 150
miles off Cape r'ace.
She was re"aired by the 1a te Daniel Condon,
the famous st:irl-lright, Frocee~ed on her J.'oYage a.'1d o.rrived sG.felj.
Tha hiGhest praise ,;·r... 3 given N!'. London Lor the in.:;enuity a..Tld .:;l:ill
displayed by him in effecting repairs Hith the limited contriv?!,ces
athisdisposal.
l"hese on bOard h~d
a :nost nerve-reekinG experience.
colliaion occurred the passenr;ers sta'1lpeded for the deck, and only
the most strenuous efforts of the officers and creH prevented a panic.
,"fter the panic had boen Allayed the coJ.lision bulk-heads beCame
~~~:;~~~',:~~~~£~l~~~~.¥?~~te~l~d\~~rfc~~" ~o~e" ~,d ~~n sho

eached St. John's she had sunk almost to the Huter's edge, and could
not have kept af'loat more t 'un a feH hours loneer. Vlhen the Hark of
repairing had begun tHO hundred tons of ice "ere taken from her forepeak,
"here it had been driven by the force of the collision.
Not
all ocean liners are as fortunate in the results of their encounters
Hith ice as was the "nrizona".
The mere recital of the names of big
steamers that have gone to the bottom fr om contact ",ith ice in the
llist sixty years "/ill fill colul'lIls. There is reason to believe that
the -nysterious disappearance of scores of ships, will all hands aboard,
upon Hhich no light has ever been or will be thrown, is due
to collision >lith ice.
Among the"e latter May be enumerated the
White Star liner "NaroJ:!ic" in the Hinter of 1893; the State liner
"Georgia" in 1897; the Allan liner "Huronian", in 1902; the Lake
liner "Lucerne", in 1903, the ?ield liners "llutfield" and "Freshfield",
in 1904; the Atl.qs liner "Athos" in 1907; and the SYdney liner,
Stikklestad" the last "'inter (1909) to name only a feH of the scores.
TIiRILLINGDANGERS
The dangers and discomforts which fall to the lot of those
aboard ocean liners >Ihich collide "lith bergs, and Hhich lose feH or
many of their personnel in these encounters, are thrilling in the
extreme. In 1861 the "Canadian" of the -'llcin service, struck a berg
in Bell Isle Strait and >lent to the bOttOM aI-lOst at once, carrying
fifteen person3 \-lith her, tihile the re:nOoinder of the crew and passanEsrs
Here r-odrift for several 1nys in open boats before they :nude
land. On Hay 20th, 1876, the steamer "Caledonic" Has lost off Lab_
rador, having struck a berg and foun·;ered soon after.
She had eighty
t ....IO persons abroad, only eleven of uhom escar-ad. 'llhera clambered
on to the berg, and Here there three da:rs and nip;hts,. livin[" on n
s c !]1 '..1hi c h they had killed, until a pas S in~~ fi.9 h inp; s c hooner s res cued
the"!.
In Juno le75, the Do:ninionlinor."Vickeherg" collided Hith a

-3-
floe off Ca:)e ,dace, and forty 36ven persons Hent down with hor ..
;:,,,rch28th, 1887, tho steamer "Sussn" struck a ber[> off Cape ilace,
and five were drowned.
Ten years later occurred one of the most appalling tradedies
of modern ice-bergs disasters. In ii.pril of that year (lS'}7), the
:'rench fishing vessel "Vallisnt" bound from 9rittany to St. Pierre,
!'iiquelon, with seventy four persond aboard, crashed into a berg off
Cape ~~ace, and s .... nk within ten minutes. Of her people sixty bolO
went "own with her. The other twelve escaped in two boats, and were
adrift for a v,eek, being without food and but poorly clad; some perished,
and the others kept themselves alive by e"ting the deild bodies.
Eventually the survivors become reduced to four, and thcse, when
picked up had their hands and feet so badly frostbitten that their
extremities had to be am;:-utated.
A similar exrerience to the above
befell survivors of the French trawler "Kleher",
in the spring of
1900. The vessel had fifty seven persons aboard, of whom only nine
survived the fOL"nderi!1g of the ship.
?our of these, having died,
served as food for the five who remained.
A rescuing ship on her
HoY from St. John's to the Quero Ea11k Came upon the hapless Casta\-lays
perishing f'ro!n ex~osure and thirst.
!·:ELLVILLE BAY 1i0RROR
1'0 a like circumstance, the destruction of the ship by ~ mass
afiee, isduethe:nostterrlbleoccurancein:nodernArctican!1als.
In1881tpeGreelyexpedition, sent into the Arctic reeionsbythe
United Sto.tcs Govcrnment, eatablished itself at Lady Franklyn bay
forathreeye:-!r::;1 sojourn. T\-:oyearslatcrthelIewfoundl:mdsoalol"
IIProteu,s" H;JS Gent north ulth ~torcs "tnu sUP" l~tHi to be left at
Capo Sabine, .'It the head of.i·'jclville 3H:r, for thcuso of the ox-

- 4 -
plorers v!hen the:l retreated to that St,ot. Ihe ship, hOHaver, \-;"':3
pushed into the ice in that boY by order of the inexperienced American
officer in charge (Garlington), and she w"s crushed so that she sank
within an hour, not an article on board being saved.
The crew had
to make a three hundred mile voyage in open boats to South Greenland,
where a collier pickedthem up and broUGht themhome again. \'!hen the
explorers Came south in October they foundthemselves raced >lith the
apparentcertaintyofabsolutestarve_tionandtheterribleprcspect
that not a m"n in the party ,wuld escape the '-lOrst of deaths, for
they ,-/ere marooned on a desolate Arctic headland ,rithout shelter,
fo'd, or firing, >lith not a human being for hundreds or miles, and
absolutely no hope of relier, under the most favorable prospects,
for six or eicht months.
It is impossible to give anything like an
idea of the tortures these thirt,· one human beings endured during
this desperate Hinter.
After they had consumed the sCanty supplies
Hhich they had brough Hi th them on their boats rrom the North, they
had to maintain life by means of shell-rish caught with their naked
hands along the sho!'e, and then to make an unpolatate yet eatable
mess of their seal-skin boots and garments, until at last, as the
less robust members of the party died, the others kept themselves
alivo by the dre8dful alternative or cannibalism.
,-Ihen the strongest
bOats or the lIeHfoundland sealing fleet ,
purchased by the American
liovernment and equipped at the cost or
50,000 Hore pushed north
the next spring, at a date earlier thm the Arctic Circle had ever
been entered before, only six of the party remained alive to tell
the tale of a rif,ht against death unique on the records of adventure
in any part or the knOl;n world.
SEALI~!G FLEET SUi·'~;';'lS
'rhe\010rstsuffcre's, inener-aI, frorntheicobergperilarethe
ships of thc ·'eHfounrlland sealing rlect.
These vessels have been,

-5-
until the past year or tHO, practically the type pf Artic Hhalers,
Hoodo," ships with bOHS several fleet thick and sides many inches
through, the better to enable them to resist the tremendo s ice
pros ure to Hhich they 2re often subjedted.
In 1872 the "Huntsman"
(bcig) with a
crew of 62 men Was crushed in the ice cff Labrador,
on the 28th April of that year. Only eighteen men Here Saved -
forty four being drOM'lec1.•
All the others had legs, arms or ribs
broken, and one man ,lith a broken collar bone, Has thirty six hours
exposed to ,lind, Have and weather on " rock off the coast before he
could be rescued.
In 1874 the steamer "Tigress" Hhich rescued the
"Polaries" survivors met with terrible accident Hhen her boiler
burst and killed tl.,enty-one of her crel·'.
In 1[98 the steamer
Greenland Has at the ice-fields and during a terrible blizzard,
and of her one hundred and eighty ono men forty seven met death and
sixty tHO Here more or less seriously frostbitten.

SOl1ST:lADITIONSOI"!I2';T:'OUNDLAIID
I'
Ho.nded dOtm from the garnered stories of the ~'orefathers of the
race. Tales ad daring and proHess on Lend m d Sea . .:)ome glimpses
of the fishery as carried on Two
hundred years ego in Burin, Trinity
Tilton Harbor and Fogo.
A· just tribute to His Grace the late Archbishop
Howley and Rev. "anon ;)mith who accom9lished so much in gathering
up the traditions of their Native Land.
(By H. F. Shortis, Historiographer)
In a country like llewfoundland, all thoughtful men will admit
that tradition must playa most important part in its contribution
to its history.
If we are to depend upon documentary evidence alone,
we should find the History of l_ewfoundland sadly woo ting in completeness.
Ou:-- reorle, especiall y those in the outports, have been remarkabll
for treasurine; traditions, and their ,,"ccuracy in handing them dOtm
from generation to p;eneration.
From their peculiar environments
and mode of life, this love of life, this love for the retrospective
has been fostered by them from time im:nemorial. It was their only
source of passing tho time during the long 'Hinter months or enforced
idleness, and it had gro··.·
and de"loped in them to the extent that
the patricual of a. village orhamlet 1.-1a3 looked upon as the historia..l'l
of.' the plaee, and he was pupetuating >!hat Has told him by his great
grandsires; and by these means deeds and adventures of the very first
settlers 'Vlere "apt r~·t~sh in the me:::ory of every generation. ."rhe
people of Newfoundland are remarkable for the accuracy Hith which
they hand dOtn the traditions of their forefathers. They have an
intense love of relnting "hat ,., astold them of treeir coun tory b~' tho l'
ancestors. 'i'his had been almost forced upon them by their circumstances
and environments.
'rhe llewfoundl:md story-teller is not sutisfied
in relatine; focts -
he is cupeful to discover details, Hhich
fi~m\JI~~~~e.,':'t'I~~~~.c.$'z:..~1:.~x~'T}~n!'t:jpr",it ,is,,,freouent~y found

whnt apt o9.Pcd at first to be sidc issue3 end havln~ no conncct:on
Hith f'acts themselves are stronGly corobotaj;ive of' the f'acts
related.
I a.'ll of' opinion that no man who undertakes to investiGate past
events can af'f'ord to cost aside tradition.
Trndition is such matters
is the key-note of' research. It is a Mistr,ke to think th t history
is indepenoenj; of' tradition.
,'las Herodotus an eye-witness to all
the events of Hhich he ,;rote? Decidedly nol I venture to assert
theat Gibbon I s "Decline and Fall of' the "oman E:npire" HaS not Hholly
bused on documentary evidence.. r'~en of the broa.dest views and greatest
intellect have held tradition in the greatest veneration.
The
earliest Fathers of the Church respected traditien, and surely few
will b" bold enouGh to deny that they kne,; what they ,;ere about:
Let us loek at the Irish race.
\'lhere Hill you f'ind a people Hho
are so Hedded to tradition as those of Irish decent?
The people
of' Irelandare, so to speck, enveloped in a halo of tradition. Everyone
you look, on Irish soil, you w.ill find evidence of to'adition,
and 1, for one, do not place less f'llith in the stor'yof their virtues
and their heroism on that account. Tile same :nay be said of r~eHfound-
It has been my pleasure, in my shape moment ell through lif'e,
to delve into the musty past, and presserve ,o,hateve,' ';,s worth
preserving of' the deeds of my fellow-coun rymen l1hilst in persuit
of their danserous avocations, either on the icefloes or the storm
tossed coast of Lubrador .. 'l'he deeds of 'Harriers rrre embluzO!lCd in
f':lme, and ha..l'1ded not,.·m pS Leir-1ooms to :'":ostcl'ity, \-lhilst the risks
and dangers encountered b~" Newfoundlanders in pursuit of their o"er:{-
day callinr nre nlloHed to l'cm,i n in oblivion and be enterely for­
~:ottcn. I f'carlo3s1y soy th"t our fellO\;-countroYO"cn "re of a race
us courilGoous ~s o:ny to be found :i n ani part of the \;orld. ll'his h')s

- 3 -
been amply proven by our im:nortal Newfoundland ReGiment and our
j'ewf'oundl"nders in Britian's Navy during the Great ':/er.
They are
nurtured in a familiarity with dangers so great as to make
them
rather court than avoid them.
Yet nothing is said in contemporary
history of their risks and ~prowess. \'hile they have written in
gI0·.1ing terms of the material andsocial advantages of the ~olony,
very littlo is said of the.hardy natives by \hom it is peopled.
The old and \·:orn-out heroes of the ico-f'ields are slu",berinc I'a~cefully
in the churchyard, and some rest beneath the ocean on Hhich
they fou[;ht and gained their hard Hon victories.
:::ven the iMplenGl.,ts
of their prot:oss and erlerL~~ ~1D.VC disaprcarod. 'fhe historic flintlock
Gun and the artistically carved pOHder horn no 10nLer tal,e
th0 FIcco c:.... :lonor o!"!. tl-:c ~:itchol1 rael:. 'Il:ey e..re nov! relegated
to some out-house or unfrequented place, and, with the passing
awaY of these, the last vestige of our illustrious forebearers
will have gone forever.
The following poetic tribute to the outport
planter is appropriate here:
"He's gone Hith gansy andcoatin'pants; Hith Hamberg boots
and ne'er a collar;
He's con' Hid cook-room, pork and cliff: gon' wid the good
old pillar dollar;
Gon' .lid his chare at Christmas time; gon' wid his rum
in the red decanter;
His cheerful vice and breezy song are burl"ed 10\'1 ',lid
The outport planter.
lOut when 'counts be squar'd at the final day, and into the
Ler:l~er the Lord is sarchin';
He'lls'ly,"Ifindyoucusserjasight, and once in awhile
you stuck the merchan';

- 4 -
But you clade the naked, the hungry fed; so goup first with the
harrs snd chanters:
"he place reserved forall good men, and honest square Outharbor
Flanters".
~llDIAl!S PROSC:CUTE SSAL FISF.E.'W
Jacques Cartier in his first voyage in 1534 (sent out to discover
new lands b;i the French Government) W5S the first to discover
the rliver "'t. Lawrence and found New France.
He mentions meeting
natives or Indiro s, Hho painted themselves roan, and fished in boats
:nade of the bark of birch trees.
He net those IndiHns in the month
of June in the Straits of' 13alleisle. He says,: "~hey take a great
storeofsep,ls, nnd, as fsr as we couldunde!'st"nd, it is not their
habitotion, but they co:ne fro:!! the ":ainland, out of a hotte!' count"y
to catch the said. seals and. other necess.,ries for aliving ll •
From an extpact fro:-.l a rteport of 'I'rade in Newfouirdlmd, bofore
a !loyal Commission held in J:.ngland in 1793, we get the follotTine
~·Tith regard to tho cx?ort of se'll skins:-
17G6 to 1st October 1787 41,042
1787" 178C 37,420
1788" 1789 25,643
1789" 31,910
1790" 1791 28,963
There was very Ii t~le said about the Sc~l Fishery in this
':leport, but it is mentioned in severDl placos -:9 being v;:n'y i:nport"'nt
to '1'ini ty :n d l"~rts North of St. John's, 1nd t02;ether Hith ship
bUildlnc in the flort of Trinity, it Guve tLe :nerchants c3.rryin~ on
busine.'3 th'H'C, .". ~rc~t ,rlvant'1j:;0 QVO!' )ort:.: South, GO. ond in,;",. on
t.he ....c1 fi'1h ... l'Y ,10no. ':'hi8 ~o .... ~ to sh.:",: tl !'It thi..;~'C ';1..3 :.l .~l.:ch

-;>i!1
"'ny of t'1e his h,· stories.
vJ~ the :ne'"'oGt 'lccid0nt I have CO:le a.C;'''oss ,n old
r}oc....!'1()nt, d tc1 1.324, "':1ich ~l.VQS us un idJa of ho·· busines:J -..1,3
c~r"ied on in those days. It is written upon heavy Parchment, nearly
two feet square, and the chirography which is in the hand of the late
Hr. Thom~s Hutchings, then of Garland's employ Trinity, and Hritten
,,,ith obsolete Srey coose quite, ,,,ould put to shame 'in A 1 graduate
of Higher Education. The Hr. Hutching's referred to Has an uncle
of everybody's genial friend, 1;1'. George A. Hutchings, so long the
Job Bros. & Co. of this city. The agreement is so venerable and c:uaint
that I think a reproduction of it will interest the readers of the
Evening Telegram. I do not think there is another such in existence,
mdit Hill give some illea as to how the business of the country "as
conducted in those fer-off daYS, and hciw "a p;ood man on a pa,.," or
with a sealinp; gun HaS appreciated by the employees. It is possible
that many of the descendants of the four crews, whose names figure
on this ancient a,.,d valuable docu'llent, rescued from the dust of ages,
may be still in the neie;hborhood of Trinity, and, if so, I fe31 co,,-
ficlent it Hill be perused by them with interest.
The follo;ring is a copy of the old document:-
"I';emorandum of agreement made at Trinity in the month of January,
one thous"nd eiGht hundred and tHe nty four (lC21.) between George
Garland & "ons, merchants, on the one part, and the masters and creHS
of the after - mentioned schooners on a se-·line; vOYage on the other
!"urt, witnesseth that the said George Garl~nd a >Jon.:; ·~re to h:1vO onehalf
of 2.11 the seals and profits of such voyoc;es, with a half share
for the schooner, and the remi nder to be devided in sh"res to e,ch
man.
"nd it is further agreed on the p'lrt of the mo.ster and crew of

each schoener US follo\-ls, viz: '1'0 the master the sum of Five Guineas
;1ill be given as a recompense for such ser'vice. 1:0 such of the Cr'8t,
R S ;1er'e never at the ice, as a compensation for their' berth ;rill
paY twenty five shillings per man. Old hands twenty shillings per
man. After guinneas, ten shillings per man, andsuch as go to take
char'ge of pr'ints their bei'ths free.
And in consider'ation of each
man's duty being proper'ly perfor'med to the satisfaction of the master'
in ;Ihose
charge the schooner' is placed, we, the cre", of the said
schooner', have her'eunto subscribed our names, and;r.l thout ",hich fulfillment
it fully justifies the said George Garland & Sons in stopping
our' shares for the benefit of such r'emaining cre,.,".
Her'e folloH the names of the cre;,s, signed and ;litnessed by
Hr. DraHbridge, l'ho, I understand, w as a clerk in the employ. Tm re
is one significant fact in connection \'lith the docum.ent, vlhich gives
to show that the schoolmaster ",as conspicuous by hus absence in
those days,' viz:
that out of 78 ;,ho signed the agr'eement, 72 of
them did so by making his mark.
The ndll e of the four vessels were
the Phonenix, Active, Dart and Arrm..!. The name or the creHS were,-
Pheonex: Mr. Har't, master', 5..5; Jacob Christian, second hand;
George Randle, bm..! gunner, fr"ee; Joseph rurchase, co~mon ha.Tld, 20 t s;
James white, "fter gunner', 10's: Absolom Randle, after' gunner', 10's;
Thomas Paune , youn,cster, 25's; Kr. Narshall, common hand; I":r.
nodden, ':!,f'ter gunner, lots; Edwa.rd Eaher, com~on hmld, 20 t s; I~1r.
Gr'iffith, common hand, 20 t s; Hr. Cotter, cook.
~:\'lillHiscock,master;r1r.Johnson,secondh3J.d,free;
l'ho:nns Clark, bo~,: Gunner, free; Chad. e\-1 Hurdle, bow gunner, .freo;
r·:r'. Barnes, ....fter Gunner, 10' s; l·ir. Cnrbury, younf,ster, 25 1 s; Hill
Hiscock, ;'1rter gunner, lots; ",'fiJI Gillard, co~rnon hand, 25's;
Stephen Pottle, co:r..:non hand, 20's; 'l'hom:lS Donovi-ll, com."Ylon hr-nJ., 20 t s;
'In. Car'ter', common hand, 20's; J'lmos 'raylor', cook. Petl'ick Bl'yan,
younr;:Jter, 20's; JamB:.! HoonY',1 nf'tor Gunner, lOts.

~: Hill llrown, master; Mr. Naher, bow gunner, free; Wm. Bannister,
bow gunner, free; George I'-Uso, bow gunner, free; Henry Goldsworthy,
boW gunner, free; Jonas Hiscock, after gunner, lOis; Sami Hobbs,
boW gunner, free; \'1ill \'1oo1ridge, conunon hand, 20's; Will Spurrell,
after gunner, 10 IS; James Hone, after gunner, 10 I 5; Wm. Walters,
after gunner la's;
'rhomas llartin, cornmon hand 20's; l1ichael l1aher
common hand, 20's; Geroge purdy, youngster, 20's; Thomas l'leadows,
cook; Will Nicholas, youngster, 25's; l1ichael Nurphy, common hand,
20's; Hr. Grannel, common hand, 20's; Isac Purdy, After gunner, 10's;
~: Charles Answorth, master; \lm. Early; Edward Spragg, bow
gunner, free; Geroge Rix, bow gunner, free; Geroge Barnes, conunon
hand, 20 1 s; OosephBailey, after gunner, lOis; Philip Cook, youngster,
25's; Robert Raymond"" after gunner, lOts; Thos. Ryan, youngster,
25 1 s; Robert Bareham, common hand, 20 1 s; \ViII Davis, 30's, cook,
Mr. Etheridge, after gunner la's, Sam Facey, common hand, 20's:
tIR. Howard, after gunner, la's; Nichael McCarthy, common hand, 20's;
CHARGES SUBJECT TO
"Masters to have the sum of 5 .. 5 .. 0 as premuims; bow gunner
berths free; after gunners to pay 10"5; common hand to pay 20 1 s;
youngsters to pay 25's for their berths.
In bringing this matter under the notice of my esteemed friend
Rev. Cannon Smith, about six years ago, he wrote in reply:
"You are quite right as to the statement you make as to the
"Dart lt , Active: and other craft having sailcu for the seal fishery I
in 1824 fran 'I'rinity, and not from Grcenspons. You arc also right
as to the firm that oHned these craft being that of GEroge Garland

It is quite true that in 1024 the Garlandsha

all young harps.
It is somewhat singular that in 1850, Capt. lIlexander
Grah.am sailed to the ice from Trinity, in command of a
vessel called
the "Active". Perhaps this IlActive ll lfiay have been the same craft
that sailed from Trinity in 1824.
The Garlands of Trinity were relatives
of those of Carbonear. 'l'he tradition is, that some time
about therniddle of the seventeenth century, orbeb

I ca:ne ac!'OSS c...nother old document some years aeo, "rhieh I D.:n
sure will bo of interest to you.
It Hill give an idea of tho price
of seals seventy sevon years ago, and the terms on which they were
sold in those far off days:
"Brought of Capt. A. Hundon, the cargo of seals on bO.ard the
brig "Highlander", consisting of about six thousand seals, at t ....lenty
one shillings per cut, for young harp seals, and seventeen shillings
per cut, for old seals, payable one half cash on delivering, the
other half next fall.
Tarel!"lbs. on young seals; tare on old
seals at it may appear"
St. John's lCth April 1843
Few men !.ere better knO\ffi or rr.ore f'amous than Capt. Az. l'~unden
of Brigus. He sprung from a race of vikings - his father being the
famous Capt. Hilliam J'lunden, who, it was said in the old days, taught
them all their business. A good story is told of Capt. Az in the
S. S. "Commodore" in 1872. He ran the steamer into ;lhite Bay, as
far as he coult'l, and then sent one of his masters of the hfutch
\-ri th FI. crc\J of "":lon to look for tho seals. They came back in the
evening and reported the serrls ',lOre nnt in the Bay, and no use wasting
time there. Ho sent off his other moster Hatch next morning ;Iith
more men, and gave them instructions that they were not to return
until they r;rought him green boughs from the spruce trees on the
land. The men were back '.Jefore ni~;ht, but 0.11 had a tOt-l of HtitecoaGs,
not spruce bourhs.
I have several notes of historical events vlhich occurred at
Burin, and rel:1ted by nn old lady ''.'Tho \·l.",sbur-n ther'o in 1,011~, :lnd",!:l0
diod in 1896.
She related thrrt in 1820, H. H. S. "pelter", Capt.
I:inchin, lay u all that winter in Burin hD.rbor, and that the seamen
bUilt a house over the ship's deck to keep them from snow und frost.

In 1'21, E • E. S. "Clinter", Capt. Firth, 13.id u. in Burin. Some
of' the of'f'iccrs had their >lives \'Ii th them, and that "inter Liout.
Bonnard, of'the "Clinker", "oS married to ;';iss Butlerof' that tmm.
Her f'ather \'laS Justice Butler. He >laS an bnglishmen by birth and
a blacksmith by trade.
His residence, at that time, ,·ho called
"Sha"."ld~· Hall". During the 9.l ':";er of' 1822, H.I·!. S. "Pandora" remained
in Burin all the su:n:ner.
These ships tiere sent to protect the large
f'ishing establishments then carrying on business, notably Spurrier's
P. Kelly & "'ons, of' Stepaside; Darby of' Great Burin and Geof'f'ery
Horris. Those f'irms cprrieEl on very extensive business. 30::> shoremen
Irish and English youngsters, we .... e employed at Spurrier's alone,
besides the large f'leet of' f'ishing boats to Cape St. 11ary's out of'
the employ.
Kelly sent f'orty f'our-handed bOats to Cape St. l1ary's
every summer, as aL so did Darby and the other employs in about equal
numbers. No Sunday >I.,s kept in those days, the shoremen being employed
in spreading f'ish or catching Bait. A signal Staf'f' and =
old man were keut on Dodling Head to Harn the ships and dif'f'erent
employs of the ap roach of' privateers, several of' which kept hovering
about the Hestern Coast, and of' ten entered the harbors, stealing
the f'ish and Gear f'rom the f'ishermen; even taking household utensils,
and sometimes those privateers, mostly Americans, "ould board passencer
ships, bound to Nel·,f'oundland, and take allay the youngsters.
In 1800 or 1805 a company of' soldiers \'Iepe stationed at Burin.
They erected severol batteri s round the Harbor - three at ShipCove,
one at Troke's roint, one at Parsons' Foint and one on the to~ of
I':an-O-':lar Hill, ",hich overl'ooked the whole harbor.
The old lady
statud thpt she of'ten, >lhen 11
little girl, l

Y a merchant named Brol-m, ",ho did business in Burin, and had a
large establishment aL so at }:ortier Bay (noH Harysto,mJ about eiGht
miles from Burin.
The second winter the soldiers lived in Coopershop
near Parsons Point, after wards called the Barracks. 11r. Butler
previously mentioned, went to live in Shandy Hall at tel' the soldi~ s
had left.
The pilots serving on the man-O-Har in 1800 and 'after
were paid;j 10 f'or the surn:7.1er.
In about the year 1800 two men named Pardy of step-a-side,
Burin, ",ere murdered by Indians in B'V D'Esciur, During the summer
of that year a man naned Pardy, a fore gn Captain, came in his vessel
tI'ading along the I'Test COast. He visited the indian encampment at
Bay D'Espoir "nd found no person home except an old ""man - the rest
of the India.'ls having gone on a hunting trip up the countI'y. It is
said PUI'dy and his men took all the furs, Hhich they found ready
cured, in spite of the old squaH, whotried to prevent them and Has
illused.
",ben the Indians returned they found all their fuI'S (';one
and the old squa" in a dying condition, and hearinc that PaI'dy committed
the outrace, they S\·rore eternal enmity to any person bearing
that name. The next year the Pardy's of DUI'in went to Day D'Espoir
to do a 'Hinter's Hork, as it Has culled; and one day tT"10 brothers
with another rnan, Hent to the country hunting. They met a party Q' f
Indians, "ho, on finding their names to be Pardy, shot them at once,
but did not haI'm the third man. Their bodi"s were brought home and
bUI'ied on 'rite's Island, a small island in l3 urin haI'boI', which, at
that time, Has used as a bUI'ial place for people of all denomination
',rho did there. The PaI'dys weI'e the \'eI'Y fiI'stinhabitants of Burin,
onQ a tombstone isnoH to be seen on i'ite's Island erected to one
Henry Pardy in 1789 or thereabout.
Abolit the year 1815, the first resident priest (Father Hearn)
went to live in Burin. Before him Pather Cleary went often to Burin

from placentia, and previous to him Father Fitz sinunons visited
the place, and he was noted for having erected crosses on the hills
near the coast, as he went from oneharbor to the other.
Previous
to him
Father Burke passed through Burin, and went to all the harbors
on the Western Shore, and then went to the United States.
Father
Hearn built the first chapel in Burin -
the from of which was cut and
fitted in Nova Scotia before its arrival.
A man named Marshall came
to erect the Church. He was a carpenter and a soldier. Afterwards
Marshall settled in Burin, went into busi ess and became one of the
leading merchants; owned rwo water side premises and sent a vessel
to the seal fishery for three Springs.
She was conunanded by Capt.
St. Geroge, crossing the country by paths and swinuning the rivers.
He died· in Placentia, the Court House at Burin was built between
1790 and 1800, as the old lady stated. lfuen she was five years old
she often played with the gaoler's children. He was a Mr. Rogers, and
old. After him Mr. Glenn took charge.
Patrick Kelly was an Irishman and his wife an Irishwomen.
They had three sons and two daughteres.
One of his daughters was
married to Mr. Darley of Burin, who was also an Irishman. In 1800,
Dr. Walsh, who rsided in Burin, was a retired Navy Surgeon. One of
his daughters was married to Mr. Kelley's son, Patrick. About the
year 1820 large
numbers of schooners and boats were built at Burin.
Mr.
Morris, the erchant, had two large brigs built there in "the
winter of the above year.
fhey were called respectibely the St.
Patrick and Shamrock.
About 1822, other men went into business, notably
amongst them being John O'Neil, Thomas & William Gooman, Richard
Marshall, and John O'Brein - all of whom amassed for-tunes.
Benningaloscarriedonalargebusiness.

-14--
In 1800 "aniel Bishor', an .>nclish""n, ~:as "hat ',lao. called a
Surrogate Hugistrate. lie also C irried on a lsrge business. One
of his daushters married Er. Hooper, an 4lglish book-keeper, ;mo
died in Placentia in 1901, aged 92 years.
Tilton Harbor (Tilting) Fogo, is a very prosperious little
settlement, and must have been inhabited at a very early date in
our history. As far back as 1785 a priest was there. His name
waS Father Lundrigan, and he died on the 25th October, 1785, aged
58 years, and was buried in the old cemetry at Fogo, and a wocden
cross marks the place of his interment. He HaS one of the old
pioneers.
fl'he first person buried at Fogo Island was Niss Jackson,
about 160 years ago. She "'as a daughter of Surrogate Jackson. She
died at Seldon come by b ut HaS taken to Tilton Harbor for burial.
The burkes and Brynns are very old families in that settlement, and
by their enterprise and business ability did much to build up our
country.
Old Daniel Bryan came to this country from Ireland about the
yeal' 1780, and settled first at Ferryland. After a few years he
moved Ilorth and settled at Tilton Harbor, on the East side of Foso
Island. he married Bridget Bur~e, Hho HaS born and reared there.
This was in 1788. 'I'here ",ere six daughters nnd five s:> no.; the youngest
"illi= born 3rd I·larch, 1811. They all married except John, and their
docensants are still there. Daniel ;;rya" died in 1820, and left
schooners and crafts.
He built three vessels that ",ere engaged in
the soal fishery. The first "'as a topsail schooner that sailed
from Tilton Harbor' in 1812 flnd \·l~S ncmcd the Success. ~J,e and his
sons "fter him also built the P.armony, "'nterprise and Triumph in
1833, and the United Brothers, Duck, Drake, ·...uickstep and the Last
"hillins in 1838, but the 17.st four "ere not enr;aGed in the senl­
F'iahel'Y. John.and Patrick wore mastoro. of the fil'st t\;O, end '.lillio.."11

-15-
of the Triumph for'eichteen years. She ,TaS lost in 1852, kno,m in
history as the "pring of the \vadhams. '-'he other son, Daniel, took
the United Brothers, >Thich w"s valuEl.d' at (} 1000, and came to St.
John's to live.
He o,med a room at 1'ub H arbor, Labrador, and carried on cod,
