■ VOYAGE HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP ROSAMOND TO NEWFOUNDLAND AND THE SOUTHERN COAST OF LABRADOR OF WHICH COUNTRIES NO ACCOUNT HAS BEEN PUBLISHED BY ANY BRITISH TRAVELLER SINCE THE REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. BY LIEUT. EDWARD CHAPPELL, R. N. AUTHOR OF A “ VOYAGE TO HUDSON’S BAY.” LONDON: PRINTED FOR J. MAWMAN, LUDGATE STREET: By R. Watts, Crown Court, Temple Bar. INTRODUCTION. Newfoundland was taken possession of bv Great Britain during the reign of Elizabeth ; but no voyager has attempted to give a description of this island, since the time of James the First. The accounts of this country, in Gazetteers and other compilations of the same kind, are entirely taken from the Journals of those navigators who visited Newfoundland in company with Sir Humphrey Gilbert, about the year 1583 . This celebrated seaman perished, with his whole crew, in his voyage home- wards ; 11 INTRODUCTION. wards ; and, subsequently, a narrative of the expedition, written by Captain Hayes, the second in command, was published. Hayes's narrative contains the only informa- tion, of which the public are in possession, concerning that valuable colony ; with the exception of a small tract, by Captain Whitbournc, printed about the same time ; and both are now become rare. The reader will, perhaps, consider the narra- tive of Hayes, as derived from Hakluyt, a curious addition to this volume. To Whitbourne' s book occasional reference will be made, in those instances where his ob- servations are connected with the inquiries made by the author, during the voyage of the Rosamond. I “ A briefe relation of the Newfound l unde, and the commodities thereof. “ That which we doe call the Newfound- land, and the Frenchmen Bacalaos, is an Hand, INTRODUCTION. iii Hand, or rather (after the opinion of some) it consisteth of sundry Hands and broken lands, situate in the North regions of Ame- rica, vpon the gulfe and entrance of the great riuer called S. Laurence in Canada. Into the which, nauigation may be made both on the South and North side of this Hand. The land lyeth South and North, containing in length betweene three and 400 miles, accounting from Cape Race (which is in 46 degrees 25 minuts) vnto the Grand bay in 52 degrees of Septentrionall latitude. The Hand round about hath very many goodly bayes and harbors, safe roads for ships, the like not to be found in any part of the knowen world. “ The common opinion that is had of intemperature and extreme cold that should be in this countrey, as of some part it may be verified, namely the North, where I grant it is more colde then in countries of Europe, IV INTRODUCTION. Europe, which are vnder the same eleuation : euen so it cannot stand with reason and nature of the clime, that the South parts should be so intemperate as the bruit hath gone. For as the same doe lie vnder the climats of Briton, Aniou, Poictou, in France, betweene 4 Q and 49 degrees, so can they not so much differ from the temperature of those countries : vnlesse vpon the out coast lying open vnto the Ocean and sharpe windes, it must in neede be subject to more colde, then further within the lande, where the mountaines are interposed, as walles and bulwarkes, to defend and to resist the asperitie and rigor of the sea and weather. — Some hold opinion, that the Newfound land might be the more suiect to cold, by how much it lyeth high and neere vnto the middle region. — I grant that not in New- foundland alone, but in Germany , Italy, and Afrike, euen vnder the Equinoctiall line, the mountaines are extreme cold, and seeldome uncouered INTRODUCTIONS V uncouered of snow, in their culme and highest tops, which commeth to passe by the same reason that they are extended towards the middle region : yet in the countries lying beneth them, it is found quite contrary. Euen so all hils hauing their discents, the valleis also and low grounds must be likewise hot or tempe- rate, as the clime doeth giue in Newfound- land : though I am of opinion that the Sunnes reflection is much cooled, and cannot be so forcible in the Newfound land nor generally throughout America, as in Europe or Afr ike : by how much the Sunne in his diurnall course from East to West, passeth ouer (for the most part) dry land and sandy countries, before he arriueth at the West of Europe or Afrike, whereby his motion increaseth heate, with little or no qualification by moyst vapours. Where, on the contrarie, he passeth from Europe and Afrike vnto America ouer the a Ocean, Vi INTRODUCTION. Ocean, from whence it draweth and carieth with him abundance of moyst vapours, which doe qualifie and infeeble greatly the sunne’s reuerberation vpon this countrey chiefly of Newfoundland, being so much to the Nortlnvard. Neuerthelesse (as I sayd before) the cold cannot be so intollerable vnder the latitude of 46. 