herring and salmon fishery - prosecuted the seal fishery from St.
John's, and went too or three foreign VO~{a3es as master in his Ot,·]Il
vessel. He married a l:iss POHer of St. John's,and oHned a house on
Cochrane Street, but becoming rlissatisfied, a.l'lU thinking he could
better himself, ",ent to NeHburyport, Hass, about 1846.
He folloHed'
the seQ, being mate of' an East India vessel. Daniel BrY3J.'L 1 s other
son, Patrick, married about 1818, and had three sons, the most notable
being Daniel, Hho "Tas master of the folloHing vessels at the sealfishery,
viz; Jane, Return, Cadmus, and BilloH. Eis descendants
are still in this country.
had three daughters, tHO of them in
n convent in HevI York, and one in t)an Jose, Cal.fornia. Their mothe~
Catherine Hickey of' St. John's. One HaS married, about
1820, to Capt. l':ulcahy, the other about 1840 to Jo\m Brazil the
Cooper. ~he descendants of Cant. XUlcahy nnd !{c.ry Bryan are still
living, one of their daughters being married to the fa;nous sealkiller
and m"ster mariner, tho l,n;e Capt. ,iilliarr. Ryan, fnther of
our re'spected citizen, Mr. Charles iI. nyan or St. John's. Another
HS-S married to Nr. Foley, shirHright, father of Er. John Foley Post
!';aster of Harbor Grace, and the earliest settlers of 'l'ilton iiarbor,
md they all built their o,m vessels md sailed the:n to the se[.l
fishery from 1820 to 1860.
Notably amonGst the Broskes and
Wllium, mastcl' of the Daniel
C'Connell in 1833.
"'hishero of the frozen pans has been immortslized
hy tbo loc~J.
root: of "!lOoe fur

\-lillinm Burke was our cO"JJ11nnder,
The Daniel O'Connell our vessel's name;
\'lith twonty-eight as smart a men
As ever ploughed at raging main.
\'lith Ji'l:ring colours fore and aft
B ut mark

-17-
It ,",as a torrible time those hardy mr.rinors put over thom,
and the shQI's ,",ore carried 8\,ay about three feet above the deck.
)jut o\oling to their thorough seaman ship, pluck and perseverance,
they managed to j:ull through all right, and ,this fact is clearly
describedinthefollOl,ingverse:-
At six 0' Clock next morning
Our captain called all hands on deck-
~ome to rig Ui1 jur'y-rnasts
~lhile others strove to clear the T,-rreck.
~ome of our comrades 'VIe got on board,
And much to our delight
":le saw her goinG six knots, my boys,
Before eleven O'Clock that night.
'l'he mention of the word "harbor" so frequently in the above
paragraphs had induced to ask t e question, - hOH many of our
pea Ie &1'8 f1\'lnre of the origin of the wrds "half the harbor", so
often throun at m upstart, more especially in the outports, whom
1 you feel like s:lubbing'? HO\-Joften have heard the \-lords used •
"Ifhy, man, the Hay your going on, anyone Hould think that you o\med
half the harbor"\, I Hoader if it has eV,"1? oucurred to any of our
liberary men to think of ho,l this expression or:i:g;inated? as have
never heard it used anY"lhere else but in Ne\"foundland? 'rlell, thr'ee
hundred years 8[',0, our old friend Jolm Guy, settled in Newfoyndl2Ild,
and received a Royal Cha'ter, ,lith o\mor ship of all the land bet"een
Cape Bonavista and Cape "t. Esry's. One of the inducements
which he offered to capitalists and adventurers to come and settle
by him of
\,:i th him in this country was the sale and le"a. transfer
tho Ol-mdersr,ip of "half the harbor", thaD they mip:ht select for
in existence
/} 100. Hhethor there are any of these old documents
teday it is imressible to say, but thret there Herc sales mano by him

-10-
of "half thoharbor", .l am fully convinced I can give one or tHO
instnnces Hhich prove my hypothesis, and I have no doubt that those
«ho take nJl interest in unra veIling these old traditions Hill .find
others to prove the fact.
The Spraclclins of Brigus are lmown to be one of the oldest
families in that famous town, and are an ongst the largest land-o>mers
there today; but it is known that by marriage and division it is
only a fraction of Hhat it once Has. There is a tradition in their
family that, orif:inally, they OHned all the ;rater f'ront f'rom Battery
Brook to the Bridge. Anyone \-rho has any acquaintance 1-lith Brigus
will at once recognize that this boundary contained "half the hErbor"
and by all means the best half'. 1'heref'ore He can place the Spracklins
of Brigus a.vnongst the first pioneers of our country. The pynn ' s of'
Bristol's Hope, also,.?have tradition that the~r originally oHned
all the lane f'rom Eoso.uita Point to the Pond.
nere is a nother instance
of' "half the harbor", and the best half', as the deep water
and best shelter are on the North Side. He lmow f'rom our o·..:n experienee
Vlhat position the principal man in f?ny of the Qutports occupies,
and there El{'e of'ten many young men .,ho have ambition to talce
their places; henee the expressien, when we Hi. sh to m ub my of those
upstarts,- "':Ihy, man, anyone "D uld think you mmed half the harbor".
Heaven help t,'e politician, ',ho,through tempor:ry pride ofter election
day, passes his constituents' wives without reeognition, simply because
she has ::m expensive ostrich feather in her hat, on her Hay
to church'. If' you he",r the expression hurled at them (and I ho.ve
hc:r d it mo.ny a time) that they GO along o.s if they olmed "half the
harbor", you Co.n se.fely Hager your last cent that the politicians'
star has set, Md that he Hill be reler:ated to political abseurity.
1 have nOvel' Imolm that expl'ession to be said Hi thout ef'fect in the
outports.

seNS !)OTAELE EV311TS
VOLUME 2·\0

eoge, and could not have kept afloat more than a few hours longer.
Hhen the lIork of repairing her began tHO hundred tons of ice were
taken from the fore-peak, where it had been driven by the force
of the collision.
Not all ocean liners are as fortunate in the
resL;lts of their encounters .lith ice as was the "Arizona". The
mere recital of the names of big steamers that have gone to the
bottom from contact >lith ice in the ]a st sixty years would fill
columns.
There is reason to believe that the mysterious disappearance
of scores of ships, I-li th all hands aboard, upon which no light has
ever been or ever will be thrown, is due to collisions >Ii th ice.
A'11on;:; these ]a tter may be enu.":lerated the lfuite Star liner "Ilaronic"
in the winter of 1893; the State liner "Georgian" in 1897; the
Allan liner "Huronian" in 1902; the Field liners "llutfield" and
"?reshfield" in 1907; the Atlas liner "Atlas" in 1907; and the
Syd."1ey liner "Stikklestad" in 1909, to name only a few out of the
scores. I may here mention that the repairs to the "Arizona"
were performed by the famous and skilful master shipHright, the
late I-:r. Daniel Condon, who was Harmly complimented for the
successful accomplishment of the ;0 rk, by the compa."1Y, as well as
the press and the English speaking people of the world.
The
repairs Here effected at Shea's IIharf, and she sailed for Liverpool
on November 28th 1879.
The dangers and discomforts Hhich fall to the lot of those
aboard ocean-liners .,hich colli

-3-
was lost at Cape Race by str>iking a ber>E; at niijht, and of thir>ty
persons aboar>d, tHenty-thr>ee per>ished. On Nay 2nd 1876, the
steamer lICaledonia" 'Has lost off'Labrador, havinG struck a be:cg
ane foundel'c'1 soon after. She had eighty-tHo per>sons aboat>d ,
only eleven of Hhom escaped. These clamber>ed onto the ber>g, and
wer>e there three days and nights, living on a seal which they had
killed, until a passing fisher-boat r>escued them. In Jun.e 1875,
the Dominion liner> "Vicksbur>g" collided ,·Ii th a floe off Cape Race,
and for>ty-seven per>sons ;Tent down Hi th her>. On Mar>ch 28th 1887,
the stea..vner ltSusan" struck a bel'S off Cape Race, aYld five were
On Apr>il 28th 1872, the br>iga.',tine "Huntsman", Captain Rober>t
DaHe of Bay Rober>ts, ,·;as dragged by the r>un!ling ice over> the Fish
Rock, off Cape Char>]es, Labrador>, and (if I r>emember> r>ightly)
for>ty-four> of the cr>eH out of sixty-tHo Her>e lost, inclUding the
captain m d his son. One man, Solomon French of Bay Rober>ts (Hho
is still alive) Has thir>ty-six hour>s on the r>ock, exposed to Hind,
;,ave a""ld Heather befor>e he Has r>escued. I think, but I am not sure,
that the eighteen sur>vivors Here brought home by Job Br>os. &. Co.'s
Steamship Nimiod, Capt. Peter> Cummins.
In 1897 occur>red one of the most appalling tragedies of
moder>n iceberg disasters. In April of that year, the French
fishing vessel "Vaillant" bound from Br>ittany (France) to St.
Pierre, Niquelon, ,·Ii th seventy-four persons aboard, crashed into
a berg off Cape Race and sank vIi thin ten minutes. Of hel' people
sixty-tHo Hent dmm Hith her.
The other tHelve escaped in t;,o
boats, and Here adrift for> a Heek, beinG Hithout food and poor>ly
clad; some perishod and the othel's kept themselves alive by oatinr;
tho dead bodies.
Eventually the survivors became l'educed to four>,
and
those, Hhen pickod up, had theil' hands and feet so badly frost-

- 4 -
bitten that t. ese extrc:nitiee had to be amputated.
A tra,.ler "';leber"
in the S"ring of 1900.
The vessel had fifty seven persons aboard,
of whom only nine survived as food for the five Hho remained.
A
rescuing shir on hal' W1Y from St. John's to the c;.uero Bank CaDle upon
the hopless castauays perishing from exposure In d thirst.
To a like circumstance, the destruction of a ship by a mass
of ice, is due to the most terrible occurrence in modern Arctic
annals.
In leBl the Greely Expedition, sent into the Arctic regions
by the United States Government, established itself in Lady Franklin
B ay for a thee years' sojourn. Two years late,", the Net'lfoundland
scaling stealner "Proteus" was sent Horth t,ith stores and supplies,
to be left at Cape Sabine, at the head of Helville Bay, for the use
of the explorers, when they retreated to the spot. The ship, however,
\-laS pushed in 0 the ice in that Bqr by order of the inexperienced
r.mericm of icer in charge, in defience of L.e advice of t hat capable
and experienced master mariner and ice pilot, Capt. Rich

-5-
of shell-fish cau~ht 'lith their maked hands along the S[IOl'C, wd
then to :nal,e [in unpalanliole yet eata"le mess of their seal-skin
boots and garments, until, at last, as the less robust of the membel's
of the party died, it is said, the others kept themselves alive
by the drecdful alternative of can.'1ibalism.
:Ihen the strongest
boats of the NeVifoundland sealing fleet, purchased by the American
"overnClent, and equipped at the cost of 50,ooo~ '-Iere pushed llorth
next "pring at a date earlier than t e Arctic Circle had ever been
entered before, only six of the party remained alive to tell the
tale of the fight against death uniQue in the records of adventure
in any part of the kno;1n ,-;orld.
POLA:lISEXPSDITIOl-l
Undoubtedly the most uni-ue expe"ience and miraculous escape
in the history of the Hopld ,-;as that of the cre,-;of the Arctic ship
"Folaris".
Never in the \-lildest stretch of irnagination have the
writers of fiction and romance penned such a tale, Hhich only men,
'-lho Vlere in the flesh at the time, and had full infopmation on the
subject, would class it as inc'edi"'''le. For self, I \-laS telegraph
operator in Harbor Grace at the time, and eaply in the morning
of the arrival of the S. ::>. "Tigress", C.s.pt. Isacc Bartlett, atBay
nOberts, a messaGe 'Has .flashed over the wires from In.''l1es Gordon
Bennett of l!eH York to the chief operator in our office, the late
'1/. H. Thompson, esq, to proceed at onae to Bay .Ioberts andteler;raph
full jOsrticulars to the lleVi York Iierald of which Bennett was proprietor.
'rhere HaS no teleF,raph office at Bsy "oberts at that date,
and Ill'. 'l'hompson hiped three horses and carpinccs and proceeded to
tho above tow,", in one of thom, and so arranged mattcrs, that accorninG
as he took do,1n tho statements of the officeps, one 01' tho
hOPses and c3.pri"cos WJ3 1l1Vl:lYs at hand to l'unh tho portion 01' the
len -.. me8~nGc to tho offico in Harbor Gra.ce. .l'he mcs[J,')g8 \o1n3 sent

dOwn in inDtallolOnts, and horses and carriagcs returned to Bay Roberts
for afurther sup~ly until all pa ticulc.l's ,·:ere ob7.ained. "lthough
I sent the message r"Yself over the wires, I f'OI'E;et the exact number
of words, but it uas certainly over 3000, and must have cost the
lIe,doundland Hercld guite a large arnount. But of' co'~rse Bennett of'
the Heraild didnot mind the expense. It waS something like '.Ihen
Stanley telegra hed him from Af'rica, t·,hen he "rcS foresale n erg his
felnous Dr. Livingston,- Stanley f'ound him and the circulation of' tl e
Hera. d went up by leaps and bounds, "hich continued until af'ter the
death of' James Gordon Bennett, a short timeago. But i must come to
the story of the rescue of the poor cast-aways as rcla ted at the ti. me,
and ,·,hich will be forever looked upon as the most miraculous esca pe
from the jaws of' death a'1d the longest voyage on record in the annals
of the world in connection wi th the ice-f'loHs of the North.
At daylight on the morning of April 30th, 1873, a steamer named
the "Tigress", one of the St. John's, He"foundlmd, sealing f'leet,
was plour;hing her wf!;J in pursuit of seals, amid the ice-laden sea,
forty miles from land, off the southern coast or Labrador in lat
53 0 351 north. The morning HaS hazy, but about five O'clock the
fog curta:n rose, and the sun shone out disclosing the Glittering
Presently those on board f'anciedthat they saH a
s,mall f'lag
fluttering on the top or a hummock, vt the distance of a que.·~ter of'
a mile.
The ship was put about, and bore downonit, under the impression
that it mic;ht be a piece of f'loatinc; wreck. As the "Tigress"
neared the object, tho Stnrs and Stripes H81'C made out; then humnn
voices were heard utter'inG feeble cheers, and runs Here fired. On
coming close to the floe on uhich tho f'lag He,S f'luttel'ing, a stranf'o
si~ht ~,!as disclodec1. On it ..-lere seen nineteen hum~n beings, ton of

Hhite men ...nd nino ~3quime.ux. Of the latter tot,; \'ere ~aen, t'."1o'VIero
wo""tn, (one of uhom carried a baby eight months old in her arms) and
five were children.
They had aboat Hi th them on the ice, on the
stern of which Has painted the name "Polaris". l'he 1" rty presented
a most forlorn appea ance, and had evidently been long exposed to
theweather, though not one of them appeared to be sick or disabled.
Before leavin~ the ice, they r;ave three hea ty cheers, such as men
utt;er ,,,ho h ave been delivered from impending death.
lihen taken on Loard, the tale, they told was marvellous beyond
anything invented in the Hildest romancer,
illustrating the old
saying that "truth is stranger than fiction".
'l'he purport of their
Honderful story HUS that they ~1ere part of the crew of the .$. 5.
"Folaris ll
cr the United states Arctic Expeditionj that when in lat
770 351 north, they ,.ere accidentally separated l'roro their ship by
the su"!den breakin.:; up of' en ice-flo:'1 to ,-nich she \-10.3 moored, on
October 15th, 1872, and that ever since the;,' hed been drifting on
the ice, tlllnoH, rescuedbu the IlTicrcssll off tile cOast of Labradar,
six months =d a half afterwerds, on Apri 1 30th, 1[;73. 7hus
they had drifted on the ice for over tHenty four degrees of latitude,
or, one tho' Sand four hundred and forty miles in a direct
line; but allowing fer the sinuosities of tteir course, calsed by
va.."ying windS, they must ha.ve voy, a;ed on their cheerless ice-raft
,"are than tHO thousand miles. Their supply of food when they started
was not more than sufficient for one month's consumptions, and they
r.a(1 their lived chiefly on seals

"hich they Clrifted HaS broken up,
and they had been compellcd to
make their Hay to (l!J.other floating mass amid fearful per-ils.
Eorc
th 'n once they had n.l-r..ost ~eriched 1 f it:} Lunbcr, e)1d c.::~p(;rienc(;c
HO:lderful deliverancos \Thcn ht the lc.st oo:tromity.
Eut u.l'lder the
shelterinG hnnd of' providence the:! hOld been preserved through perils,
hnrdsh:'ps, cold and i'cmino, C.:ld ~ot one of them had ever sickened.
the poor little Esquimaux baby, even though but two months old I-Then
their vOYage began, sheltored cArefully in the loving arms of' a mother,
took no harm, and seemed as lively as any of the Party. Truly, it
is a marvellous tale of human endurance and courage, - unparalled
It adds not a little to the romance of the story to find that
one of the party te.lcen from the ice HaS the Esquimaux, Hans Christian,
who fir;ures so largely in the ch.rm;'ns narri tive' s of Dr. Kane
andlJr. Hayes. H9.ns isquite a historical character. He seemed broken
dOHn mdexhD.usted, as the narrative states. His narrative pOl,ers
,-,ere of the ",ost limited description, "s he spoke only broken Enr;lish,
and found it difficult to understand ordinary speech.
Here he the
only historian of the ice '/oY,/Ze, its story would be summed up in
a few sentences. Dr. Y.:ane saYs, when Em s waS a youth of' nineteen
or tHenty, and smitten by the charms of a plump Esquimaux dansel,
he, for a time, deserted his commandcr, and, ~,ith a fair maiden on
oneside and a handsone su,ply of Halru3 and seal flesh on the other,
mounted his sledGc "nd set off on an Arctic honeymoon. He HaS an
active hunter then - so expert that he could spear a bird on the
\-1inr~. He Seve invaluable 3ervice to Dr • .hanc and his party: hOH le
catered for their table: hOH he \o".1S thc man "ho d iscoverod in the
snOH the tr.'"lck of the sled·a, thus enablin~ K:l..Yle to save tho lives
of eight of' his ,,",cn in the lest extro"lity [rom cold and exhaustion:
and hO',T, too, ho ~Tith Eorton, tII1dc the- cclobration journc,r by 5lcdc;c

on tho icc, "Then .,s they thou::.ht, tho SU"..: the 0. en Polar SeQ, nnd
how, at last, he saved t e lives of all by bringing a supply of Fresh
walrus meat from i;;tah Bay.
In order to understand the ice-voyage of the r.escued Party, He
must follow the "Polaris" for a little on her adventurous voyage in
search of the North Pole.
In 1871 the American Navy department gave
the wooden r,unbon.t "Perioionkle", three hundred and eishty seven tons,
Hhich was re-christencd the "Polaris ~, for an Arctic Expedition up
Smith's Sound, to be commancled by Capt. C. F. Hall. Congress appropriated
$ 50,000 for the expense, but no naval officer accompanied
the e:

!.imsolf in Lat. 800 16',
the hi=hest thut at poriod reachod by any
expeditio!l or !l."l>o individual. l'he land on the Greenland side no"
trended eastHard, and fro:n the appearance of the Hater-sky in this
direction, Hall concluded that another Bay or "'ound opened there.
On the American side Grinnel Land, as far as eighty - three de"rees,
a.nd plcinly distinguished.
Unfortunately, instead of pushing on, and daring everything,
t3king fortune at the flow, Capt. Hall paused, perhaps startled by
his very success, perhaps dreading to take his ship farther so late
in the season, modo fast to an ice-floe, bcgan to drift south, 8-l'ld
the golden op ortu.!lity of reaching the Pole Has lost. Ice waS net
>lith, but it v'aS far from being an impenetrable pack ",hen Hall stopped.
l:ow much :farther he :night have advanced it is impossible to say.
For three days the "Polaris" drifted South, andCa;:>t. Hall then
found himself at the southern roint of nobonson' s Channel, \lhich he
n8-'1lcd Cape Luptun. Here in ice slac;,ened; steam was got up, and
steerin.; eastHard in Polaris Bay he reached, at its head, a harbor
which he named "Thank God Harbor", and in which he determined to
\·1inter. He cast anchor near a huge ice-berg which Has aground, and
which he called "irovidence "Iceberg".
On Sept. 5th, he landed a
portion of his sto:,:,"es f1l."1d ::>roceeded to erect the wooden observatory
he had on ward in \·'hich the scientific corps Here to take observations.
On the 12th a :nusk ox HaS shot. These rilli:n~l1s \lere found to be quite
plentiful in Poloris !:lay; and before darkness set in, tHenty-five of
thcm wre killed.
Every pre!1uration havine been made :for Passint; the lonG \;inter,
CUlt. Hall decided on a sledr.;ing cx::edition with his does, alonf, the
~;rent valley, "It ~ome distnnce f'rorn the cOnst, Hhich ho observo-l
st~'ctching north'lard, :i..n orrler to pioneer the \·In.y 1'01" 3i1rin~ operations.
Accot'(!inCly he startod in c0:o;-,rny \

t",o Esquimaux, Hans Christian And Joe. 'rhis party only succ,eded
in Penstrating about twenty five r:Jlles north of their Hinter quarters,
where they discoveped a small bay, "bout five miles wide at its
mouth, in lat. 82 0 , Hhich Hall named "Uel-llnan' s Bay", after his friend
nev. Dr. Nel·r.nan.
After an absence of' a fortnir:;ht, Capt. Hall and his party returned
to the ship. He waS immediately seized "ith illness and died in about
ten days, of opople;:y, on !'ovember 8th, 1871.
He ",as buried ashope
in Pol'tris Bay.
(There were conflicting reports givin;; round at the
ti!lle the castaHays errived in he"lfoundland that Capt. Hall did not
die a natural death, but there is no reference to these in the narrative).
The ",intor Quarters of the Polaris were in lat. 81 0 38',
ncrth, much farther north then e.r1Y white man hed ever wintered before;
yet the discornforts \'Iere not greater than those of Kane's party in
P.ensellser Harbor, three de~rees f.a.rtl:er south.
'l'he ).oHest deo'ee of cold experienoed was 58 0 below zero, and
th t but for a short time. The sun was absent 135 days. On ;Iov.
21st, a heavy gale of ,·rind broke up the ice around the ship, and
caused her to drift close to the ice-berg, so that its fort got under
neath the Keel, giving her a heaVY list; and at high water causing
her to lie on her bea:" ends.
In this position she continued durizg
the winter.
the most careful arrangements were made for the comfort
of the men, and "musements of various kinds were kept ~p. The
healthofallonboardcontinuedperfedt.
On l~arch 27th, Dr. i3essels ~nd I~r. Bryan of the sci ntific
corps, with the Zscuimaux, undertook a sledr;e journey south, to sU'-
vay the COast tctuec:n the v:inter quarters 0;: tho If?olaris" and C~!,e
Constitution, tho point reacher; b:,' Horton, of l~ono IS expedition,
""!~d. from which he sn··, as he br.:lie:verl, the open Folar Sea. After
an abaenco of u fortnisht, Dr. llessels rotupnod, hevinr supvcyod a

ortion of the co~st, but havin8 becn ablc to !'oach Cape Constitution.
rIo northern journey on sled,;es Hore attempted in the .::)prinR, which,
considering the means at disposal seems surprising. The expedition
had lost its mainspring in losing Capt. Hall. Capt. Buddington vl:JS
nOH cOOlOlander. On June 8th an atteOlpt Has made to penetrate farther
north by boat. 1\10 bOli.ts Here fitted out for this excursion - one
commanded by Cart. Tyson, sailing master, and. the other by ~:r. Chester.
T~ey \-,.ere unable to reach farther north tha..'1 !Ievr.na."1 l s B.:y, o·.-lint; to
ice barriers; and after t-iaiting for a month there .for a chance of
open Hater, orders Came from Capt. BUddington to return to the shi;>,
\-H1S
\-Thich was reported to be leaking, to some extent. (rhe season
evidently too ea- ly for making Hay Horth in boats.
It would seem that Capt. BUddinf;ton nOH became uneasy regarding
the condition of: the ship, and decided on returning home. On AugtEt
12th, the ice "a3 sut'ficiently open to perOlit of the "Polaris" leaving
her Hinter o.uarters. She got through kennedy Channel, in lat. 80 0 2',
Hhen she "'as caught fast in the ice, and drifted south, till October
15th, 1872. On that d2Y, during a he.:vy Gel e and snO\-J-drift, the
pressure of the ice around the ship 'HaS very great, threatening he'
ha~te, to remove the stores to
destruction. It t·las decided, in all
the ico. 'I'he Esquimaux women and children were placed on the ice
for safety. Ten of the ere"" Hi th the Esquimaux men, ",ere on the
ice receiving the stores andhaulin;; them back from the ship.
\"Ihen
thus employed, the portion of the floe to t-Ihich the "rolaris" t-Ias
moored suddenly broke off, and in the darkness the ship t-laS driven
a""JY by the wind to the Horth"'crd. She had fourteen men on board.
l!cxt d .... those on the ice sa", the "Polaris" under stea'll, appa- ently
npcroachine; to take them off.
J.'heir signals, they thought, could
not fail to be seen on board. ~uddently, hOHever, Hhether oHing to
the movements of the ice, or some other
c[j.lse, she passed in be-

tHcen a small island, supposed to be 11 0 rthumberland Island, at the
entrance of HhaJ-e Sound, and the mruinland, and the unfortunates on
the ice saw her no more.
The flow on ,-,hich they Here began to
drift off rapidly; and all efforts to reach the shore in the bOat
failed, and their long and terrible ice-voYfl.£::8 wn.s begun.
On exsmination, the portion of the stores in the floe along
.,ith them was found to consist of eleven bags of bread, fourteen
cases of permmican (forty pounds in each); ten dozen cms of ;oreserved
meats and a fe;; seal s:dns - plenty of am"lUnition and six
or eight rifles.
'I'he quanti y of food on the ice Hascbout equal
to the sllstcna...n.co of the nineteen per-sons for :nonth. Capt. Tyson,
Hho now took charge of the party, at once put the:n on short allowal'lce.
A :neal for nine men consisted of I" lbs bread, and 3/4 lbs pemmican
mixed ,-lith Hater. This was served out t~Iice-a day. The Esquimaux
shared in the same proportion.
":ortunately they had two boats on
the ice, the "PolarisH beinr:. 16 ft \.R thout boats. Eleven dogs 'I!ere
Hith them, and those they mot, as they could spare food for them.
The first movement of the floe on "hich they were, ;;as to the
'::>outh Hest, a heavy north east Hind blowing, and in a short "time
they found themselves t heirty or forty miles south of where their
ship w~s last seen. OHing to a he...,vy sea which \-TaS running, their
floe broke up, and they were separated from one of their boats, six
babs of bread und some articlesof clothine, \-Thich" hO\.I8ver, they
subsequently recovered. After driftinG eight days they found themselves
Hi thib a feH miles of the Greenland coast. ~'hey made two
atteMpts to recch land, but failed; stormy Heather set in, nnd they
c1riftedfastto\-lardsthesouth.
'/ihen thcy passed Cary Islands all hope of getting to land He_s
abandoned; and Hith thc aid of the Ssquimaux, they built three snoClhuts
on the ice. Dul'ing tho monthof,:ovember they cau[\ht four or

- ll~ -
five seals, and ubout the Slme numbar rospectively in January nnd
February.
Their sufferings from cold and hunger were vory great.
It Has a brieht day in their dreary calendar when a seal HaS taken,
as they had then a feast, and obtained asupply of light and fuel "lith
which to ",arm their scanty allowance of food.
"heir cooking cons:isted
in warming their meat slightly over a lamp. l,uch of the seals Here
oaten ra,,/, the skin entrails, and every part but the gall, being used.
One boat was cut up to supply fuel for cooking purposed, but loy t1e
first of January this supply wus exhausted. It is touching to find
the forlorn band making some effort to observe ChristmaS Day. Their
last piece of ham Has reserved for that day; h,o biscuits Hare served
out to each, ',nd thus, '!I1id those fearful ice-solitudes, in the
gloom of an Arctic night, they enjoyed their scanty Christmas cheer,
th:b.:1~ing, no doubt, vlith r1.9.:l~" a lon;inE, of' the friend.s, f'ar e.:r..ia:l,
who Here gathered
that day around their cheerful hearths, and
breathing a more earnest pr.yer than usual that God ",ould continue
to Guard them rrom.4o..l'1Ger and restore them to tLeir homes. l:.:hen I~cH
Yo ·rts J),y CS!'le they .lound their sCMty stol."es could af'ford no festive
indulgences, and that they must be con~,"nt "ith the ordinary fare.
·':0 cun f'nncy 11:'1 at r.1ust h3.ve ":-)een the forlorn condition of tla:ese
poor castaHaus duri ng the gloom of the long Arctic night.
Even Hith
every comfort on boal'd shi", and surrounded by cheeeful influences
cif all kinds, Hith books and amuse!l1ents to Hhile away the ti~e, the
Arctic night is felt to be terribly oppessive.
But what must it
have been to this forlorn bundy shut in a Hretched snoH-hut cold,
half sturving, Hi thout light except what a feeble lamp could furnish,
and Hith nothing to break the terriblo monotony of the HOary hour!
f'or eir,hty five days they Here Hithout the sun; but at length, on
J:muary 19th, 1872, they wore claddonod by tho sisht of the roturnin

-15-
the heartsick '~roup en the icc-floe. On the whole, however, they
managed to prseeve their cheerfulness to a Honderful de,;ree, and nJver
lost hope to ultim"te deliverance. At t Yr.es, tl;Do, the voice of liannah,
one of the Esquimaux women, cheered them, as she sang the songs of her
native land.
It is touching to find that the well-being of the baby
was a constant source of interest and affectionate inquiry; and wb:en
daylight returned, a look at its dusky little face, oS it nestled
in Ers. nans' bosom, Has often as< ed for, and never failed to m-raken
smiles and tender '-lOrds.
'l'lle services of the two Esquimaux men were
inval uable.
'l'hey wot ched the ice-holes and speared the seals when
Hhite men were unequal to such an achievement.
They-killed the Polar
Bear
and shot the snOH birds.
Thus the Heary hours dragged along.
During the latter part of
!"'eb ruary, the little !"\irds callee. "0ove~~icsll Here shot in considc!"2.o1o
nU'11b'3rs, 'lnd t,~o of the., H3t"e sorved out to each person twice a day.
Narch 2nd was a hpppy day in their calendar. On that day they shet
large squal'e-flipper seal !thieh served the,,, for tHelve days.
Un
narch 12th, dUring ada k stormy r!ir;ht, the ice began to crack around
them,
and at 13 ngth the floe broke up with tremendous noise, leaving
them barely enou:;h iee to walk round their snoH-huts.
During the
remainder of j-Iarch they suf'fered little f'rom hunger, seals being
abundant; but on "pril 1st the sea beean to \·rash over thier snoH-'.utS.
They '..rore then com:-elled to take to their boat, and abandon their
friendly floe thut had carried them so fap.
'l'hoy succeeded in reaching
another, >ihich on "pril 5th, also broke up; and all day they were
scrmnbling from pon to pan, drenched to tho skin, cold and miserabla,
the weather beinn; very boisterous. Duri ng there movements, they had
to throH "Hay most of their f'resh provisions, and now f'ound themselves
in slob ice, "here no seals pere to be met ,-ri. tho On the 21st, they
found th,t their Hholc stoc!; of :Jrovisions co,",si sted of' ten biscuits;

and death by hunger Has starinG thom in the faoe. On the aftol:'noon
of that day, just as they \>lel:'e delivel:'ating about sel:'Ving out their
last stook of bisouit, one of the .c;squimaux who had mounted a hummock,
signalled that all "ere to lie dOHn and play seal. A Polal:'
Bear Has in sight, though it was much fal:'thel:' south than these
animals al:'e usually found. It Has an anxious moment, as they Hatohed
the movements of the beal:' till he ca.'Tle v,ithin l:'ange. '-"heil:' lives
depended on the shot. 'J:lhe pifles of the t vlO Esquimaux ran~ out at
the same moment, and the beal:' dropped dead. :i'hat night they had an
abundant and luxurious supper and their sufferings from htmger Here
Lanes of Vlatel:' wel:'e now seen, and Capt. Tyson took advantage
of them to Hork to the west as ra1" as possible, hoping to reach the
coast of Labrador, ,·,here te:nporal:'Y l:'eflief might be obtained. On
the afternoon of the 28th, to their uns!,eakable joy they savr the
smoke of a steamer at distance, but soon lost sight of her. This
\>las one of the ilel·rfoundla....ld sealing fleet, out on her second trip.
On the next day they savr ther again, but failed to attract the attention
of those on board, notVlithstanding every effOl:'t made by firing guns
m d making signals. l:eoHards evening she disappecr ed, and the hearts
of the poor cust:-':Iays sank ,·D. thin them. ·,fere they doomed to ::>erish
so near human aid, after all their \{lnderful escapes!
Next morning
at 50 f clock as the i'ag cleared avray, - 0 Joy forever ~ - 'rhey fiaH a
larGe steamel:' Hithin a quarter of a roilo of them. Sho prov~d to uo
trw llTigress ll , Capt. bartlett, of St. John's, out on a sealing voyage.
In a short ti:-n8 they Horo on bon.:r·d,
nnrl ['.ttont:ion .. ~\ .fat.... d3.Ys :l.ftcr, the "'Eigro38 11 reached St. John 1 s.
The
Hholo par-ty Hero lookinG wonder-fully ".Tell notHi thst~J1din0

-17-
their privations nnd hardships. They had been six months and a half
on the ice. Fe,-, of them, in all that time, h"d been able to change
any portion of their clothing, and not one of them had been able to
enjoy the luxUl'y of a wash, the little Hater they Here able to obtain
by melting the ice, being all rec;uired for drinking andcooking purposes.
l1e can fancy the pleadurable sensation of these pocr voyagers,
"hen once more they tasted a "arm, '''ell-cooked meal, got a tl,orough
wash, and lay do;·m to sleep in a clean bed.
In only one instance has there been anything similiar to this
Honderful voyaGe of '1','0 ~'housand miles on a..'1 ice-raft. On October
22nd 1869, the crew of the "Hansa", of the second German Horth Polar
3xpedition, were compelled to a bondon their vessel "hich was crushed
by the ice in lat. 70 0 L~91 North, long. 10 0 51 ·;lest. They bi.!ilt on
the floe a house ,r1 th the Patent fuel they had on board, and in this
snup; shelter, they drifted to the southern point of Greenland, ,,,here
they took to their boats, and on June 14th, 1870, reached the Karavian
!'-:ission Station of Priedrikstal, in lut 60 0 North, just on the 1.J8stern
side of CapeFareHell.
Thus they drifted over ten degrees of latitude,
but their sextants shoHed that the total distance traversed w"s 1,150
miles. The "Pob'is" party passed on their cheerfless raft, 2000 miles.
Then the "Hansa" party had a snug house on the ice and ample stores.
The others had not enough provisions at startinf?; to sustain them for
a month, and had to submit in the manner I have described. The da.Y1gers
they encountered tHO '.-lere far ,nore te,'rible than those wh1ch the
Kansn pat·tJ- pa3:isd through, who were only in ono instance driven from
HOT,,:
The tllelve men on the Polaris we:'e r'escued by the Dundeo
steamer Ravenscrag on June 24th, 1()7J.

VOLtJ)1£' 1· l::to (II) Nfkl.
any human agency,
they are generally placed in the catagory of the supernatural.
He
have many instances recorded in history wherein it is stated that
supe natural agency played a prominent part, as for example, the
appearance of the ghost of Ceasar to Brutus the night previous to
the battle of Philippi, and the ghost of Banguo, which 'lOuld not
remain a'..1ay, asrecorded by the imlTlortal Shakespeare in his Play of
Hacbeth. It may be said that the guat Ball. of Avon, possessin3 as
he did a 'Ionderful power of imagary, dre", from hi'S well-stored mind
the events that made up his imperishable dramas, but we have also
other instances, recorded by the greatest theological \-lriters of'
the ages, Hhich go to rpove that such events have happened, and
are still believed inby the deepest thinkers and most profound
scholars of the day, after the lapse of ages. Be that as it may,
for ny part I cannot see that >That happened in the early days of
Christianity can'10t happen in our elm da,>,s, because the days of
miracles have not passed, and it is onl),! reasonable to cssert that
they Hill never paSs. In my m.ffi day I ",as told by a most reliable
and trust>Torthy gentlemen of an event that occurred over sixty years
ago in our 0>1Tl country that \-Iould give the scoffers and doubters
an everlasting time at t heir usual method of decrying everything tmat
they cannot or wi. 11 not understand, and >hose arguments, if 'any,
invariably Hi.ndup with the stereotyped sentence, "1 don't believe
it, and Hould nit unless I saH it". And yet these >Torthies, "hose
aro;umentative pO'.-lers are limited to the a])ove sentence, \lould feel
D'~f,reived if ana told them they Here Hithout brains, which accordinf\
t~o:.~?:;.r(~~~~~~~~:= /t?~tb;;~"efr~-:- 9;1~~~eC .they rc~o~ F-i~ thorn.

Any intelligent parrot or cockatoo could adduce the same mode of'
reaSoning af'ter a little instruction f'rom a past master in training.
For my part Hhen events happen Hhichc annot possibly be attributed
to human agency, I am inclined to think that the supernatural element
predominates. There are many instmces, as I said bef'ore, to prove
the truth of' my Hords. I do,-not Hish it to be \mderstood that I am
abeliever inspiritualism, scell!lcds, crystal-gazing, table->waping,
Hhitling a bout chairs and other articJa s, tea-cups tossing or cardcutting
etc. Far f'rom it, although '-Ie have several men today, .mo
are looked upon asscientists, literateurs, etc" W 0 have a large
f'olloHing and who believe in those seances and meduims, and hold
cc-nf'erence Hith departed relatives, present their questions and receive
answers through those med uims.
"11 these may be classed as either
clove··.. tricksters or demonistic aboninations. rlmongst those \·ho believe
in such, I may mention "'irOliver Lodge, '-.ho published an acccou"t
of' aconversation he held Hi th his on, ,-ho had Passed away some tinB
previously; and the wonder of' it is, that from all appearance he is
sincere in his belief's that he really did converse w. th his f'ilial
relative in the other '-lorld thr-ough a meduim. The late 'II. T. Stead,
who Has undoubtedly a clever man, an able and voluminous Hri tel' and
possessed a vast experience, had also a tendency that Hay, and it
is surprising that a man of' the Horld, ,-,ell ve- sed on almost any
subject, should be ovsessed Hith such a microbe in thebrain .as to
[ive way and believe in the clever machinations or sleight of' hand
as those ,,"0 run those payin£; institutions !!nd prey upon the \:eak
spots in the gene:'al mE.ke-up of humanity. --rot c,nl:; -10 they bJlcivc
Pipe,> and others, but they publish
their belief' to the \-.orld, and expect every intellif,ent level - h""ded
'~n'lchri9tian :nortlll to believo in the;" tll:n. In thr~ 011cn (1-1.,:!:;, G'lch

-3-
\.;orthies (I ~leA.n tho charlatans) Hould be burned at the stake, but
in these clays of freedom of conscience or "hat may be more appropriately
styled, the doctrine of go-as-you-please, has such free scope that
one can believe in anything, no matter hOTtl monstrous or ridiculous
and there are none to say him nay.
But there are Cases recol'ded wherein any intelligent man must
Sive Hay to the fact that supernatural agency must have been at "ork
to accomplish a fact that has puzzled the greatest scientists for
centuries, and before I come to rrry story the events of \lhich happened
in our OHn country and amongst our Oi·m people, I Shall give one from
the rr..ost authentic sources, bearing truth upon the face of it, and
could not pODsibly have any connection Hith, Ot' be the 'dork of spiritists,
charlatans or even duly C;ue.lified and reco;::nized scientists
of the highest der;ree.. The method of embal~ing amongst the Ef,Ciptians
of old wns a wonderful art, and the remains of their Kemp's, queens
and nobles are as intact today, as they \-rere three thousand years
as \

-1,-
In Thebes' streets three thousand years ago,
Hhen the gigantic J.leml'on Has in all its glory
And time had not begun to over1'low
'rhose temples, palaces and piles stupendous
01' ;,hich the very ruins are tremendous".
Perhaps that very hand now pinioned flat,
Has hob-a-nobbed >lith Phorooh glass to glass;
Or dropped a half-penny in Homer's hat,
Or doffed thine at·m to let ,usen Dido pass,
Or held by Solomon's own invitation
A torch at the great Temple's dediCation.
In imagination I Can picture our brave boys, such as Lieut
~arter, Cart. Tait andLcCerpt Ryan, and the rest of them, at the
base of the Great Pyra:llid, from the suolmit of Hhich forty centuries
looked dOHn upon theM - the elorious little band of hcroes from
fc:.r-distant UeHfoundlnnd, t;·;ho Hepe there to fiGht in the Great cause
of Liberty :l..'ld ~~u·:,.l,"'l.nity, contenr>lntins the ,jr.J.:'l':ified remains of
sO:'1e ancient King, ~ueen, or lIoble - a descen cant of the mishty
Pharoaho or Ptallmys a"'1d adoressing it in an interrogatory mD.IU'Ler,
as if commuming with the great departed:-
"Speak!
for thou long enOUGh hast acted cummy!
Thou hast a tongue - come let us hear its tune;
'I'hou'rt standinG on thy leGS above ground, I':ummy~
Revisitinr; the r;lim!'sE; of the mOGn,
Hot liko them r:ho3ts or discmboiJied Cl'eutures,
~ut \'lith they bonos Dnd flesh, and limbs Dnd features.

-5-
roll us, for doubtless t Oll cr,nst recollcctrro
whom should t-Ie assign the .:;)phjn.:;.:t s fame?
He.s Cheops or Cerhre es architoct
Of either Prya:'lid ttat bears his na:ne?
Is Pompey's Pillar really a misnomer?
Had Thebees a hundred gates as sung by Homer?
Did'st thou not hear the pather o'er they head
"Then the great Persian conqueror Combyses,
Harched armies 08er thy tomb with thu:ndering tread,
Olerthe.....10siris, Orus, Apsis, Isis,
And shook tho J'yra;nids with fear and Honder
Hhen the gigantic i'lermon fell asunder.
Since first thy form vIas in this box extended,
He have, above ground, seen sorne cueer rr.utations;
The ;loman Empire has begun and ended,
IleH worlds have risen - \-Ie have lost old nations;
And countless kings have into duat been humbled,
~lhilst not a fragment of they flesh has crumbled.
Statue of flesh - irm'lportal of the dead!
Imperishable type of evanisence!
"osthumous man, ;rho quitt'st they narrow bed
And standest undecayed within our presence.
Thou wilt hear nothina will thrill this vrith its tiarnin~.
aut, to ':ifY mind" the most Hondcpful Case of the su?el'natlll'al
th3.t I ever reed or hoard tell of occurred while ....J'orlanen were enf;ac:ed,
about SiX1;y or seventy· 7{0:1.r5 aLio, in demolishinG the ancient Church
of Urb.1ch - >!hich

Hhich was four feet thick, \-l:lS found a marble coft'in, nine feet fill r
inches i!l length, and addooned Hith figures in relief finely executed.
The opening of the coffin \·,as a difficult operction - the joints
h~ving been covered ,Ii. th a cement ;h ich a cquired the hardness of marble
itself.
It had accordingly to be broken into from the foot, and
revealed an object which took the spectators by surprise - a body,
clothed in sacerdotil habit, fresh as that of a man who diedyesterday.
The colour of the epidermis, firmness of the flesh, the hair, the
nails - all Here in the most perfect preservation. The flesh yieldod
beneath the finser like soft ··Yax; the limbs had kept their sup":-leness,
end the very eyes, but half closed by the eye-lid, had preserved a
portion of their brir,htness. The dead man. Hore a cassock of pale
blue silk, i.nter~-loven 'I.lith threads of' pure gold, and a linen gOl,·Ul,
extremely fine and trimmed wi. th lace. These garments HOl"'m so many
hundreds years ago seemed quite new. Round the hands clasped on the
tl.·rined a i10sary of \-1~ite pear-Is, str'uns on beads of' gold
to which HuS attached a small box, in for:n of a medallion contained,
on one of its faces, the folloHing inscription, in characters 1rrhich
suggested the dcte of the eleventh century (over nine hundred years
ago):-
"Otts Imperator parocho Irbicchians sculptori Excellentissimo":­
"'rho Emperor Otho to the Curate of Urbach, a most excellent sculptor".
On the reverse is the figure of the Good Shepherd. On being opened
the box was found to enclose afolded p~I"ch~n0nt, containing Hl"iting
in letters of' gold and ulbr8marine. The ancient text viaS difficult
to decipher; but records that the priest in question, one of the
greatest artists of the ages,vras the author of varioL:s scu;Lptures,
representin:; scripture subjects, on the principal front of the High
Altar; and t at the sculptured pulpit, "Thich Has the great ornament
of the Church \-J;yl from his chisol. 'i1he artists curate must have beon,
0..100, in mnt,.... ers unsr,irltuo.l, one of' the s,'pon,test ~non of his day.

'rho body measured, from the crown of the head to thesole of the
foot, seven f'eet eleven inches, Rhenish mea:3ure.
The feet nearly
covered the cassock, rested on a folio volume in parch",ent - the first
leaf of Hhich displayed the title:- "Chronicon Sacculi XI". 'l'o tlw
educated or illeterate mind alike the above mlist convince that human
avency had nothing vlhRtever to cOh-l.th the M.iracle recorded above,
and it proves conclusively that the circumstances may be att!'ibuted
to the supernatursl.
And yet there arE> many ",ho would firmly believe
in spiritists, christian sciences, crystal-gazing meduims,
etc, notwithstanding the most indisputable proof as recorded by those
Hho witnessed it a little over secenty years ago. Such lis an example
of the sculptors, artists, etc, vn·.o lived and worked in the
~:iddle ages, desi nated by some as the derk ages - the sculptol's of
today ,.-ould be unable to repair the ,:ork of those of the Kiddle Ages,
much less plan, erect and beautify these grand works of art, such
al'chitecture, amny of the levelled to the ground by the brutal and
barbaric attacks of the Prussia.'O. hordes during tl:e late war.
llapoleon
It "as ( and still is) \-lith undiminished life and vigor, the
piety, zeal and Hlnderful talent of such fat thful servants of God,
as that scul?tor - priest of Urbach, that the Church raised the
people from the 101o!est depths of barbarism, passed them through tle
alemble of purity andc arity, and placed them on the high road of
eternity. And it \oIaS the knO\iledgo of these facts that dre,-! fro:n
the lips of the Grand Old Han and Prime Einister of Enfland, ~Iilliam
;';vort Gladstone, a feH years previous to his death, that beautiful
and \01011 'lesol'vod tribute, \oIhon ho stated: "She (Catholic CllUI'ch)
h"s marched for fiftoon hun'1rod yeurs ~since tho nays of Constantino)

-8-
at the head or civiliz:?tion, and has harnessed to her chariot, as
the horses of a tl'iumphal car, the chief intellectual and l:latel'iol
forces of the "orld:
her greatness, glory, grandeur and magesty
have been al:nost, although not absolutely, all that in these respects
the "orld has had to bO-1St of.
her children are :nore numerous tr-.an
all the children of the sects combined; she is every day enlarging
the boundaries of her vast empire, her alters are raised in every
clime and her missionaries are to be found T,>lherever there are men
to be tau 'ht the evangeil. of imlitortality and souls to be saved.
Ar1d
this Hondrous (;hurch, Hhich is as old as christiantiy and as universal
as mankind" is today, after its twenty centuries of' age, as fresh and
as vi[lorous and as fruitful as the day the Pentecostal fires Here
ShOHered upon the earth".
Another case, and if it does not rank amonGst the supernatura, I
fail to account for it.
It is a simple and true story, end can be
vouched for by mmy ,"ho "re living today. I Can remember the vessel
clearly and distinctly, but, unfortunately, the mystery occurrod so
lon[l aeo that the details have escaped my memory, altljough I hear.d
the old f'olks describe the events Many: a ti:ne, in fact, it HaS a
subject of general conversation. Probably I HaS five years old,
and I
can remember the na:lle of the vessel, Hich Has the ";liza, oH11ed
by C2,ptuin Putl'ick Stra!)~)
of l:r..rbor Hain, rather of' the beloved Rev.
Brother Strap, of St. 30naventure, s Colle[le, ",ho has baen for so
many years the idolized teacher of the pupils attending that historic
and vonerablc Institution. I should say that the evant occurred nearly
sixty years ago. 'l'he~liza Has a bri[l3ntine of about 105 tons, ..nd
""3 employed in the prosecution of the seal and cod-fisheries, by
the Duners, 1'0":' Nnny yeorn. After sl,.e >;l.3,3 lost, CUf·t. Str,s,l': ~'U::­
chased the brigantine j1anson, a splondid vossol, /lnd I H:l.S on board
of her scoros of times. But is Hith tho Eliza I have to do in my

story of a su!?ernatural occurrence', a'1d i.f it vJas not supernatu!'al
vrhat W.,3 it? '.lireless telegraphy W3,S not thou~ht .for .forty or nore
years after the event if the "ireless were in full swing as it is
today, with all its manifold blessings in saving life at sea, and
other great benefit conferred by it upon humanity, it would not in
anyway account for the mysterious notification that Capt. Strapp
received upon the voyage I am about to describe; und a mystery it
has remained to this day, and 1 presume will remain so till the end
About 1860, Capt. Strapp in the Eliza sailed with a cargo of
codfish for the I·lest Indies, and for several daYS nothing of any
importance occurred; the Heather being fine and there was every
indication of the 300d ship making a qllick run to rna' keto Suddenly
a he'V"'J gale sprung up, but the "'liza was a staunch and well-built
vessel, used to buffettinr with winds, sea and ice, and managed to
co:ne throu£h wi thout tr~e loss of a sailor anything of' any

usual with seafarins men,
being busy, he forgot all about it in a
few minutes.
A short time after he '"ent to the slate again and received
a great shock when he discovered the same Hords written thereon,
ordering him to hurry and run to the assistance of the ship and
those aboard, giving the latitude and lonp;itude as be:fore:"In the
name of God I'll go", said the Captain, and gave orders to alter
the course of the Eliza and steer :for the location given on the
slate. A:fter some hours sailing the Ji:liza sighted a large ship
in a sinking condition - sails carried away, boats gone and cre,-,
exhausted ':;y their terrible sufferings: - all provisions spoiled by
the salt water.
Capt. Strapp bore do,ln on the sinking ship just in
time to rescue the crew andcOljvey them sa:fety to the port to 1lr, ich
the "'liza was bound. I am sorry I cannot- give the full details of
the wonderful and musterious occurrence ,-hich has been a source of'
argument from rhat daY to comparatively a few years ago. I have
asked Rev. Brother Strapp, but he knows only the outlines su.ch as
I do, and I have asked many old timers, but they, ,-,hile they reme:nber
the event, can add nothing to Hhat I know myself. But Mr.
Fredrick Hartin, the veteran chief engineer of the ~. S Fiona for
so many years, Hho posseeses a most remarkable and relontive memory,
has p;iven me a most interesting bit of information, which, to say
the least, only intensifies the mystery.
Mr. Nartin remembers the
occurrence distinctly, and has in:formed me that Hhen the mate of
the abnndioned ship HeS brought on boc.rd the 3liza, ho gazed round
in a daged condition, and informed Cap' • Strqpp th:.lt as he became
exhausted he di'e:.llned that he and his comrades Here rescued by the
very ship "'liz'l, after he had ;:ritten a mess'lge on the slate in
the cabin. Capt.StruPP;,-:u3 thunderstruc\.C, and going over to the
tablo, took up the slate and askod the mate if that was his writing?
.l'hc ml.to \0133 no loss Durprincd th::n Cupt. Strupp, and unhesit~tingly

cplied that it Has hiso,m handHriting, proHed it to the satisfaction
of all end Has corroborated by his own captain. There is not a shado'Vl
of doubt as to the tI'\)th of this mysterious occurrence, and, as I
said before, it Has the subject of conversation amongst sea-faring
men, as Hell QS that public generally, for many years after. A
few years ago Rev. Brother Strapp came across an old diary of his
father amongst some fa.mily papers in which it ,.JaS stated that the
name of the Captain of the unfortunate vessel, the crew of which was
rescued, was Cummins, and the ngne of Capt. Strapp's was ';Ialsh, for
many years hi8 chief officer. It waS also sta; ed that Capt. Strapp,
HSS considerably injured falling from aloft - having his teeth
knocked out aYld his arm strained. Something \-lent vlrong alort, and
he t.,lent to fix it Hhile his erst-; Hepe conveying the shipHrecked
mariners on board the EliZa_
II' it ,HaS a performed by supernatural agency, hOl,..,r;as it done?
As ceptain as I hold this pen in my hand no person on board ship
,·;rote the warninE on the slate. How could they? 'fhey spoke no
vessel in distress. So I give it up.

Li\RLY IJI\Y~ (Jl" TEE FIShLJUES l\!,;lJ I\GHICULTUHE III llFLlJ.
------ ------~--------------
11. F. SI~OH·rIS - llIS'lOl

to tile transcriLdng of Uocur.lcnts dcaling \r/ith events anu cpoch!;
in the life of Eo

all the infromation that goes towakcuphislory.
complete, must yo hollU in hand with tradition. \"lhen the great,
lJutsoulcwhatsclf-lau

-4-
courago, the oriGinal o\omcrs of tho~o Carlll!} heanded dovm to their
children an enduri bg monument to their own ability and energy. The
very fact of ttese f,.,ms being thel'e, are of themselves, a stimulus
to the enquiring mind to seek information about them.
Hen of such
courage andonduronce as l-)ioncers of theso homostn cs :nust be Harth
!:itudyinc_ It mu~;t be rC:'1e~.1bered th~tt rt the time those men undertook
to r.eclaim the land, everything was against them.
Climatic conditions
were adverse, as the winters in those days Here long ans severe.
Isolation was the order of the day. There were no connecting roads,
and the prospective farmer not only had to face; ..hat ll-man.
Everything was
against him. n e had to contend ag&inst the hostile forces of l:ature,
an ill-supplied purse, and a l1

-5-
llpeculilll·f'itnossf'oropeningupllnOHCOtultry.
'l'hcywereposscsscd
of' indomit&ble oourage, capability f'orphysical endurance and an
inconquirable determination - qUalities Hhich Gave them special
f'itness to become f'ounders of' a race Hhich f'or couragc and endupance
are second to no people in theworld.
I f'ail to see the completeness of' a history which, while devoting
pages to the natupal possibilities of' a country (both present and
prospective) entirely ignores the ",en who made those possibilities
a living issue in the history of' the commercial world.
In th", jevelopement of' the agricultural, as Hell as the f'ishing
resources of' our country, the Irish race played an important part.
Driven f'rom their own land in cockle-shell vessels, huddles together
like cattle, under the lash of' brutal and tyrannioal captains, f'or
days ,n.thout f'ood or Hater, strioken with f'ever, hundreds of' them
never reached our shores, and f'ound their graves in the broad Atl:n tic.
Yet those I-Iho arrived on ourshores became the most enterprising and
successf'ul residents in every walk of' lif'e, in church, state, f'isheries,
agriculture, as artizans, teachers and every other branch of' indust~.
~ho can ever f'orget the Said chapter of' 1847; to be exact, on the
8th of' Hay of' that year, the f'irst of' along list of' f'ever.
laden
emigrant ships f'rom Ireland arrived at Grosse Island, in the St.
LaHrenco, about thirty miles beloH Quebeo? CroHded with human beings
driven f'rom their native country by proverty and persecution, these
ships (if' they could be called such) witnessed scenes of' horroH and
misery which are better not written.
Hal ignant typhus has taken hold
of' the emegrants. The orOHding together of' so many Passengers, tho
Misernblo .food nno. conditions then prevailing in the steerace, tbe
long and anxious voyage aCrOSS the Atlantic,-all a,]

\,hcn tney arl:ivcu at Gros~c I~lilnd, the inh

down in the undying pages of history. llm,1 is it then the so-called
historians of Ncwfounaland have overlooked the characters and dispositions
of her people? 'l'he reason is simply, that they have
confined themselves to a few old documents, easily accessible,
and have col,ected such data together and published them to the
world by the high sounding name of History.
In the people of
Newfoundland there is to be found the material for making historya
history that would be of intense interest, as an example of
what a determined and self-sacrificing race of men can accomplish
in the face of the greatest physical difficulties.
'.rhecollector
of data will answer,- "This is a thing hard to accomplish consideringtheabsenceofrecords".IftheFathersofHIstoryhasset
about their task in this spirit, the world today would be infinitely
!Joorer in the knowleuge we possess of nations and nation-builtlers.
There is one SQurce of knovlledgewhich has never been tapped
oyourhistorians,andthatis-tradition.
It is absolutely
futile to attempt the history of a
new country witho·.,t consulting
the tEaditions of its people.
records of its transactions.
'l'he new country keeps no written
The struggle to live, at first absorbs
all their attenting, and they have son·ething else to do besides
jotting down every event in their daily life.
Yet, all information, even the DIOst remote stages of the settlements
of Newfoundland, is easily available. It is a ''lell-known
fact ±.hat a people, who are not capable oraccustolhed to noting down
events, have a most relentive memory. This is o\oling to the fact
that they depend solely on their memory as a guide to the past, and
people.
ThepeopleofNewfoundlandhavethistraitstronglydevclopedinther,l,
and, as a consequence, they possess a fond of the

traditions of the country.
'l'hc \-/riter of Nev/founulilJ1cl history,
to be a success, most consult the traditions of her people. \'lithout
that all efforts in any other direction will be absolutely
useless. ;\s I before remarked, if the Fathers of llIst9ry had
confined. themselves to C10cumentary eviLlcnce, have impoverished
would be the Ilistory oflJationsl
"The Rise and Fall of the Empires of the I'lest "ere not l'itnessed
by the historians who related those events.
'l'hey had to consult
the traditions of the people of whom they wrote, and there is no
getting over the fact the principal eVents related in history were
handed down by traditions, befor finding a place in history. It
is therefore absolutely necessary for any person attempting to
v.'rite the history to go amongst thte people, to associate \'lith
them, to become acquainted \'lith their habits, manners and customs,
and to get them talking, in order to have them relate the traditions
of their country.
preserved, from generation to generation, and handed down
from
father to son.
'l'he real history of Newfoundland is preserved in
the traditions of her people.
It is only from this source that
we can learn of the bravery and herioslU of her hardy sons ..
Tradition
unfolds to us the story of their determination and pluck -
their
selfsacrifice - their almost super-human powers of endurance .. and
their dauntless courage ..
Their love of adventure is amply illustratedintheprosecutionoftheseal-fsihery.
There are hundreds
of young men in the outports, as well as St .. John's, today, who
use every effort to obtain a berth to the ice, who are well provided
for, and who are in no wise compelled to go for the sake of the
pecuniary returns, but their romantic love of adventure induces

on this hazaruous voyage, more with a view to the love
of the chase and its consqucnt dangers, than for any material
gains to be uerived therefrom. ~fhe spirit of auventure and daring
are the two most prominent traits in the character of the Newfoundlandfishrrnan.
'l'hehistory of the seal and cod fisheries,
when .. told by some
future historian, will, whilst abounding in scenes
of the most realistic character, possess all the elements that go
to constitute the most fascinating romance.
This history will
have to be gleaned from the people themselves, >Thich go back in
anunbrokenci1aintotheearliest.colonizationofourcountry.
It is from this source that we can get at all the noble traits
of the true NevlfouncilaIH.ler ~ who is intensely typica1 0 f the race
from which they sprung.
lIe is a combinaton of the shrewd and calculating
Sctoclunan aIld ready wit of the Irishman, along \-lith the
bull-dog tenacity and detamination of tne Britian.
Knen occasion
demands it, all these qualities quickly come to the surface.
fulness and their marvelous power of rising to the occasion in
sudden emergencies and dangers. This is a trait that every year
is brough to the front when their dangerous calling often brings
them face to face with death, and when disasters that would have
a fatal termination are often averted by their >Tonderful power of
resource and their reaciiness to grasp extreme opportunities .
~J.'he ir
capacity of discrimination is truly wonderful.
'fhis was one of
the secrets of their success.
'rhey judged every man on his merits
and they were quick to catch on to what those merits were.
A man
who is observant, going on board a sealing steamer, cannot but
admire the tact and discrimination dispalyeu in selecting the men
for responsible trust. Every man fits into his place vlith mathematical

precision.
In every case the master-",atchcs, the Ltidgenan, the
barrel-man ,Jrc
found to be selected with a view of perfect efficiency.
In every case thesemcnare tried, traineu ir.tplicityly trusted,
deputies as they \'1oul

volume, but an intensely interesting one.