47 and 48 . especial! within land, that it should be unhabitable, as some doe suppose, seeing also there are very many people more to the North by a great deale. And in these South parts there be certaine beastes, Ounces or Leopards, and birdes in like manner which in the Sommer we haue seene, not heard of in countries of extreme and vehe- ment coldnesse. Besides as in the monethes of June, July, August, and September, the heate is somewhat more then in England at those seasons : so men remaining vpon the South parts neere vnto Cape Rece, vntill after Hollandtide, haue not found the cold SO INTRODUCTION. Vll so extreme, nor much differing from the temperature of England. Those which haue arriued there after Nouember and De- cember haue found the snow exceeding deepe, whereat no maruaile, considering the ground vpon the coast, is rough and vneuen, and the snow is driuen into the places most declyning, as the like is to be seene with vs. The like depth of snow happily shall not be found within land vpon the playner countries, which also are defended by the mountaines, breaking off the violence of the winds and weather. But admitting ex- traordinary cold in those South parts, aboue that with us here : it cannot be so great as that in Swedland, much less, in Muscouia or Russia ; yet are the same countries very populous, and the rigor of cold is dis- pensed with by the commoditie of Stoues, warme clothing, meats and drinkes : all which neede not to be wanting in the New- found land, if we had intent there to inhabite. a 2 “ In via INTRODUCTION. “ In the South parts we found no inha- bitants, which by all likelihood haue abandoned those coastes, the same being so much frequented by Christians : But in the North are sauages altogether harmlesse. Touching the commodities of this countrie, seruing either for sustentation of inhabitants, or for maintenance of ti’affique, there are and may be made diuers : so and it seemeth Nature hath recompenced that only defect and incommoditie of some sharpe cold, by many benefits : viz. With incredible quantitie, and no lesse varietie of kindes of fish in the sea and fresh waters, as Trouts, Salmons , and other fish to us vnknowen : Also Cod which alone draweth many nations thither, and is become the most famous fishjng of the world. Abundance of whales, for which also is a very great trade in the bayes of Placentia, and the Grand Bay, where is made trane oiles of the whale. Herring, the largest that haue bene heard INTRODUCTION. IX of, and exceeding the alstrond herring of Norway : but hitherto was neuer benefit taken of the herring fishing. There are sundry other fish very delicate, namely the Bonito, Lobsters, Tarbut, with others infinite not sought after : Oysters hauing pearle but not orient in colour: I tooke it by reason they were not gathered in season. “ Concerning the inland commodities, as wel to be drawen from this land, as from the exceeding large countries adioyning : there is nothing which our East and Northerly countries of Europe doe yeelde, but the like also may be made in them as plentifully by time and iildustrie : Namely, rosen, pitch, tarre, supe ashes, deed boord, mastes for ships, hides, furres, jiaxe, kempe, come, cables, cordage, linnen-cloth, mettals, and many more. All which the countries will aford, and the soyle is apt to yeelde. “ The X INTRODUCTION- “ The trees for the most in those South parts, are Firre trees. Pine and Cypresse, all yielding Gumme and Turpen- tine. Cherrie trees bearing fruit no bigger then a small pease. Also peare trees, but fruitlesse. Other trees of some sorts to us unknowen. “ The soyle along the coast is not deepe of earth, bringing foorth abundantly peason small, yet good feeding for cattel. Roses, passing sweet, like vnto our muske roses in forme, raspases, a berry which we call Harts, good and holesome to eat. The grasse and herbe doth fat sheepe in very short space, proued by English marchants which haue caried sheepe thither for fresh victuall and had them raised exceeding fat in lesse than three weekes. Peason which our countreymen haue so wen in the time of May, haue come vp faire, and bene gathered in the beginning of August, of which INTRODUCTION. XI which our Generali had a present accept- able for the rarenesse, being the first fruits coming vp by art and industrie, in that desolate and dishabited land. “ Lakes or pools of fresh water, both on the tops of mountaines and in the vallies. In which are said to be muskles not vnlike to haue pearle, which I had put in triall, if by mischance falling vnto me, I had ..not bene letted from that and other good experiments I was minded to make. “ Foule both of water and land in great plentie and diuersitie. All kind of greene foule : Others as bigge as bustards, yet not the same. A great white foule called of some a Gaunt. , , i i “ Upon the land diuers sorts of haukes, as faulcons, and others by report : Par- tridges most plentifull larger then ours, gray and Xll INTRODUCTION". and white of colour, and rough footed like doues, which our men after one flight did kill with cudgels, they were so fat and unable to flie. Birds, some like blackbirds, linnets, canary birds, and other very small. Beasts of sundry kindes, red deare, baffles or a beast, as it seemeth by the tract and foote very large in maner of an oxe. Leares, ounces or leopards, some greater and some lesser, ivolues, foxes, which to the Northward a little further are black, whose furre is esteemed in some countries of Europe very rich. Otters, beauers, mar- tcrnes. And in the opinion of most men saw it, the Generali had brought vnto him a Sable aliue, which he sent vnto his bro- ther Sir John Gilbert knight of Deuonshire: but it was neuer deliuered, as after I vnder- stood. We could not obserue the hun- dredth part of creatures in those vnhabited lands : but these mentioned may induce vs to glonfie the magnificent God, who hath super- INTRODUCTION, xiii superabundantly replenished the earth with creatures seruing for the vse of man, though man hath not vsed the fift part of the same, which the more doth aggrauate the fault and foolish slouth in many of our nation, chusing rather to liue indirectly, and very miserably to liue and die within this realme pestered with inhabitants, then to aduenture as becommeth men, to obtaine an habitation in those remote lands, in which Nature very prodigally doth mini- ster vnto mens endeauours, and for art to worke vpon. “ For besides these alreadie recounted and infinite moe, the mountaines generally make shew of minerall substance : Iron very common, lead, and somewhere copper. I will not auerre of richer mettals : albeit by the circumstances following, more then hope may be concerned thereof. “ For Xiv INTRODUCTION. i or amongst other charges giuen to inquire out the singularities of this coun- trey, the Generali was most curious in the search of mettals, commanding the mineral] man and refiner, especially to be diligent. The same was a Saocon borne, honest, and religious, named Daniel. Who after search brought at first some sort of Ore, seeming rather to be iron then other mettall. The next time he found Ore, which with no smal shew of contentment he deliuered vnto the Generali, vsing protestation, that if siluer were the thing which might satisfie the Generali, and his followers, there it was, aduising him to seeke no further: the perill whereof he vndertooke ypon his bfe (as deare vnto him as the Crowne of England vnto her Maiestie, that I may vse his owne words) if it fell not out accord- ingly. “ My INTRODUCTION. XV << My selfe at this instant liker to die then to liue, hy a mischance, could not follow this confident opinion of our refiner to my owne satisfaction : hut afterward demand- ing our Generals opinion therein, and to haue some part of the Ore, he replied : ‘ Content your selfe, I haue seene enough, ‘ and were it but to satisfie my priuate < humor, I would proceede no further. Ihe ‘ promise vnto my friends, and necessitie to ‘bring also the South countries within com- ‘ passe of my patent neere expired, as we ‘ haue alreadie done these North parts, do ‘ only perswade me further. And touching ‘ the Ore, I haue sent it aboord, whereof I ‘ would haue no speech to be made so long ‘ as we remaine within harbor: here being < both Portugals, Biscains, and Frenchmen ‘ not farre off, from whom must be kept any ‘ bruit or muttering of such matter. When * w'e are at sea proofe shal be made. : if it be ‘ to our desire, we may returne the sooner ‘ hither XVI INTRODUCTION. ‘ hither againe.’ Whose answere I iudged reasonable, and contenting me well: where- with I will conclude this narration and description of the Neivfoand, land, and pro- ccedc to the rest of our voyage, which ended tragically.” * * * * Ifiis is the foundation and nearly the substance of all the information that has existed in this country respecting New- foundland, since its discovery by Cabot: and it is indeed extraordinary, that the public should have more copious intelli- gence with regard to the manners and customs of the islands in the Pacific Ocean, than has been yet obtained concerning the present state of a colony, which, as a nursery for seamen, is of more importance to Great Britain than any of her posses- sions in North America. The author has ventured to insert the whole of Ilayess Narrative, more as a curiosity than an authentic. INTRODUCTION. XV 11 authentic document ; since it must be evi- dent to every reader, who will be at the pains of comparing it with the account given in the following pages, that it is high time something more satisfactory, and nearer to the truth, should meet the public eye. Not that it is by any means intended to undervalue the fidelity and accuracy of Hayes; who, as far as his information went, certainly related what he believed to be true. It is the deficiency, rather than the fallacy, of his observations, which is most obvious on perusing his description ot Newfoundland. The strictures which the author has pre- sumed to make upon the cause of failure in our illustrious circumnavigator, Captain Cook, during his endeavours to penetrate the Polar seas, were the result of long per- sonal experience. They have been extorted by a consciousness of the importance ot the XV111 INTRODUCTION. the subject, to which they refer ; inasmuch as it must be evident to every mariner, acquainted with those seas, that no attempt towards a North-east or North-ivest passage is likely to be attended with success, on the part of any Commander who shall adopt