Having made a life-long study of my countrYltlen, and possessing,
a I flatter myself I

:ISCOVERE!L.l1LTHEES(I'H

SIv.IIJ.Rl1'YHETWRITES ------
According to the bestrecor,ni7ed euthorities, the worc aerolite is derived
fromtheGreek!l~-theair,8ndl:Jthos,astone(8irstone6)Jwhi chisanappellatim
given to these extraordinary bodies, composed of several mineral substances,
which have been obeerved
to fall from the atmosphere.
(through certsinly they are of rare occurrence)
'ihesearesometimescalledeeorolithe,andatother
timer.lunerstones. '1 he descent of such very curiousmsf;ses \O/5.S, fora time,
doubted,andwhenadescriptionofanyofthephenomenawaspublishedtothewor"ld,
itwastreetedwithscornofanuntruth,butoflsteryears, the fact hesbeen
Borepeetedlyprovedandinsuchaconclusivemenner,thr.titcannot,brany
possiblemeens,leeveanydoubtofthecertaine:xistenceofthis?henomenon.
lergerclassofthefiestoneshevebeenobservedasluminousboeies,movingwith
greet velocity and descending in oblique directions,accompeniedbyaloudhissing
noise,somethingresemblingalargeer.dirreguler,solidsubstence,cErriedviolentlythrough
our atmosphere, surrcmndecbya bright name, whichdrecres

hpve f'upplied us \lith Euche mQ:ils of informntion, perfcctlysufficienttoconvince
the most rcrupulousenCiuirer thnt theRe bodieshsve 0
commonorigin, and that
we ere totally unecc;.mdnted \lith anynaturel >'roceCfi which would in anypof:sibility
AsI heve before steted ell these stones thet have fellen at difforentperts
oftheearthls surfaceheve been formed of the same substences:butno other bodies
on our globe have ever been discovered which contain the same substances. Itmay
beworthyhereofremerktostetethettheeveregespeoificgravityof these stones
is3l!4,or3l/2timeshesvierthenwekr.
Iheveresdofmanyphenomenerwhichheveappeeredatdifferentplsoesin
various parts of the world (Newfoundlendinoluced),butthepartioulBrsofthe
finding end conveying of the "greatest Meteor of them all" from Melville Bay
in the far Nbrth to New York, I am convinced, \.IilleC'silytake themostprominentplaceinallsuchphenomenaO'
In giving an eccount of thlR greet scientific
dlscovery, I am indebted to the veteran engineer, V1I'.FrederickMertin,roryears
Chiefofthe;:)O'S. "Fiona ll , and for over forty in our sealing stc£merstotheicefields
and foreign voye.ges, and \lho wa~ engineer on Ba:ne Johnston's S. SO' II HopeI! ,
onthepreviou5 occesion, when they failed, end itl sneedlesstosaythetvery
l1ttle escaped Mr. MBrtin's observation, who, from his earliest deyspossessee
a scientific turn of rnind. Few men have helped to bring in more wealth to this
country then Mr. Martin, who was engineer in our ateemerafrom1867, withthe
fBmousCs!",t.JamesMurphy, lnthe "Mestiff", untl1 he was appointed to the Revenue
Crulserabouttenyeersego. Andthebestoflt1s,hewasnevera_jinker. It
is to be regretted thetl'a-. Martin has mislaid or lost the account ofthe voyage,
as was told him by those onboerd, but possefislng ashe does a mostretentiv€
memory, the following particu16r~ \.Iill be reed with interest ..

THE FIRST KNO'.lL"DGE
Some time previous to theyeer 1896, it W8S brought under the noticeof
liommenoerPeerY,ofNorthPolenotoriety,thatamonitormeteoritehasbeendiscovered
at Melville Bay, and the Esquimeux whore

closebythelenc-',lUch,whichformedanaturalpier.
It took ten days to get the
greatffiD."isdownrromthe mountain, and itWBS thenth2t the natura1 ingenuity of
the Newfoundlanders showed forth in all its glory. Heavy balk sticks were placed
DcrosS the Shifl, tlnd the great meteorite was pulled on bOl:rd, ~lowly but surely,
with large chain tackles, The dimensions of the hugemass1.olere eleven feet deep
by seven wide, and four feet deep 'in the centre, flattened outatthe ends and
side. Itweighedthirtyseventon:=;-the largest that was ever mown. J.hefe.mous
meteoriteisnowintheN2.tionalHuseu·1,New York,U.S.A. At the time!1ichael
DJessepswasPresidentofthe1nstitution,and,Iunderstend,subscribedlargely
to the funds of the Expedition.
CREIIOFTHE"HOPE"
AsIsaidbefore,the"HopeltwBsco-::lmandedbyCaptainJohnBartlett(uncle
of Capt. Bob) whohed great experience in the F'arllorth, and was eminently
qualified totBke chBrge of the Expedition. ThB mate wasllilliBm S!Ilith of Cupids.
I regret that I cannot remember the er.~i::e-ro:>m staff, but the engineers wfue
H'r.Huntel'C'..ndfredKnight,with\,fm.Roost as oiler. 'I'heforer.IenwereTho:ne..s
Sheplierd, George Pike ana ~·1r.l.. Brien. ~!m. Godley \.,fa s stew,?Td, and emongst the
f'2ilorE were F. H all, Aubrey Hicks and R€veral others (a11 }~ewfo'llndlanders) whose
nameslhaverorgotten.
The ItHopelt "'e s a ver~/ pretty ve::, pe 1 z.nd \orE: S fu l1y provided "Iith all the
neceSf'ary improvements to contend with the l\orthern ic~-fi€lds. She was 452
tons gross and 307 tons nett. She was lost in 1901 byrwming 2.rh0re on EyrQn
Islrnd of the t.fu.gdalen group in the Gulf of St. 4:wrence, while pro~ecuting the
reel-fid:ery, ~nd kd 5000 seals on board at the time. The r-revious year (1900)
underthesal!leveterancommander(Ca!>t.llm.J.Bertlett),shebroughtin25,1l8
seals, and arrived in st. John's on March 30th.

aTHERUJNARfTOJ(ES
Although this \Jas the large~t meteorite ever knm.m to have been c'i::::covered,
end \o18S 8 r.l.stter that caused the grecltc~t interest emon[;!lt news"oper men, end
moreeFreciellyaffiongst scientists, chemi!''l.n, etc, thcrch::ve been many others
of these phenon' ne .....hich ::eve fallen, in vErioys forms, cnc ·..;ohichI ;hcll en~cavor
to describe. Some ofthe:':1have been of great size, but mere boytsmarbles to the
great meteorite of Melville Bay.
In 1762 two stones fell neor 'erone, one wei~hing 300 Ib and another 2001bs.
Another in 1492, on lIovember 7th, fellst Lnisheim in Alsace (Upper Rhine), which
weighed 260 Ibs and Was placed in the library at COblljr. Someti:nes there stones
fell in showers. In1510,accorcingto CardctVarcit,eshowercbntainingabout
l

heAvens of the $i2'c of three diamcters of the ~oonls disk, which WDF: not filled
\liththefi'eburningmeteors. Manyofther:1hadadistinctnucleu:;, ....uitea:::
large as the apparent dif:k of Jupiter, and t;lost of them frorn five to ten ~egrees
in length. Another of the '!lost curious end brillientdisplays of this kine took
place in the evening of the 12th and ~orning of the 13th November, 1833, in the
United States.
The fall of meteoric stones is considerably more frequent than What generally
is believed. Wescll:rcepass through a year withouthearing some new account of
these strangers to our earth, andwhen\.'etake intoconsiderationwhatasmall
portion of this glove is inhabited, it is fair to presume that mmbers must eith...
fall into the oce~n or on uninhabited lend, which are uns een by man. We know
thetmenymeteorsheve fellen in Ne\lfoundlend, and search as I may, I fail to
find any phenomena recoded that will equel that experienced by our farmers and
resieentsa fe\lmiles from bt • John's: \lhen on the 16th of Fevurary 1888,s\larms
ofgrubswerefoundonlher;r::owbetween?ortugalCoveandTorbay,nndHhich
ccrteinlycamedownfromE'.bove,totheamazement,andinso!Oeinstances,terror
ofthose\lho\litnessedthesigh1:. There\lere countless millions of those grubs
on the snow, and were as thick as the grass in summertime.
Nar OF VOLCANIC ORIGIN
-----
In looking over an old volume, I came e.crossa description of the particulars
of these meteors, and I shall, in a~ fey \lorcs tlS possible, stete the opinions of
variou" authorities on their origin. In the first plece \le cannot supposethet
theseremarkableaerolithscenorieinatefromenyeerthlyvolcano, because we
have frequent instancesoftoese fallJng in those perts of the \lorldmostremote
frornanyvolcano, as witness Newfoundland.

In the ~econd rlace the occurrence frequently takes place in very ~erene
or cloudless weather II their origin crnnot be from the rame cauzeswhicho!",€:rate
in the production of rain, thunderstorms or tornadoes.
Thirdly - so~e conceive that the::::e lerge lUl1~nous masses could be e",r:il'l
propBgBted In the hJgherregions of the atmosphere, but this idea, bymoFt of the
firstmenoftheqe, istotBllyciscarded.
In the fourth place Dr. Hut'on, °oisson, LaPlace, and many other heldout
thBttheywere cast out from'Jur satellite-themoon. The demonstrated the
abstractproposition"thataheavybooyprojectecwiththevelocityof6000feet
per secondmightbecBrriedbeyondthe sphere ofthemoon'sattractionBndtherefore
come within the attraction of the earth". "But",sa,!sDr.Dickinhiscelebrated
CelentialScenery,"ith.. asneveryetbeenprovedthatvolcanoesexistonthe
surfBce of the mopn, and although they did exist, andwereBslargeandpowerful
asourterrestrialvolcanoes,theywouldhavenoforcesufficienttocarrylarge
masses of stones 'With such rapid velocity over a Space of severalthousandmiles.
Besides, were the moon the source of meteoric stones, we should expect volcanic
productionstoexhibitseveralvarietiesofe6pectandcomposition,endnotthe
precise number of ingredients \lhich are al.'Wsys found in meteoric stones~. LaPlace
was,afteratime,inducedtogiveuptheideaoftheaerolithsdescendingfrom
SfILL INC O~·lPREHENSIBLE
I could go on quoting fro:!! other grent men of different ages ~nd different
clJmes,butwhensuchBsthoseabovementionedcBnnotsettlethedifficultywithoutworking
on supposition, it is useless forme toattemrttogofurtherintothe
matter,eltceptinconjunctionwithMr.Hartin,tokeeponwonceringas to the great
meteorite of Melville Bay, brougjtup in the eood steamship "Hope" , to use on
Americonism"whothrewthBtbrick"? \lesitthegentlemenupBloft,thogre"t

Jupiter, the \oI~r-like
Marn, or could it have been the daljty and fascinating Venus
(who the artistsc'epict as being ,c,ntHy-clad inthcmoctdiaphanousgossH",cr),
or Vesta, Juno or Ceses? ItcertainlycouldnothevebecnOrion,bccnusethe
QtRyansarefrorntheCountryofTippereryinOldlreland,andwouldlTdisdain"to
stoop to such a corvardlypre.ctice as stone-throwing at unoffending creatures,
however;nuchthey:nightdelightinhnvinga1

CrEl\'l'OISl\S'l'ER
IN I'IllICll 20 HEN LOST ThEIR LIVES
----------
I
have always contended that in no country in
the people been subjected to greater danger, haruships and miraculous
escapes than the fishermen of Newfoundlanu.
It is only
when we enter tinto conversation \oJith those wo participated in
the adwentures that we can from any idea of the hardships they
have undergone, more especially at the seal-fishery during the
days of our great sailing .fleet.
Very few of the old heroes who
participated in the days when our great fleet was at the zenith
of its glory are nO\o1 alive, but yet, nOH and again, He come across
one of them, and Hr. Richard L. \'iells of Salmon Cove, Port de Crave,
is pretty well the last of the Old Guard. l1r. 1'iells is a regular
encyclopodia of information connected with the fisheries of our
country, more particularly in the days of the musty past.
His
personal experiences with many of our famous seal-killers and planters
seem more like romance, and the dangers, adventures and escapes
from death have been indeed most marvellous and almost beyond belief.
There is nothing more interesti99 to the mind of the Newfoundlander
thantolistentostoriesofourgreatsailingfleet,conunanded
by such IIjowlers ll as halleran, ~\fhite, Huan, Jackman, Dawe, Green,
Whalen, etc, and wer it not that many of adventures happened during
the lives of those of us who have passed the three score years
and upwards, it would indeed be almost beyond belief.
Hr. Wells
is still in the flesh, hale and hearty, and he made his first voyage
to the ice-floes in the Spring of 1858, when he sailed to the sealfishery.in
the brigantine Sarah McBride, owned and commanded by
his uncle, \'Jilliam Wells.
In those days there were not those modern
appliances

Lilcn
cooked their food in thcopcnqallcyorcilDoosc.
r"i.cDricc\-,asavcsselof20tonsDn

Concention Dny, o·....ine to the rroot lo~s of life, thAt oc~urrcd ')n Soy WednCFday,
Apr i18th ,of the above year.
The day o'lened very fine nnd clear 1
and young reelf' were very numerou~
ell &Tound the vesFel, on loose ice. t:very man in Hi~h ~nirit!:', and no time
waslostefter the dawn of ce.y in getting the bo&tG (eichtinnumbcr)out.
'i'hey were each manned by four men, le

thehO"'lCof f:nc 1 jn'
h11 t.
r'urinG the (>c r ly ~nornine i-t
;;.:.J.;-lcof rrcvioufcay. AboutSem.fr..cy
it revivcC·'bope:=: in their hearts that some other vessel hud done the f'eme
as they had, end saved the lives of theirmis'ing comrades. 'i'he boat and crew
pickedupbelongedto Cant. SemeulDaw,famili8rtylmownas ll Northern ....am!l,
and they were fortunete eno\Jgh to get under thelac of large ice-berguntil
after daylight, when the seA beceme t00 rough erond the berg for t hem to
main close to it - EO they were then at the me~ cy of the wind, and a 11 they
could do wes to keep r.er heod to ~'he "lind, and ~ea. They hac no sea~s end they
had given up e.llhoe as the night "'es a ces:'erete one ont.hececkoreveRsel,
A few days t::fter the rtorm, which lested for ~everol days, the crew of
the ll Deerho1"nd rt lenrnedwithdelightthatoneoftheboatswllflpickedu9 by
Capt. Hiscock of Corbonear, ondthe fouroccupantsr:aved. J:ivcoftheboats
were neverheardof.since. "'he folJolJingare the nomes of the men lor.t,-

JordanWells,SalmonCove,inchf,ree;
Irf,cl!u/,H'eysr,If:ac
Hussyjr.,bothofT'ortoeGreve:Johnhent, nanir.rd::::Doy.
No. 2 boet.: John Befferin j n ch~rge: j olm l"rmstron~, '1 homns 14nrtin and VI illir~m
No 3 boat : 1~bram Hugford in charge: his son ;:.bram, "I i lliem ...utIer, (;lerke I fl
BeochendGeorgelluny,:>"lmonCove.
No.4boot.i 'John Roberts (better known E." John "or) end son; George Roberts,
11osesRobertsandEbenezerJames-ellofErieus.
No. 5 Boat.s' John Ploughrnan in charge, but I cannot give the names of the
The 6th boat was picked up by Capt. Hiscock of Corbonear, andthenames
ofthecre'Wwere:- GeorgeA.Wells,SalmonCove;JosephJameson,Richard
Hennessey and WillBanks.
The"DeerhoW1d" spoke every vessel that they came acrOSfl for the next
three weeks after losing the men, and kept the flaghalf-Mest in the hope
of getting some tidings of them. Theyboreupforhomeonthe8thofV-ay,
arriving about 15th. The news of the disaster had reached home before their
In 1869-70 Mr. Wells .ailed \lith the famous Capt. Az ~lunden in the
brigantine Atlanta, and the first spring they secured 2800 seals, but
unfortunately got jammed in Green Bay. While off Exploits the seals began
toftrun", and they landed there and brought off ,oil casks end filledthem
with the pump. While they were in this position a vessel from Harbour
Grace was wrecked by the rafting ice. The Captain gave orders to salve some
of her cargo ofsenls, but for some time previous, the crew being onan
allowanceofthreecakesofhardbreadperday,objectedtothesalvingof
the cargo.

Mr. Wells had quite en experience etthc mnlfifhcryboth in "ailing
ve5sel~ end steemer~J end the fol)Q\.tin~ 1~ c list of the t'hi"r: in \lh1ch he
~~ ~hB? Haster
1859-60 Georee Job H arvey
isters
1862-3-4-5-6 Sam wilcox
S.S.Commadore
1873-4-5-6-7-8
S.S.Vengunrd
S.S.Vaneuard
ThosGreen
1883
1884-5
S.".IceJ.end
S.::>.Nimrod
S. S. NewfotmdJ.end
S.S.Vsnr;uard
AzSmith(cupids)
FewmeninthecountryhedmorepracticelexperiencesthanI\-.··ichard
lIell's, and the following little edventure willeive your renders oftheday,
sane idea of the grit, hardehood, doing end mireculous e~cepes of O\Jr countrymeninthecaySI:Bstandgone-themostrornenticperiods,.inourcountry's
history.
N eerlyfortyyearsago, Mr. Well's wes at Grandy, Labrcdor in the littIe
lf ~chooner lIJ..ctive of about 25 tons. This \.IrS late in the month of Nover.lber,
end the schooner \IllS for?enupfor t\JO or three weeks, afterallthBeraft
hadleftthecoBt:t.
TheW'.S."Vaneuerdll,Capt.Gosse,of::ipanillrdsBay,

came to his assistance end to~ed the f'chooner out. Mr. R. lJ. HeRae, tho agent
of the ~Active", WSB on bOlird the "venguard ll , and about 10 0 1 clock at night,
blowing end EnO\lin~ \lith the \lind on the land, he \Ins cocpelled to chap the
linetoSBve the little echoonerfromfaundering, and run back for Grandy in
DerkneBs,snowendvind. '.1he"Vanguard"hadtoharbornextmorningupthe
shore. Thelittle"Active"fortunatelymade Gradyharborllbout20r30'clock
in the morning. 'hey.oere only safelyllnchored \lhenthe \lind chopped off the
fromtheNW.andblewwithhurricaneforce,andthefrostbece.rn.esosevere
that before noon that dlly, their water cask on deck froze solid llnd burst
the hoops, sndfinallythehe.rborsend llruns" froze over, and it lookedas
iftheonlyalternlltivewastolandeverything,unbendsailsllndremainfor
the winter.
'"'herelo.'asnoothercrs.ftontheshore,andthesteemer'IVanguerdlf.
had gone on. ·.1 he egent, Hr ... McRae, was on the "Venguerd ll , and the steamer
had to harbor aleo, but in cue time errived s.t He.rborGrace.
weeks the little Echoonernf"ctive ll
After severe1
andherher01c crew \Jere givenupforlost.
There ",'e.sno suchathingesa steamer being sent down to:}.ookforthe poor
mariners in those days, although they numbered nine with the skipper'slittle
boy12yeersold-hiselcerbrotherandtwosistersbeinginthe"Vanguard ll ,
andofcoursearrivedh?mesafely • Uometime eboutthe last of.l....ovember or
first of December, lOr. ~lcRae drove up frOl!l tlarbor Grace to Salmon Cove to
console the.'ifee.nd fE.mily of the skipper of the little"Acrive",bytelling
them thE.t they should not want for bread while he lived-hebeingthe supplyingmerchE.nt.
What was his pleasant surlrise to leern that the schooner
had sE.fely arrivedi The little schooner hed been built on IebrE.dor, and \las
badlyinneedofrepairs,llndtbeherooftbise"entandhjscrewoffered
themselves to bring her home.
After arrjvalit was thought best to condemn
her, and for yellrs efter, hetribscouldbe seen on the beach in front 0fo
skipper Dick l s house at Salmonvave_asarelicofthemostmemoreblevoYage
in all hiE experience. who but J'ewfaunclland fishermen,wouldriskthier li"es
at that seaEon of the yeer, surrounded as she ",'s.s\olithArctic 1ce, and en-

counterinllanArcticgaledayaftardayfro",theN.W.WithblJnc1ingsno;I storms
during the first week in December?
Mr. Wells isabrother of the respected m8cietnte of Little Bey, Thomn 5,
"'.WellsEsq.
NOTE:' July 23rd, "ireless Telephone communication suocessful bet"e.n ~ignal
Hill,St.John'sandthe S .S. n Victorian",1200milesdistent1920.
NOTE: Wireless telegreph started on "'ignal H ill. Signelheardfrom1reland
by Merconi, the inventor. "ec.12th,1901.

GOV.H:,MlLTON'SL?rTERTOHON.J.lJ1r:SGrISVE
Government House
7thFebruery,1855
~ir,-
lhevethe honor toacknollledge the receipt of your letter of this dey' sdete
transmitting to me e Bank B ill for the SUlIl of :if 1623 stevling, bcin::; the ~mount
of the contributionsreised by the Committee eppointed by me ihaid of the Patriotic
Itisconsideredthetthev91unterycontributionsreisedintheEmpire in
eid of the Petriotic Fund reflect e credit upon Britain notunllorthy oftljeglory
shed upon it by the heroism of its soldiers: snd the contributionsraisedin
Newfoundland must filleve=ypatriotic heart amongst us Ilith sentiments of just
IshallhevegreAtlysatisfsct1oninforllardingtoHerl1ajesty'sSecretary
of State your letter snd the draft it contains: and I thinklmayventuretossy,
Ilithoutbeingpresumptuous, that Her MajestYllil'l: not heerllithoutemotions of
pleasure, that the noble courage sndthe fidelity of her soldiers are generously
sppreciAtedbyhersubjectsinNellfoundland •
.j,.>...~~~ ~ ~1 H F~:>'./~L~//5'f:,
.-.-J ~ tl-~~ 4-~, -dt j-£~'--

VOl.U"-\E. 2..15..(1(\)
!J!2Z-Shaweda large increase in the Sealing Fleet. They numbered nearly 400
vessels of [rolD $0 to 200 tons, \.Iit.h cre....·s numb{"r1ng l~,OOO men. l hat year these
vCf"selsbrought in over 500,000 seals, \lorth one million and three....r;,uarter dollars.
llUJ).-Capt. John Barron in the brig "Dash" left the NarrO\,s far the Seal Fishery
on the night of the 9th of March. The vessel WBS towed out by four Pilots. She
co""""nc.~d taking ,eals on the evening af the 10th March, and bare up for home on
the evening o~ the ll.th Y.arch \lith 8,756 seals. The seals averaged 44 1/2 Ibs.
Shehrrived in St. John's ?nthe marning af the 19th. Theeverogeshareafher
crewwas 'if!-44= $176.00.
1!fZl- On St. Patrick's ~ay the good b. S. "Eegle" Capt. om. Jackman arrived fram
theNarthernSealFisherytahermmers(BowringBros)\lith30,614yO\:ngseals.
Thetimeoccupiecbeing17cays,eailingonMerchlst,arriving!'!arch17th.
lm-TbeS.S.Com.",odore,Cept.Azarich:-lunden, arrived to her owners (Messrs
John Munden, & "a., Hr. Grace) on ~-pril 13th, with 31,314 seals. She towed a
quantityofhersealsfromBaccalieuupConceptionBayonhertowrope as far
as 'Western Bay, and landed them sefeljr\lith her cargo. ~e towen out
655 tons 2cvt 281bsgross
6'3" 14" 3 '
valued~94,927.35
1880: s.s. IlWalrus", Cept. Joseph Barber arrived from the ice-fields 0 no,)unday
morning JI.arch21st,with13,OOOyoungharps. She sailed on her second trip at
one o'cli>ckonH e rch25th, and next day was onlye short distance fromtheNerrows
took her seals and arrived \lith the second load on April 5th, each trip occupying
lldeys. After that he brought in a third triperriving in st.John's on May 2nd.
~~ 1~ .:tL J~~ N F ~,VOL Z., !§$>
~ ft- ~~ ~~ Ji-~

VVl...Vt1~
J- .lJI-tJ·~
./ l§l!: The "Carrie", :;:~::r:e:::::w:I:D~:::dl::::~~::O:ealFir~ ~it: a '::: ,~
trip of seals on Marchl7th.
~: Ise~lledtheSpringoftheCats,oneecountofsuehalargenumberor
imature seals brought in. l he outfit from St. Jojm'swas 152 vessels and 3,294
men. Thetotalnumberofsealsbroughtinwas508 ,l,07.
!ill: Celebrated for the loss of the schooner"Union,CaptJohnDelaney, with
a picked crew of 28 men frol'lTrinity. She\la,builtb;,!·:r.ClvlrlesNewhookof
N ewHarbor for JohnB .. GarlandEsq, merchant, Bndcapsizedwhileunderfullsail.
The schooners "Active" Bnd "Arrow" took some of her ~eals, Dnd towed her for two
days, but had to let her go. 'he total catch for this Spring was 651,370.
JJULi: Called"Bonevista"BaySoring",andanother"Catllyear • .I. he most of the
seals captured this spring were taken in Bonavista Bay_Uome were got on the land.
Total catch 651,370.
~: Calledthetl.::i;)ringTloftheGrowlersll,thatis-he~VYI'ansofsunke nieeon
sunkenieeonsmallice-bergs, whiehplnyed havoe with many a goodness this Spring.
The first arrival was ¥Iopril 6th.
Total catch this Spring was 685,530.
~:TheSpringof"theGreat.fire".Thefirstarrivalfromthe5eal -fishery
W8S
on Anril 18th-the "Dash", Caot. John Barron with 9,646 seals.
outfitwasl41sail,4470men •
The total catch \las 265,961.
!§.Q.: 'The first arrival fro:n the se3l-fi~hery was the "Kin~dalockll, Capt. Bu=ke,
with 6400 ,eal" ont-larch30th, to Laurence O'Brein , follo',edbythe"Trui:nph,
CEl'"'t. Banuel, 'With 2,000 seals, and the Emm9 Copt. ~tevene'o:l, \lit h L,,700 secls,
bothtoRennioStelJart,followedbyt.he"Warrior",Copt.Chllfe,toJohnH.Warren

Brigus
Totalcatch""s436,83l.
~:TheDash,Capt.JohnEarron,crrivedfror.lthesealfisheryonMarch22nd
v.ith9,500seals. The first errival"as the "Nirnrod", Capt. Coady, on March
Brigus
Total Catch "as 63l,004.
~: ':>?ringoftheIl1~adhams". Hanylosses this year, l'irst arrival from sealfishery".sonMarch28th.
St. John'sO"tfit 98sa11
Total catch 534,378.
~:t1WhileBayUpring".Manylossesthisyear,butstillapayingUpr ing.
Land:=;men did verY\.1ell.
Total catch 5?l,7~O.
lill: Not a very ffilccessfulSpring. John C. Nuttall F.

First crrivalat St. John sw.s the Mary, Capt. John Bartlett with 4,300
,ealson"pril?nd,follo·,edbythe"Delmont",5400:Hargaret5,3oo,Gleaner
2800: Jessie Kent 4,500. St. John's Outfit 72 8eil-2855 men. Total catch
353,317.
~: IscalledthenFrosty~pring"• .L'ine catches and fine sec;;ls. 1hefirst
arrivalwBstheScht. liSt. Fillan", Capt. Aide, with 5000 seals on March
23rdtoHunter&Co • The secondarrivalw3sthe ll Evanthus ll c8;:lt.Ed.",hite,vith
only 200 seals, the master being very ill. The-e .... p re35arrivalstoMarch
31st et St. John's.
The total catch was 530,733. St.John's Outfit 83 sail
lli§.: Capt. Joe Houlahnnin the "Henry Thomos" arrived to Messrs Thomas & Co.
\Jith12,584se:lls-thelargesttripo'1recordinasailing"llessel. She was
130 t:>nS end carried 70 men. Ihe first ~rri a1 \"Ta"" the Hitch of th \;ave",
Cr.pt.English,on.l·pri12nd,with3000sealsto".W.Lemes::;urierfJ11o'Nedbythe
HMzry Janel!, Capt. Lanava!!, to J. & ". 5,200 ~eals.
The totel catchw", 398,H:6.
1855
~: ~·J-.YounGthehu~b;:ndof~hellilljnero·tofjeilonbail. Re!Jort
saYf3Capt.Terryofferedan:rofhismen(5/;50:.oshoJt.him.
lli.Y.....19.ll:!..i ~. s. llVictori8 l1 , CaC'lt. Terry Halleran, a::: pilot, left today for
.lhite Buy: her .,i::;sion is 0 renl!er t.s~istance to Gl€'nc:m' ~ rnr other vessels
~:TheItSenora",Capt.Glir.(hn,I:',Yrivedfr):ntheice-fieldf.tod ay.She
the Ie ~t ve ~~!)f)l of the ~t. John 1 s fleet. !-!r. Price of H.\{. Vustoms had r:old
hi:"" ~itu

l~t: Capt • Terry Halleran :::,_iled t ;cay for ~ he ~eal fi~hery.
is the fir3tvesselout. -he iscallpd the Arthllr OTLeary. l"\n enor·nous load of
woodw8shauledfor1..hel

Cl con be counted fro!llthe Hill, all firmly fettered.
:·larch16th: The last of the ,ealers got offi.odhy.
March 17th: ThelrishSocietyBigDinnercameoffsucce,sfully.
-Mnrch27th: lhefirntsenlingvessel"ZambezeItCs!'t.TerryHalleranarrived
from the seal fishery at 9 a.m. wlth9,500 seals. Voleysofgunswereflredby
March 31st: The IlMag~iell with 4,000 (Ca;lt. Gosse) end the "Roxana ll , Capt.
Jac!G:Ien,with 3,lOOer-ivedtoday.
~: The sealingfleetforthis"orin~numberedasfollowsHarborGrace~f8-53
vesf;els more than ~t.
John's fleet.
~: ThisSpringiscalledthellGrcenBay~prin:;lionaccountofthelereCca;"'lture
of ~eals by 13ml~en there. Gre~t :::E.n:r ·.-Jre~'-

l§.9..4: TheseconllGrecnBoySprinetl. hnotherfo.·lnushaulfor Inndsmen, anomore
wrcck~
And foilurc:: emong the flept.
Totalcatchl?C,950
~: Ca;>t. JohnB~rtlett, in the II HenriettR Grieve ll , ~rrivedonApril19th
lJith 10,000 seals, to Beine Johnstons& Co. and the "Havelock" \.]ith 1.000 o~ 20th
to 7. L. 'Ies~ier.
10talcatch,m,?CA.
On the 20th ~1.·rch 1971, the first sealine veese1 for that yecr zrrived in port
fr.Tl the i ::o-ficlc;.. Thi~ ""e s the !'teu;.ter "'.:alrus ll , C~i;t. ::'. ·;ulloT.mey, to ~1ef"SU~
3tew.:.'rt, with 11,000 ze[:ls, ....00 of the:n bl'ing on ceck. She eo:r:enced loading
Onthemorningofthe2Lth,the lt Lion ,CC'!"lt.GrahelI:., and the "iag1(!II,
Capt. J. e1qnen, nrrivcd, t:1.e for~er with '2~,:JGQ anc the l:.t~cr \..'ith 23,000, anc l.t 9
QfC10ck the ~'::::::l.C t:venin.; the lIHector", Ca!",t. :':c ~Jhite, enterec +.he L:::.!'ro·.,t~ \lith
2f3,OOQ, including a r:eck loc~ of I., -:- ....C.
Thefollm1ingycC;..r (1872) the S • S • t1 Hector ll firr:t:n. Shearrivecont.he
lOth;,pril\tithonlyl,300. 'lhat'....asapoor ....?ringforthesLeaners,theTIanecr,
C~!r:. ':ullO\mcy, ~ein::: ~h(: only one to eccure a sec')nd t.ri.'l. :::;he hed 2·',O~O. '1 he
1I'''Olf ll ,cc.pt. ~['.:ne next .....'ith 11,000. .hll the O:hC ..... f of .Jt . Jo!"'..n I!:: flee t
cO:1fi:1edtofou:-fiDITes.
That year W"S remerkable for the loss of the S. S."F.looo hound" and the S.S,
IIRetrieverll(ofHr.Grace),alsothebrieantine"Huntfiman",\1ithCa,t Daew and
:nc.ny of hi:; ere\J. The v. S. IlCor.l.i1::

~: S.S."Tigress"boilcrburstkil.lingfcfteenofhercrm"r. }'ir~tarriva1
brigt • II Havelock ll , Cc. ....t. St. John, with 13/.1 t:;eo.l~ to ")0. L. Ter:~ier.
JB12: 0. S. Icel~nd end Grecn13nd riot bct~:e~n B?y Rob crtr. and St. John t e men.
First errivel on A~ril 4th S. S. Greenl'nd with 24,866 senls - Capt. Ches Deve.
St. I·:!:ry' f' ~"Y di5~,,:,tcr 13 men :-,erizhed on th"? ice.
Total catch 370,697.
ll
W£: S. s. lI_:.rctic soill"d for the NeHfmmdlnnc f'eal fishf'I'yfro:nDun dee -no
"e' 1:. The fir:;t ·'r~·iVi'1 \1' - th", S. S. II F.egle" Ca;>t. \1:n. Jp.ckm~n with 12,436 Re11!'"
saile/~ far the frozen pr 1] ~ •
;:. • 't,: lrD."":!, C_ t. JoseLlh P'1rhar, lo?ccd twice and got t.!. f-_~rly gOY] tlJ:i.r 1 ~rij).
·;,:ttoTr5nit.y
(J

8 good toniQ. The ~. s. llTigerll Captein Thomas Dewe, cruf'hed in the lcc
1 offc

Shpf,ecured5000sealsandlosttwoblBdesofherprone11er.
She took her catch to
Halifn>:,NovaScotie,S.S."Falcon"Capt.llarryBnrtlettlostwitha11 hands coming
to St. John'sfrornPhiladelnhia, coal laden.
1§22: VeryseccessfulSprjng. 'l'hesteamerswereallm-ledtomaket'Wotriosthis
"pring.
Sone of our fleet got damaged in contect with rocks.
W2: The sealing steamers ll Iceland Tl , "Greenland'i, "Mastiffll and"Vanguerd ll were
soldtoMessrsl1urray&Crawford('I!!l.B.GrieveAgant). S.S."·olf",Capt.Ab
Kean,10stoffFogoonl-larch12th. Crew Eaved.
Total catch was 187,517.
~Terribellossoflifeoffthecre",oftheS.S.I1Greenlandl1,Capt.Ge arge
oarber, on the ice • .rortysiY. of her crew perished. She arrived in St. John's
on Sunday, March 27th, with 14,678 seals,
placed in the Sailors Ho~e.
and the bodies of the poor men were
Total catchwEls 241,rnS
~:VeryfeirO)pringwi.thourfleet.
Total catch was 268,767.
12QQ: A very good Spring. The first arrival was the S.S. "Harlaw", Capt. Scott,
fro::ltheGulf,March26th,with13,318seals:andthe S • S."Nimrod",Ca.,t.Thos
~pracklin, was the last arrival (fro" the Gulf) on May 4th, with 5,546 seals.
TheTotalCatchwas 353,276.
Nett value of seals 790,951.98.

\'()lUI'IE 2. 16"t (':0)
HEROIC CONDUCT OF CAPT. \'111. JACKMAN
During the recent hurricane at Labrador (OCtober 9th, 1867),
a vessel called the "Sea Clipper ll struck on a reef near the Spotted
Islands.
She had been in collision with another schooner, and had
taken on board her crew and passengers. It \'las about noon when
the vessel struck.
The hurricane was blowing with full· force from
the North, with blinding snow, and she almost instantly went to
pieces with 27 people on board. Captain \'Im. Jackman just at this
moment arrived at the spot, and seeing the condition of affairs,
he at once stripped off his clothes and plunged into the boiling
hundred fathoms of a raging sea. Nevertheless he succeeded in
gaining the wreck, and taking one man off regained the shore with him.
Twenty seven time did this brave mariner s\flim to the vessel, and
each time bring off aman - thus saving 27 lives. His last effort
was the bringing off a woman, but she poor creature perished on
r-eaching the shore.
Notwithstanding that he wrapped her in his
oronclothing.
The narrative of Capt. Jackman's heroic conduct h-as been
obtained from Mathew Warren J. P. of Labrador, and may therefore
~~~~::tL~-7 H·F ~~
V.?J-.Z.> 1(c4-> ~ iJ;;;. ~~ ~) ·=H-fL·