the method which Cook pursued. Great Britain , in her endeavours to accomplish this desirable end, can only hope for a prosperous termination of the enterprise, by following a system of nautical tactics, which, although perhaps familiar to the Hudson s-Bay traders in the time when Cook lived, had never then been practised by any of our naval commanders. The professional Reader, after having perused the author’s observations upon the foregoing subject, will probably acquiesce in the imperious necessity of providing every ship destined for Northern Disco- veries with an Officer whose peculiar province INTRODUCTION. XIX province should be that of an Ice Pilot ; a situation of the utmost responsibility ; and for which, nothing but long actual expe- rience in the arduous service of Northern voyages can qualify any candidate. Id face Tide TAltTAltlAS, ok HUHTJCS'G- 1FBIAK, Inhabiting the Inland parts of' Worth America. ES^riMAlTX, o.K FISHING TTOJ1AI* , Inhabiting the Sea-Coasts of Labrador and Davis's Strait ^ dS. J.Smrik Ml CbmetOtJl^StrmnJ ^Published be JMhwmm Feb. HO 1818 n ininri ' 9 1 S I Jo / nKi ty ?jfj-vw»y ° cosTvtkh^h o spinor IS ox TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD VISCOUNT MELVILLE, MY LORD, In presuming to dedicate this small volume to your Lordship, I sincerely trust that 1 shall not risk incurring your Lordship's disapprobation. From whom can a Naval writer hope for protection, if not from the Noble Per- sonage who has conferred so many benefits upon his Profession ? To whom can a young Sailor look for support, if not to him who possesses such strong hereditary and personal claims to be denominated “ the seaman’s friend!” I have the honour to subscribe myself, MY LORD, Your Lordship’s Very obedient, humble servant, FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY, &C. &C. EDWARD CHAPPELL li r-V JTr LIST OF ENGRAVINGS. AS DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER. 1* Iahtarian, or Hunting Indian, inhabi-' ting the Inland Parts of North America. 2. Esquimaux, or Fishing Indian, inhabiting ’ the Sea-Coasts of Labrador and Davis’ Straits. Frontispiece. S. MAP of Newfoundland and the Southern Coast of Labrador; shewing the Author’s Track . to face p. 1 4. Outline of an enormous Ice-berg; of which there are many on the Coast of Newfoundland . ... 20 5. The same Ice-berg, in its inverted state, after being rolled over by a tremendous heave of the Sea . . 21 6. Appearance of Cape Broyle, bearing n.w. distant' 12 or 13 miles. V. Appearance of the Entrance to St. John’s* to face * i Cape Spear bearing w. by s. ; distant 8 miles. p. 25. 8. Remarkable Appearance of lofty Ice- bergs ; as seen in the Straits of Belle-isle. 9. Fish Flake, and Salting House; as they are seen in all the Ports of Newfoundland ... 33 10. En- LIST OF ENGRAVINGS — continued. 10. Entrance to the Harbour of St. John’s, New- foundland to f ace p - ^ 11. Wigwam of the Micmac Indians, in St. George’s Bay, Newfoundland $9 12. Frame of Nets for catching Seals in the small Bays on the Coast of Labrador 198 CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION. p. i — xix. CHAP. I. p. 1—32. PORTSMOUTH, TO ST.JOHN’S, THE CAPITAL OF NEWFOUNDLAND. The Rosamond sails from Portsmouth — Cove of Cork — * Country around Cork — River Lee — Country-Seats — City of Cork — Mardyke — Irish Hospitality — Departure from Cork — Spike Island — Hurricane — Ice-Berg — Cruelty to Hallibuts — Cape Race — Overturn of an Ice-Berg — Spout — Cape Broyle — Broyle Bay — Catholic Priest — Drift Ice — Anchor at St. John’s. CHAP. II. 33—58. ST. JOHN’S, CAPITAL OF NEWFOUNDLAND. Discovery of Newfoundland — Taken possession of ly England — Province of Avalon settled — Entirely ceded to Great Britain — Entrance to St. John’s Harbour — Fortifications — Naval Arsenal — Fish Stages — Town of St. John’s — Govern- ment — Sir Richard Keats — Judicature — Population — State of Society— -Climate. CONTEXTS. CHAP. III. 59—89. FROM ST. JOHN’S, TO ST. GEORGE’S BAY. Departure from St.John’s — Cape Pine — Placentia — St. Pierre and Miquelon — Fogs — Cape Breton — Cape Ray — Irish Fisherman — Anchor at St. George’s Bay — Trout — Dia- logue with an Indian — Main River — Indian Village — Micmacs — Europeans — Entire Population of St. George’s Bay — Boat-tax — Sail from St. George’s Bay. CHAP. IV. 90—112. FROM ST. GEORGE’S BAY, IN NEWFOUNDLAND, TO L’ANSE-A-LOUP BAY, IN LABRADOR. Prolalle Formation of the Straits of Belle-isle — Expedi- tion of Richery —Narrow Escape— Green Island— Bradore Bay — L Anse le Blanc — Anchor at Forteau — Esquimaux, or Fishing Indians — Mountaineer, or Hunting Indians — Forteau Bay— Europeans of Forteau —Admiral of the Fishery— Sail from Forteau— Anchor at L’Anse a Loup. CHAP. V. 113— 14G. L’ANSE A LOUP. Le Petit Nord L Anse a Loup — Conflagration — Author leaves his Ship — Departure of the Rosamond — System of Bank fishing, from Raynal — Shore-fishery — Method of curing Cod — qualities of Dried Cod — The Capelin — Scenery of Labrador — Berries — Birds — Animals — Fishes — M us quit os. CONTENTS. CHAP. VI. 147—165. FROM L’ANSE A LOUP TO PORT SAUNDERS. Return of the