CAPT. ED. I'JUTE'S LETTER TO MESSRS. Jon BROS.
April 6th, 1862
Brigt. EvanthesatSea.
After referring to the wind N. N. E. a-nd E. N. E. and sea,
says:
some 6 to 8 go down the last few da-ys, among which are
the Emily Tobin, Metrose, and the Margaret, besides several
others I cannot name I while I am writing, there is so much ice
and the sea is so heavy. I cannot tell the minute the sides of
my vessel will be driven in. I have been driven from the Funks
since the 28th, tightly jammed. We ar-e now at Cape St. Francis,
and expect to be driven to Cape Race before getting clear.
The
young harps are all in Green Bay.
Thevesselscannotentermore
thanhalfamileinthehamofice,andthentheysubjectthern.-
selvestodamagesandlossfromthefearfulsea.
Yours truly
This is the year that the two Dundee steamers "Polynia"
and Camperdown were sent out to prosecute the seal fishery, but
proved a failure to both of them.
All along our Northern Coast the catch of seals by shore men was
the larg-est on record. It blow a "solid" North Easter for weeks and "'C~
25,000 was made by one firm (Muir & Duder, St. John's)
1857: In the Spring of this year, the brig "Peerless" Captain Henry
Andrews (140 tons) arrived in Trinity on March 29th with 9000 prime
seals, and dispossed of her cargo in St. John's to Brooking, son &
Co: for eight dollars per quintal. After paying all expenses of
the voyage. After paying all expenses of the voyage netted $12,000
and his crew made $250 per man inside of three weeks.
y~~~~i~ lL~ i H F :sLk, v'DLZJILfi,
-