Rosamond— Cruize — Bonne Bay — Anchor at L’Anse a Loup — Mosses — Sail from L’Anse a Loup — Ice- Bergs — Belle-isle — Cape Charles — Salmon Fishery — Cape Chateau — Geological Observations — Extraordinary Cur- rents — Chace — Anchor at L’Anse k Loup — Sail from thence — Anchor at Port Saunders. CHAP. VII. 166— 187. PORT SAUNDERS. Ingornachoix Bay — Port Saunders — Solitude of the Forests — Red Indians of Newfoundland, the Aborigines of the Country — Attempts to civilize the Red Indians. CHAP. VIII. 188 — 206 . FROM PORT SAUNDERS TO ST.JOHN’S. Sail from Port Saunders— Anchor at L’Anse k Loup — Account of an Esquimaux Tribe — Horrid Sacrifice — Story of a Canadian Lady — Seal-fishery — Final departure from Labrador — Nautical Observations — Mount Joli — Anti- costi — Anchor at St. John’s. T CONTENTS. CHAP. IX. 207 — 239 - FROM ST. JOHN’S, TO CAPELIN BAY, AND BAY OF BULLS. State of the Capital— Vigilance of the Governor — Shipwreck of his Majesty's Ship Tweed—5az7 from St. John’s— Anchor at Capelin Bay— Distress of the Irish Emigrants — Excursion from Capelin Bay to Ferryland Surrogate Court — First Settlement of Ferryland — Present State of Ferryland — Sail from Capelin Bay — Anchor at Bay of Bulls —Description of the place— Return to St. John’s. CHAP. X. 240 — 260 . FROM ST. JOHN’S TO ENGLAND. Anxiety of the Crew — Preparations for sailing — Custom respecting Passengers — Desultory Observations — Sail from St.John’s — Part from the Admiral — Dispositions for Defence Storm — Part from the Convoy — Colonel Grant — Finesse of a Frenchman — Prize — Anchor at Spithead. APPENDIX. 261 — 270 . Account of the Wreck of the Transport Harpooner, near Cape Pine, in Newfoundland, on the 10 th November, 1816. A VOYAGE, &c. &c. CHAP. I. PORTSMOUTH TO ST. JOHN’S, THE CAPITAL OF NEWFOUNDLAND. The Rosamond sails from Portsmouth — Cove of Cork — Country around Cork — River Lee — Country-Seats — City of Cork — Mardyke — Irish Hospitality — Depar- ture from Cork — >pike Island — Hurricane — Ice-Berg -—Cruelty to Hallibuts — Cape Race — Oveiturn of an Ice-Berg — Spout— Cape Broyle — Broyl eBay — Catholic Priest — Drift Ice — Anchor at St. John’s. It was early in the month of February , 1813 , that His Majesty’s ship, Rosamond, commanded by Captain Donald Campbell , lying at Spithcad, received orders from the Admiralty to repair forthwith to the Cove of Cork, in order to collect the first spring convoy, bound for Newfoundland, Halifax, and the River St. Lawrence. B Accord- 2 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND Accordingly, she left Portsmouth ; and having sailed quickly down the British Channel, with a strong gale at east , passed between the dangerous Rocks of Stilly and the Land's End of England, during a very stormy night, and reached Cork on the evening of the sixth of Fe- Upon our arrival at this port, we were associated in the duty of collecting the convoy, and issuing the necessary instruc- tions, with his Majesty’s ship Crescent, Captain Quilliam : and although we had soon assembled a large fleet of merchant- men, yet we were detained at this place upwards of sixty days, by the prevalence of contrary winds. The Cove of Cork is undoubtedly one of the safest and finest harbours known : but it is attended with one disadvantage, which will AXD THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 3 will ever render it an inconvenient port for the assemblage of fleets destined for the New World-, because an easterly wind, which is favourable for their voyage across the Atlantic, renders it at the same time extremely difficult for a large convoy to beat out of the harbour. As a proof of this, it need only be mentioned, that we attempted three times to leave the place with the assistance of light easterly winds, and were as often compelled to relinquish the task as impracticable. The same difficulty does not retard the departure of single ships. It is well known to seamen, that, in large convoys, some few vessels will always lag in the rear, whatever exertion may be used to urge them forward : and in sailing with an easterly wind from the Cove of Cork, it is necessary to take advantage of the very first of the ebb ; therefore the loiterers of the fleet will inevitably be so late on the tide, that the Commodore of b 2 the 4 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND the convoy must either proceed upon his voy a ge without those vessels, or return again into the harbour to rejoin them. It may perhaps be imagined, that enough has already been written respecting the second city of Ireland, and that any re- marks respecting its present state would be entirely out of place here : yet it is impos- sible to avoid making a few observations upon the enchanting beauty of its sur- rounding scenery, the magnificent and stately mansions of the great, contrasted with the savage wildness which is so con- spicuous amidst the mud- walled cabins of the peasantry ; and, above all, upon the hospitality and social humour characteristic of the genuine Irish. Nothing can be more varied than the state ot agriculture in the space that inter- venes between Cove and the city of Cork. In AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 5 In one place, the country is highly culti- vated; in another, deplorably neglected: and the same may be said of all the coun- try around Middleton, Cloyne, Bally na- curra, Passage, and Ballybricken. The beauty of the river between Cork and the port of Cove has excited the admi- ration of every stranger, and has been the theme of many a laboured description. Nothing in Nature can be more strikingly picturesque ; consequently, no power of language can convey any adequate idea of its romantic loveliness. To be viewed in all its varied features, it should be seen from the water : both sides of the river are then visible, profusely decorated with the most superb mansions, castles, villas, cottages, shrubberies, plantations, gardens, fields, and meadows. Beyond these, on either side, rise those majestic hills, between which the Lee rolls its pellucid waters ; and 6 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND and at the upper end of this valley, appa- rently seated upon the stream itself, stands the magnificent city of Cork. From a distant view of the country-seats which are so plentifully scattered along the banks of this enchanting river, a stranger will be led to anticipate much gratification upon a nearer and more minute inspection : but as he approaches them for this purpose, the illusion is speedily dispelled. Although the grounds be laid out with as much taste and elegance as those of the same descrip- tion in England, yet there is such a want of neatness and order in most of the gen- tlemen’s mansions around Cork, that the effect of their really beautiful designs is thereby considerably diminished, and in many instances totally destroyed. Grass grown high and yellow, walks covered with dead leaves, shrubberies strewed with broken branches, and gardens overrun with weeds, AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 7 weeds, are the objects that particularly attract attention, and excite regret in view- ing these otherwise princely residences. In all general descriptions of this nature, there are, of course, many exceptions to he admitted. In no place, for example, can there be found a more exemplary display of regularity and order, than is visible in the beautiful domain of Castle Martyr , the magnificent residence of Lord Shannon. There is nothing, perhaps, in the city of Cork, that will so soon be noticed by a traveller, as the irregularity of the build- ings in the principal streets. A large and splendid jeweller’s shop, three or four stories high, appears next door to the wretched tumble-down edifice of a soap and tallow-chandler. There are two good streets: the largest of which is broad, but 8 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND but crooked ; the other is narrow, and straight. In the great market-place, or parade, there is an equestrian statue of one of our kings ; but it is a very dispropor- tionate piece of sculpture. The number of Protestants and Catholics here may be considered as nearly equal ; and there are seven places of worship set apart for the use of each respectively. But the most noble object in the city of Cork, and that which most excites the admiration of a stranger, is the Mardyke Walk. The city itself stands upon an island, formed by two branches of the River Lee; and from thence a long bank, or spit of land, extends above the city ; on each side ot which the stream rolls its silver water*, among numberless little islands co- vered with the richest verdure. No place could have been better calculated for a public AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 9 public promenade than the bank in ques- tion. Nature had done much towards it; and Art has nobly completed the work. A beautiful double rov\ of stately trees em- bellishes its sides, affording shade from the heat of the sun. At the town entrance, a fine pair of cast-iron gates have been erected. The other extremity is terminated by a romantic villa, belonging to a private gentleman. Entering this celebrated walk, the long vista of trees, arching over head, appears to have no end ; and erroneous notions are frequently formed as to its probable length. The author walked from one extremity of it to the other, and counted sixteen hundred paces. However well known the fact may be, that hospitality is a paramount virtue among the Irish, yet it would be unjust not to mention it in a particular manner, among the present remarks : as those only, who 10 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND who have experienced the kindness of this people, can form an adequate idea of their extraordinary munificence, liberality, and ot that suavity of manners which has ever served to distinguish and characterize the sons of Hibernia. A mere introduction to an Irish gentleman is here thought equi- valent to a letter of recommendation ; and an acquaintance with one family is the sure prelude to a familiar intercourse with the whole neighbourhood*. It was drawing towards the latter end of April before we quitted the Cove of Cork ; when, with a fleet of fifty