VOtVHE:2-
~:Thcbrig.llGlidcll,CC1pt.Johnumnhp.ry,brYivedfromthef.eal- fif:heryon
Hareh23rdtoRidley'

S.S.FLO"IZ::L'SLARG::TRIP1910
VOl-III'!E Z. 1&7 ( eN;
The S.S. "Florizel", Capt. Abram Kean, landed 49,069seals,-
viz, 48 ,918youngharps
146 old harps.
Gross weight
1048,1l,0-19
NettWe!ght 1039-19-1-20
$ 91,200 19
~90,800 19
Jt 148)6
Csptain's Share $ 363200
Dal!lageaskins 400 00
d~LrlA()-C

'I'he following was composed about 150 yeaTs ago by a fisherman
named ~Iadham.
Hany of the old inhabitants have proven its correctness,
and, I understand, it is m Record in the Admiralty Office, London,
as the best coasting pilot for that part of the Island, lying between
Cape Bonavista and Fogo,-
From Bonavista Cape to the Stinking Isles
The course is North Full Forty Miles,-
Then you must steer aHay North East
Till Cape Freels Gull Island bears I'lest North West.
Then NNW Thirty Three Hiles
Threeleageus off Shore liel'ladhans Isles,-
Whereof a Rock you must take care
Then NW by N twelve miles or more
Three lies Round Heae on Fogo Shore
But NNW seven or eight miles
Therefore, my friends, I would you advise
Since in all the Rocks in danger lies
Tht you never amongst them liall
But keep your buff and weather them all.
As you draw near to Fogo Land,
You'll have ifiteen fnthoms the sounding sand-
From fifteen ti eighteen, nearer more
And that you'll have close to theShore.
\'IhenyouabrcastofRounuHcadbe