sail in company, we took our departure. As * The author has, perhaps, been urged to say more upon this subject than he would otherwise have done, owing to his gratitude for the polite and benevolent atten- tions he experienced, when he was almost a stranger in the country, in consequence of an accidental introduction to the Rev. Robert Longfield, of Castle Mary, near Cloyne, son of Colonel Longfield, M.P. for the City of Cork . AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 11 As the ship sailed out of harbour, we could not avoid noticing the formidable appearance of Spike Island, the citadel of Cove. Immense sums have been expended in endeavours to render this fortress im- pregnable : but we were informed, that the works had been lately discontinued, owing to a discovery that the island itself is over- looked, or, to speak in a military phrase, commanded by the heights behind it. Our voyage across the Atlantic pre- sented little worthy of observation. We arrived on the Great Bank of Newfoundland about the eighteenth of May ; when the Commodore of the convoy made a signal for the whole fleet to pass within hail. In pursuance of this order, every vessel crowded around the Crescent ; and at the same instant, there arose such a violent blast of wind, that we were all thrown into a state of the most imminent danger and 12 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND and alarm : each ship dreading to be dashed against another; and, of course, all made sail to escape from the throng : but this necessary precaution proved to be the source of all the mischief that ensued ; for the wind suddenly shifting, blew with ter- rible fury from an opposite quarter, demo- lishing masts, yards, and rigging. Happily for us, we had remained with every sail clewed up, since the beginning of the tempest, and by this means we escaped any material injury. Shortly afterwards, we passed one of the convoy that was lying in a dismasted state, with part of her side beaten in, and her crew was perceived to be labouring hard at the pumps. It is remarkable that no lives were lost in our fleet upon this occasion ; although many of the ships were dismasted, and others lost their sails and yards in con- sequence of the sudden shifting of the hurricane. AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 13 hurricane. Mention has been made of this tempest merely as a caution to other vessels which may hereafter happen to pursue the same route ; since nothing can be a more common occurrence, or more dangerous, than such sudden gusts and shifts of wind upon the Banks of Newfound- land. Why they are peculiar to those immense heaps of sand, is perhaps a ques- tion not easily answered. Philosophical theories upon such abstruse subjects are often found to be both fallacious and ab- surd : and it is more incumbent upon a mariner to state facts, than to reason con- cerning matters in which he is full as likely to be wrong as to be right. Imme- * Columbus , the mighty genius who could first imagine and afterwards realize the existence of a New World was, notwithstanding, frequently mistaken in his notions respect- ing the most trivial phenomena. “ The violent swell and agitation of the waters on the coast of Trinidad led him to conclude this to be the highest part of the terraqueous globe.” Robertson's Hist, of America 3 Vol. I p . 334*. Not e xxh 14 VOVAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND Immediately after the hurricane had sub- sided, we descried the first beacon of a frozen coast, in a large mass of floating ice, which appeared like a vast rock of alabaster, upon our weather-beam. Few on board our ship had ever before seen an ice- berg: we gazed upon it, therefore, with mingled feel- ings of astonishment and awe. That which made it the more singular, was its perfect resemblance to the principal Pyramid of Dj'iza, near Cairo in Egypt, as we had seen that surprising monument of antiquity repre- sented in some old books of travels. Shortly after this, however, we began to lose the pleasure that was at first experienced in comparing these sublime works of Nature with corresponding specimens of Art; such as, pyramids, pillars, obtdisks, temples, and tumuli : for the certainty of their being extremely dangerous neighbours, during dark and stormy nights, entirely destroyed the AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. l~> the gratification we might otherwise have felt, in viewing them. Upon the 19th of May , we tried for soundings, and found bottom with thirty- six fathoms of line. Conceiving this to be a convenient depth of water for fishing, we threw over hooks ; and in about a quarter of an hour, every mess in the ship was well supplied with an abundance of the finest cod-Jish. Hallibuts, also, of the most enormous size, were frequently drawn to the surface of the water : but it was ex- ceedingly difficult to get them on board ; as they generally succeeded, by an apparently slight exertion of their ponderous strength, in breaking away from every means that could be devised for securing them. The fishermen of Newfoundland are much exasperated