TO
starboard then Three or Four ~liles
You'll seea parcel of dammed Ragged Isles.
When Joe Batts Point you arc abreast
Then Fogo Harbor bears due west
But unkind Fortune unluckily laid
A sunken rock right in the Trade.
The following is composed by Hr. A Crocker of the Firm of Bowring
Till Brimstone Head do Appear
I~hen Brimstone Head do appear
Jjean' 5 Rock you need not fear.
Dean's Rock you are abreast
Fogo Harbor lies due I~est
l'ihen the Eastern 'l'ickleyou have shot
Five fathoms '-later you have got.
The Tickel is narrow and not very wide
The deepest "ater is on the Starboard side.

Sl:.l\LS 1'hKEN BY Ll\NDSIIl:.N
------
'l'he Spring preceding the fire of June 9th, 1846, seals were
Warren" controved to get a load about five miles from Cape Spear.
Two well-know St. John I 5 pilots, messrs Cantwell and Vinnicombe,
boarded the William Warren" (James Carroll master). They informed
him of a body of seals close by.
Carroll gave orders to his crew
to get on the ice, and one porton of them went ahead killing, while
the others were skulping.
The residents of Notre Dame Bay were very successful in 1862.
In
the Spring of that year over One Hundred Thousands seals were hauled
ashore by landsmen.
Green Bay Spring".
It is known in sealing parlance as the "First
It is said by some of the jokers that the "women
and dogs made forty pounds a
man". the woman took part in the tussle and
performed noble work.
Knives were very scarce in those days, and it is
said that one sealer gave anothr a seal worth two dollars and fifty cents
for a sheath knife. 'I'he "Second Green Bay Spring was that of 1864,
when a number of vessels were lost. Some of those that escaped did
not return from the voyage until the ~liddle of June, and, in most
Destitution prevailed in St. John's.
Hundreds of shipwrecked
sealers who had lost their ships were here seeking employment.
Soup
kitchens were established to help the starving citizens.
In the Spring of the 1872 thousands of seals were along the coast
of line, and men, women and children, as well as dogs and slides were
on the ice. The late Rev. Moses Harvey wrote a most descriptive and
interestingarticleontheeventt'ortheUBostonTraveller",
Crioline dresses were all the fashion at that time aIPong the

heavy fall of snow occurred that spring and the sealers were often
compelled to haul their "tows" up to their middle in snow.
A
number of women met a
dad fate in 1867 while hunting for seals.
They perished on the ice. In mamy instances liveswere lost when seals
St. John's, Portugal Cove, Torbay and other places north in 1880,
five or six poor fellows lost their lives.
The Spring of 1893, kno,m
as the "Trinity Bay Disaster ll , there were twenty two men driven off
on the ice and all perished.
IntheSpringof1886,thelateCapt. Edl1ardl'/laitejr. in the
S. S. Hector, wrote to Nessrs Job Bros & Co. from Tl1illingate, that
he had 5000 seals panned off Change Islands, and that about 1300 men
The same Spring the mem of Tilting !lauled ashore 3500 seals and 25
men from the Southern !louse Islands hauled 1800 old and 3500 young
seals on a 'heavy jam of ice ten miles ENE of Island cutting, North Shore
of ~lhite Bay.
OnSt. Patrick's Day 1887 the residents of Bonavista killed and
hauled ashore 2,500 seals.
Thousands l1ere killed the same Spring in
other parts of that Bay.
One of the saddest fates and most pthetic which has fallen to
my lot to record was that which befell a man named Budgreen about
fifty five years ago.
He did not go in search of seals, but in search
of wood to keep his family warm. He set sail in the Spring for'l'ilt
Cove ,in a samll boat with his wife and family. On the following day
they were found frozen to death by a man named RO\'lsell. Four of the
children weref ound locked in each other's arms, while the mother was
found with her baby clasped to her breast.

A proverb \J3S never made
~UL\ll"\l; I- • ..v~"tv./
o u Q..;;) 'f,~
unthinking mind, or never gained currency
among an unthinking people.
birth.
A f1 2 sh ofelonost the lustre of genius gives it
It waS never, eitherinitsgeneralorlocaladaptability, acceptedby
anunobserve.ntpeople. They must see as the serr S8W to adapt it, as a wise
and co:npactlyuttered observation upon a general environment.
Hence the readineGS
of the tongue to follow the prescribed \lords when the proper conditions
occur to memory.
'1 here are many short and pithy sentences used by Newfoundlandfishermenthatlthinkareworthytobeca11edpraverbs"'ndwithout
further introduct~on, I shall oroceed to enumerate:-
ETtt
1. To olough lmd reap, but never sow (f~sherman1s motto) Fo.f..
2. An empt;; stage, an empty stonach (f>shing stage). ( ~~. fl.:, .'
You can dral/ by the head by you must drag by the tail (f~sh). '" " ~,
4. Inaleadyount, witha broken oar, it's al\Jays best to hug th9 shore.
5. Afinedsyisthebestshoreman.
6. 'I:hemore fog the more fish.
7. 'J.'hebestfriendsofthefishermentegun,cogandcatamaran.
8. 'J.he more rain the more rest (shoremen).
9. SlaveinthesulTliller-sleepinthewinter.
10. A warm s.e is the better thana cold fog.
11. Empty crafts ah/sYs loom high.
12. Afishermanisoneroeue,amerchantisrrw.ny(opportunity).
13. The older the crab the tOllgher his claws.
14. If you can't bend your sails, you must bend your back.
15. Before you lellve the sealersside, the ice or slob:nust first be tried.
16. Outdogaandindieters(anoldpraverbofthellyoungsterslldays,f'ignifying
tho return of the fish13r~en to their winter hou~eR, of vhich the rags he.d
pO:>:'es~ion
durinc: the ~um';1er).
17. The plant r' c ~yc "preacs
.j 1-0- ?~m~J
. .z)- ':;'~-i. ~j)- ({.~)

IS.
A fish ina ptint is worth two in the water.
19.1Iocod-nocash.
20. l'ish in tbe "unt, pork in tbe ?ot (Pouch Cove).
21. Up sail and down bake-pot (the women feasting after the men have sailed away).
22. Sparethesaltandspoilthellscraud " .
23. "hen the rum is in tbe "Kag" (Keg) the tongue doesn't wag.
24. The best line is not the best liar: now is the best gaff the bestgabbler
(Gaff used by seal-hunters).
25. When the 11rods" cuts the liar comes in (Rode is the rope attached to the
grapnel).
26. The biggest fish WAS lost at the gunwhale (fisher.::en'syaras")
27. The man who brags \lith dieter I 5 lmees) is not the first to face thebreeze.
28. Out of the fog and into the fat (seal fat).
29. If you lose your grapnel in the Spring, you will find it in the F,ll. (on
themerchant'sledger,ofco·;rse).
30. 'fheseaismadeofmothers'tears(Oderin).
31. Moonlight dries no mittens (bonavista).
32. It'sbyfishing,notbywising.
35- God makes the oceannerrow, the devil makes the river broad.
36. Cape St. Mary's will oay for all. (Ca"e st. I'"ry's the ?rimestoffishing
gro"nds).
37. Baccyandru.rnmakes things hum.
Lhe ice eats up the \lind, end the land eats u? the fog.
"!iofty"(Noftal)waFfortywhenhelootthepork(neverbecertainofanything).
Ifyousquee7ethesculpin,you'llfindhisthoms.
A full cupbul\rd warms the winter.
Whentheweatherisfair,youroiljacketbea,..
43. 1'he craft flies and the brerze follo;Js. (Pure luck).

44. The two of an ice-berg is botter than none: (Vessels caught in drift ice are
oftenmo,iefasttoonice-beg, in order to prevent their driving Sout.h,and
also in order to enable them to ewait for an opening in the ice).
is. The tiller-stickfo,..."rd and the grapnel eft (confusion).
46. Whanthewhitecoatcom,nencestodip,ehcoJmencedbirth,coveredwithwhite'
down, which when they commenced to dip ro fish for themselves, changedto
black, with grey and yellow spots.
47. l'Ihen the fish eat, we all eat.
48. when themnd is inshore, don't go out any more, (1< lazy fellow).
49. When you haul a squid in, look out for your chin.

I
SO:leyearsaeo,sotheauthorof"Viking'softheNorth"tellsus,duringthe
prop,ress of an insurance ca"e in the English Admiralty Court, which arose out of
thestandingoffish-carrierat 1 ubHarbor,onthecoastofLabrador,the presiding
judge asked to learned cotnsel. "I/hereisTubHarbor?" Counsel replied, "In
LabrRcor,YourLordship". lIAnd, continued the judge, II where in Labrador?lI '1 he
learned counsel replied,
dialoguehistorysayethnot.
"In Tub Harbor", Whether the learned judge felt wiser after
Th:s incident is recorded to illustrate a fRct, viz, that Labradorisveritable
terra incognita even to learned judges.
Were\letoaskanattendantDt some of our
advanced schools a siniler question to that made by the Adilliraltyjudge,we shold
doubtless find thst,u'Jilsin schools outside fofllewfoundland know just as littleperhaps-ofLabradorthantheydoofCalipheteofBagdRd.
Thi9if:jnottobewonderedatasschoolgeogra!,~estreatthegreat.c; ninsula
vithscnntcQurtesty:anditis?eneerallyassUI!lec,tothbyteachersandother,
that Labrado~ is somwehere near the t{orth Pole: 'W3S discovered by Dr. Grenfell, and
its special characteristic::; are ice-ber~s and griAving winds.
Labrador is tha~ il:ll1ense peninsula lying to the east of the DO:1inion of Canada,
extendingfroilltheforty-ninthtothesixty-thircpErallell(l:lat),anditlies
betweenthefifty-fifthandseventy-fifthmeridisn. It has a coast-line of nearly
1100 miles, and territorially, it is eoual to the c,,:nbined areas ofthe British
lsles,Frence endAustria.
Historically Labrado::" is one of the J:ostinteresting sections of the American
'"ontinent, as it '.Je~ the fir.r.t land in the \/este:'n hemisphere seen by Europeans.
CenturiesbeforethecaravelsofColumbushadsettheirpriorstowardsthe land of
the setting sun, the Norsemen had coa~ted the shores of Labrador (named hI them
Hcllulsmd or slabland), [',ne here, ·,rob3bly, 'W')f: born ....no1'1'1, the fir~t child of
European p2.rent~ to cee the light. 0:1 io·mel'lcnn !'foil.
~J \I~~~ ~hre
The moderndir-c':>vcrer of Labrodor is said to o'We its name. Follmling Cortcreal l ,s
~h. / • ."

coast and banks of LabrDdor and Newfoundland.
Inamar,DaintedbyVeroneseonthe
walls of the Loggin of R3!,hnelin the Vatican Pal.ce, Ro:ne (1556),the southern
part of LabrEdor is setdo'....nnsTerra di Corte Reale, and the neighboringizlendof
Newfoundland is called Terr di Bocc,lao-baccaleoitselfco:nes from the Latin
~,meanin3astick,andtheproductderivecitsnamefromthismanne rin
which it was dried. The fish were split and hun~ uo on a stick to dry. lie have
8simll.arillustrntionintheNorwegia.n"stockfish U • There were no flakes in the
oldendays,sotheonlymethodofdryingafishwastohengtheminthesun.
B ascues and Bretons were evidently the firstfishermenwhoestablishedposts
along the SOtlthe!'n section of Labrador-the section nouknownas the Straits of
Belleisle, end they even mace voyages lnto "La Grende Baie ll _nowyJlo;.masthe Gu1.!:
or St. Lawrence. JecquesCertierm.:cealandfallatChateau,intheeaster.... part
oftheStraits,in153L:
and·..·e:::tillh'·wethenamesgivenbyCartiertosections
of the coast, eg. Blanc Sablon, Lras,DIOr,IsleVertc,end.rorteau•
Cartier was
notveryfavora":llyirnpressedwithhisnewdiscoveries,endheis said to have
declared,
nThismust be the country ....hichGoc. gave toCain".
Cartier came in touch with the Nasc8pi or p03siblythe Montagnais I ndiSns,whO!!1,
he describes as limen of iml'nense size, weoring their hair coiled o:ltheto?ofthe
headlikebundleofstraw,ontopofwhichwasBbunchoffeat::hers tt •
When the fleurde lis waved over New France, the French c arried on extensive
fisheries in the Straits of Belle isle, which were of very considerable importance.
There was a settle:nent at Brest which seems to have occuoied inthosedayss"'place
similar to that which St. Pierre and Hiquelon occupy at the present day. Brest was
a large trade centre, and remained in the occupancy of the de Courtemarchefamil:rfor
several generp.tions, later cOJIing into the possession of M ce Brou~ages, one of the
IICouncil of Seven ll of ~uebcc, W'10 held it until the Treaty of Paris, 1763, when Conf!da
Becl10e an Enr:lish po::;ses!>i·:m. The "Labrador Com"any'l obta1ned a monoooly of fisheries
of the c oa~t, rmd LnbrDdor was annexed to l'ewfoendlond (in 1783). But, o"..fing to
difficulties tlri!';in~ 0- t of the vest.ed rights of this company, it wns re~tored to tb

jurisrlictionofNewfoundlnnd,underwhichithassinceremajned.
I
TheAtlanticcoastofLabrodorisexceedinglyirreeul"r,btingdeeply-indented
I
by many long narrow fiore' f:, ~o that the coa:=>t-line exceeds many times the actual
distance from Belle Isle toCapeChidley.
Thesenarro\Jfiords,morenumpro'!lsandmorepicturesouethanthefiordsof
Norwey, are surrounded by rocky hills that rise abru;>tly fro:nthe watertoheights
ranging from 1,000 to 4,000 feet. Thewatec of the inlets is deep, end varies
fr·)mtentoonehundredfatho;ns. Afringeofsmall,rockyisletsextendsalmost
continuously along the coast with a breadth of from five to twenty f ivemiles.
Outside these if>let~, hanks cxten(~ f"ev";,rds for an average distance of fitteen
miles. l'heinteriorisundulatingendistraverserlbyridgesoflow,roundedhills,
that seldomrisemorethan 500 feet above the surrounding level. It is covered by
I
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numerous l€.kesthat occuPy at le,q:::t one fourth of the total area • In size they
vfJ,ryfromsnalltaTnstolakes\.JithsurfaceshuncJred50fsqu,l:Jremilesinextent.
The interior. has never been ex;>lored, and it has been Yisited by few. The
table land is sterile, llnd vegetation if: found only in the hallmls and dep.p ravins.
Theentiresurf?csiscQvered\Jithbuilde!'"s,f"ometimesthreeandfO'.lr feet d"ep,
I
I
var.1in:=;jn5i7.efro;n")nctotwentyfeetindiemeter.
The climate of Labre.dor raneesfr

!"ronchequivalent.
Tho EsquimBux in the e"rlydaysovorranthe whole peninsulaaa
far South as Hingan: but they were graduBlly pushed back by the Nasco:>is and thp
Montagnais, Bnd no Esquimaux Bre found at the pre6ent day south of Haccovick. At
the present day they are found grouped around the HoravianHissions, andnumber
aboutl200. They are still in theorimitive stage, end get a lining by sealing and
fishing. Their catch is handled by the Horavian missionaries - an ecclesiastical
COr.l.rn~rcial organization whose trade receipts average aboutg40,000 yearly.
Besides the Esquimaux there ere two other tribes on the coast, the Mont~gnais
and the Naskopiswho are nomadic inhabits, and have no permanent. abode. Theydo
butlittlefishing,anddependuponhuntingforalivelihood-aratherprecarious
mode of existence-anethey are frequently face to face with starvation. During
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duringthewinterofI9ll..
The greatest asset of Labredor is its seemingly inexhaustible cod-fishery:. Yet
one rarely hears the word codfish in Newfoundland or on the cOast of Labrador: fish
in···ariablymeanscodfiRh,andeveryotherme!i1bcrofthefjnnytribe is called by its
distinctive name. The fishery hns been orosecutedregularlyalong the coast since
theearlydaysofthel8thcentury. Prior to this date no regular fishermen was
carried on by Englishm.n, thour,htheBasouesBnd the Bretons had fishingestBblishment
in the S"raits of Belle Isle, as we have seen, long before the EnglishvisitedLab-
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'/
UndertheregimeofGovernorPalaiser(GovernorofNewfoundlandfrom 1764 to 17E:8)
re~lations w~rf;> dre"..:n un "",hereby the Labrador fishery should be conducted as a "ship
fishe'y": and in order to protest the vessels engaged in it, heestablished Fort Pitt
in Chateau Bay, placing it under the co:nm9nd of Li~ut
Adams, who held the position
of civil and military officer. Agrent impetus \I sthusgiven tothefishenn, and
If severe1 lIro()!lJS .....ere estl1blisherl in the :trait:=; o~ Belle 151'3 and on the uppf>r part
I
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:;"veraIJerseyfirm",leree,tBblishedintheStreits,hortlyaftorwards.
De
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Quettville hd two eGtablishments, one at Blanc Sablon, and another at Forteau, in
1779. Fal1e&co. lwdaroomAtAdmiral'apointin179'l. About the same time
BoutillierBroscarried ona large fishery at Isle auxBois: end so;Jt9timelater
began operationsBt Lone Point. These fishing establishments were practically
se'ttlements,andafishinghameltarose·.Jhereverallconcern ll ",as located. They-had
B long list of clerks and helpers who werE paid exceedingly small wages. ~lest of
England Adventurers, .American Bnd hewfOimdlanders followed immeclintely on the trail
of the Clwnnel Islanders; and we find the firms of DarbY, Cartwright end ~ucas at
Cape Charlesin1768,andNobleand?inson,in Temple Bay.
Permanent stations to the Northward began ebout 1782. Cartwrightsestablished
the settlement which beers his name in Sandwich Bay, 1788; end after a short while
sold out to the Hudson Bay Co, which is still operating there.
Hunt & Henley locsted at Long Island in 1300. liarrenbegan operations at
Indian Tickl

with the Molluscous animals and starfi~h,
which contribute to the sustenance of the
great schools of cod which find their hDt:leS t ere. The Labrador fishery in former
times-intheseventiesofthelastcentury-employedabout25,OOo people. Tod.y
it employs hardly half that number. Therewerethenfullyl,500vessels-bries
topsail schooner, lIbeaverhats ll 'and five and aftersengagedin the fishery, which
was T.uch :nore i"'roductive, as ri.:garcs the catch, than it is today .. The fishery
has declined rapidly: but the price has increased. The writer remembers the time when
Labrador fish sold at ~160 a quintal. Durin" tbe season just ended, "'ebrador
fi sh touched the highest ~'rice in the history of the fisbing industry - \b 16 40 (1916)
The shortage of the catch end abnormal conditions due to the GreztWar forced up the
price.
FromanoldmemorendcmlfindthatinI905,tbetotalcatcbwas730,OOo quintals
.i.thavalueof !'l2,500,OOO. Thisseason'scatchisconsiderablyunder300,OOOqtlse
greot falling off. Sot:le950vesselsandlargeboatswereengaged;'nthefishery,
and;nany of them returned with very small catches .. Labrador now nresents a serious
econo:nicproblem, ancwhatte solutionls going to be isdifficultto foreshadow ..
Thefisheryisprosecutedchieflybymenfromthel:orthernandeastern Bayaof
l'ewfoundland:theSouthernersarealmostanegligiblec:uantity. They are divided into
twoclaS5es-IIFloatersll(orGreenFishCatC:hers),and"Stationers 1t (so:netimescalled
"Squatters" or "Roomers: ' ). The former fish wherever in the cod is to be found: the
latter locate in rome harbor, creek or brieht, w'here they o-..m a II roomII. This may
can51st 0 f a subatant 1a1 due11i ng h O~ j se, c own:ld i aus s tore 5 , substantis1 wharYe sand
landines-suchasoneseesatBattleHarbor,VenisonTickle,Batteauandlndian
Harbor:or,asinthecaseinthefurther Northharbors,1trnayconsistofan8XlO
bunkhouse, aliving!>hantY,anda stage, oft-timesroofless, and a stage-head built
of lon~er!l, which mu~t be rebuilt every season.
The Stationers are not usuallyowner::l 01 schooners .. Thoyare"freightedrldown
to lhe coast in sch,oners belon(ljn~ to thA firm with which they deal. "freiehted
down"r,cemsoverypeculi,qrtermtoapnly:ohumans: out when one Geestheconditions

under which the human
cargoes are sometimes carried to the coast,
the word is perfectly appropos.
Happily this method is rapidly
disappearing. 'I'he women folk now get down to the coast in the Reid
steamer, which makes trips fortnightly: and the more independent
planeters are now abandoning the old system.
The Stationers leave the home port about the first week in
June, if conditions are favorable.
Of late the presence of ice on
the Northern part of the Newfoundland coast has delayed them till
later.
They returned about the 15th of October (formerly they
rarely returned before the end of the month).
In those days, in
addition to the codfishery, there was a
large herring fishery, on
the coast. Herring fishery, on the coast. Herringdisappeared
from Labrador about 25 years ago.
There are signs that they are
returning again. rl'he IIFloaters ll can get away earlier, and most of
them go to the Straits of Belle Isle, as far west as the Moccetina
Island.
If they are successful they return and land their trips,
and get away 'Idown to Chidley". Few "floaters" make their fish on
the coast, they take it to the home port and dry it as "Labrador
Shore ll • This, strange to say, is teh quality of fish which has been
in greatest demand during the present season.
Even the Banking
fleet shipped their last trips as II soft cure", and from one of the
skippers I learned that this meant practically $9.00 for hard dried
fish.
FOrnlerly the outfit for Labrador fishery consisted of "hook
and line" and Jiggers; but in more recent years cod.
seines and traps
have supplanted these primitive appliances.
There are still some
"hook and liners:, but these are usually punt fishermen, who have
not the means to buy twine.
Some of the latter class now use bultows
on certain sections of the coast the use of bultows is prohibited.
Some time ago an old fishermen remarked to me,- Ther"s

no fishermen going these times, them traps is a lazy way for getting
fish, and you ken hardly find a man goin" to the fishery now that
knows how to genje a hook".
I wonder what this old man would say were he to visit the
labrador thse days, and see the flotilla of motor boats along the
coast!
and it is said that Capt. Norman of Brigus, introduced the
cod-trap.
Since the advent of the mo1:or boat fewer men are needed
to handle traps, and a fisherman infromed me during a recent visit
made:
"It had paid for itself three time over during the season."
With many fishermen the fishing season ends when the trapping
is over, while others
continue with hook and line or the jigger.
The great handicap after the trapping season is over is lack of bait.
In certain sections there is a plentiful supply of "lance" - a shadshaped
fish about six inches long, and not much larger than a stout
lead pencil.
This is found on all points on the middle and south
coast of Labrador, through never at aJ1Y time abundantly. Herring
are also used for bait wherever produrable.
l'/ithin recent years
herring have been scarce, and many fishermen abandon the voyage as
soon as the trapping ends. This pcesumably accounts for the shortage
in the catch of fish in recent days, as there is abundance of
fish on the offer grognds which fishermen of today do not ifrequent~~
The herring fishery of Labrador in the early half of the last centuryeven
as late as 1885 - was considered II the cream" of the voyage;
but, alas! there is no longer any cream. The disappearance of
herring from the coast is one of the many peculiar thing's in connection
with the Atlantic fisheries which should be investigated.
Wore the cause discovered, some means might be evolved to prevent
a recurrence of this, should the herring return, which, from recent

indications, seems likely. Duri~9 my recent visit to the coast,
I saw some splendid specimens of the old time variety at various
points, and fishermen assured me that there was every prospect
that the fishery would revive.
Not withstanding the fact that Labrador herring were regarded
as the plumpest and vest in the world, they had acquired a rather
unsavory reputation in Canadian markets, and sold in 1885 for less
than one dollar a varrel in Montreal.
On one occasion, if memory
serves me right, thousands of barrels found their way to the fertilizer
heap.
The packages were defective, and they arrived in poor
condition- IIrusty as an anchor", in many cases. The pack was not
what it should have been, owing to careless handling and dishonesty
on the part of small packers. There was no regular inspection,
and the result was that even reliable packers could not dispose of
The salmon fishery of labrador was in former times an important
asset, and was vigorously prosecuted along the coast from Bonne
Esperance to Hamilton Inlet.
It was carried on at the months of
large rivers and in theinlets; but, within recent years, the salmon
fishery has been a negligible quantity. 'rhe fishery is now practically
confined to the Hudson Bay ports at Cartwright and Rigolette, through
small quantities of the "Royal fish" are taken up-the-shore fishermen,
'l'wo species of slamon are found on the coast- the salmo salar
(linn) which is the "true salmon", and the Salmo Immaculatus. (Storer),
Trouting is an important item in the operation,"of the Moravian
Missions, and at the Hudson Bay post in Davis Inlet.
Newfoundlanders
rarely prosecute this fishery, and in our fishery return it is
unimportant.

'l'he Shore Seal fisery is also declining. In former times "hauls"
of six or seven hundred were not unusual; but now the average catch
rarely exceeds one fifth that number.
This fishery is carried on
(with nets) from May to June lOth (Spring run), and from November
to about the middle of December (Fall run). It was formerly the
largest item in the settlers' fishery, and we find evidence of its
importance in the names along the South and West sections of the
coast: there are numerous IISeal Bights", "Seal Coves ll and "Seal Rocks".
The Whale fishery has been from the earliest times, an important
industry on theLabrador coat; and the quest of the "Nonarch of the
sea' was seemingly the lure which first attracted European adventurers
to the coast.
Bretons and Badques carried on this fishery before
England had formerly taken possession of Newfoundland; and from 1545
to 1700 operated in La Grande Baie (the lower Gulf)., and possibly
in the Straits of Belle Isle. We ffive no records of whaling by
English or American Fishermen previous to 1764.
From this date to
the early days of the last century whalers from Newburyport and New
Bedford, in Nassachusetts, might be seen annually on the coast.
Newfoundlanders did not enter the field till 1900, and the venturr
proved disastrous for some investors.
Only one whaling plant is
in operation at present writing -
the plant at Hawke's Harbor, Labrador,
which has just closed the most successful season in its liistory,
the
Cachalot having secured 71 fish.
The decline of the Labrador fisheries has brough about many
changes on the coast, notably a decrease in the p

it is ;Less than 2,300. There has been a notable exodus from the
upper and Straits settlements. Many families migrated to Bonne Bay
and Day of Islands wherethe herring fishery began to assume importance
in these sections, while others returned to the homes of their
fathers in Conception Bay.
The most thickly populated centres on
the coast are in the neighborhood of Hudson Bay Posts, at Cartwright
and Rigolette.
Now that these posts are curtailing supplies, itis
quite possible that the migrations from the coast will continue.
The lot of the "liveyers" is by no means enviable.
They, for the
most part, live from hand to mouth, and with few exceptions, are
a rather shiftless class. Of course there are exceptions to this;
but the number of Labradorians who have risen beyond the condition
of perpetual indebtedness is small.
This may be accounted for by
the system of business characteristic of the "Great Company".
The
hardships of the settler are great and their resources slim.
Aeolus slumbers nigh to the rocky fastnesses of the coast of
Labrador; and when awakened proclaims his might by wreaking awful
is a lingthlyone. The nomenclature of many of its capes, islands
dreaded its rugged shores.
Belle Isle was known as "Isola di Demoni tI
(the isle of demons). In the near vicinity we find "Cap Maudit"
and 'lIsle Sacres ll (Suggestive of IICUSS words". Some miles to the
west we find IIPointe aux Norts" (dead men's point) and "L'Anse au
"diable"
(Devil's Creek, but called by Newfoundland fishermen
"Nancy Jawble".

The coast is visited p.riodicully by terrific gAles: and nenrlyeveryhorboralong
its lengthy coast-line has paid itstolltothedeath-dealing furyofthestorm
usheredingenerallybyaterrificNorth-eastern. Thellgrotlndswelltlofthecoast
is a phenomenon rarely witnessed elsewhere, and Admiral Bayfield, who surveyed a
largepnrtofthecoastsays: Itlhaveneverseenheavierseathantha whichrolsin
from the eastward, in Lewis Sound, near the entrance to the StraitsofBelleisle: I
never saw anything more eidlygrand and be.utiful than the tremendons swell which
rolls in from the sea, often without w!.nd, rollinedowly, butirresistibl:r, asif_
moved by some unseen power, rearing itself up like a wall of 1""ater, as it approaches
thecraBeYsidesoftheislands,mo'1inggasterandfaste as it ne.ars the shore, until
atlastitbursts""ithfuryovertheisletstirtyfeethigh,orsendsupsheetsof
foam and spray, soarklingin sunbeams, fifty feet u;> the sides of the precipise. I
can compare the roar of the surf ina calm night to nothing le,'s thanthe galls of
Niq:~ara"_
In the II gale of 1867 11 , one hundred lives were lost bet\/een Cape Harrison and
Domins: and someyearsagotheremainsofa schooner mght be seen II far up in the
'WoodsllatCurlaw,nearGanetlorth. 'l'heschoonerwasdrivenfro:uhermooringsina
north-oa~t gale and 29 livez \lere lost. At Grady, in the near vicinity, in the same
storm, fearful havic was 'Tought anc thirtty persons ...ere crowned, and whole family
being wiped out of existence. InlB98,fortyschoonerswerelostatKinglsBay,but
there was happily no loss of life. During the season just closed there 'Were several
Labradorwithinrecentyearshasbeenextensively(andsornewhatunfavorably)
advertised by Dr. Grenfell: and there are many people abroad whokno'.I the coast
only through the Doctor's 'Writings. He h::;beenconnected\liththe coast for nearly
aquerter ofa century. !\titsinceptionhis\Jorkwasmedice.l,buthehasventured
into other fields, which hove not, it seems, yielded abundent harvests.
1'hrou~h his erforts, two 1I0s)'italo h.we been established on tho coast one at
Battleliarbor,theotheratIndip.nllarbor. The medical end of the work is very

satisfactory, and affunds fishermen relief from many ills;
but the other activities are not so acceptable to the fisheries.
The Doctor, in the exhiberance of his zeal, has come into conflict
with some of the religious bodies, whose missionaries have been
doing heroic work on the coast for more than a centu;ry. His business
ventures have caused him not a little difficulty, and from
certain indications, hve not been successful .. The fact is that
fishermen who frequent the coast are not particularly enthusiastic
about these activities.
All are agreed as to the value of the
medical side; but they regard the religious and commercial phases
of the work as being outside its legitimate sphere.