whenever an unfortunate hallibut happens to seize upon their baits : they are frequently 16 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND frequently known, in such cases, to wreak their vengeance on the poor fish, by thrusting a piece of wood through its gills, and in that condition turning it adrift upon the ocean. The efforts which are made by the tortured fish, to get its head beneath the water, afford a high source of amusement to the barbarous fishermen ; who have fa- cetiously styled this operation, the “ sprit- sail yarding of a hallibut.” About the 21st of May, we came in sight of Cape Race, the south-eastern ex- tremity of Newfoundland: and this first view of it led us to imagine that it would be impossible ever to approach within many leagues of our destined port. The whole line of coast, as far as the eye could reach, appeared encircled with an impenetrable zone of crystal. Indeed, this prodigious quantity of floating ice surrounded our convoy from the west-soutli-xeest to the south- AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 17 south-east point of the compass; thus leaving only ten points, out of the thirty-two, open for an escape. It was through this space that Commodore Quilliam sailed away in the Crescent; taking with him that part of the fleet destined for Nova Scotia, and leaving under our protection those vessels that were bound for St. John's in New- foundland. Our little Rosamond being thus exalted into the situation of a Commodore’s ship, we put her head towards the north-north- east, in hopes of finding some opening through which we might be able to pene- trate the formidable barrier of ice that opposed our passage : nor were we disap- pointed; for towards evening we perceived a place where the ice had loosened con- siderably, and through this channel the ships of our fleet butted their way. c In 18 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND In the voyages published by those who first visited this country, too little notice has been taken of the dangers attending its navigation. In their eagerness to recom- mend Newfoundland as an acquisition worthy of the British Empire, they have omitted, or slightly passed over, those dreadful tem- pests, thick fogs, rocky shores, and icy perils, to which a seaman is exposed upon the coasts of this island*. Later writers have run into the other extreme ; and re- presented those dangers as more intimi- dating than “ the most formidable rampart erected by military art, the dreadful can- nonade of a besieged town, or the terrors of the most skilful and obstinate sea- fightf.” It w T ill hereafter be attempted to set * See the Voyages of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, and of Captain Whitbournc ; and the letters from the first settlers. Captains Powell and Wynne. f Ray rial's Hist, of the East and West Indies , vol. VII. p. 204?. Book xvn. Lond. 1783. AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 19 set these matters in a true point of view, by relating all occurrences simply as they presented themselves to the author, with- out embellishment or concealment of any kind. On the twenty-third of May, a gale came on, attended by such a thick fog, that our fleet w r ere entirely dispersed, and we were never afterwards able to collect i them again together. The masters of those vessels were, for the most part, old traders, who were well acquainted with the coast of Newfoundland ; and the greater part of the convoy therefore succeeded in reaching the harbour of St. Johns before the Rosa- mond. It was during the dreadful gale and in the thick fog above mentioned that we passed one of those lofty ice-bergs which are so numerous on these coasts. c 2 It 20 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND It was in this shape. and of an enormous size. The waves broke their fury upon its sides, causing it to roll to and fro, with a noise that it would baffle any person to describe. Our horror and astonishment may be conceived, when, on a tremendous heave of the sea, it rolled completely over, with a crash that might have been heard at an immense distance. We trembled at the sight; for the Rosa- mond was not above four cables’ length distant AND THE COAST OE LABRADOR. 21 distant at the moment; and it was a mass of ice that would, by its contact, have crushed a first-rate ship of war, as easily as the foot of Goliath would have demolished a spider. The aspect of this ice-berg had now entirely changed ; and in its inverted state, it presented the following outline: The surface of the ice exhibited a most beautiful shining green hue, occasioned either by its long continuance beneath the sea, or to that effect of contrast which is known to have such remarkable properties in the modification of colours. The gale having at length subsided, and some 22 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND some days elapsed since we lost sight of the land, we again attempted to reach the coast : but here another thick fog threw us into a state of the greatest per- plexity and uneasiness ; as we had rea- son to suppose, from our reckoning, that the shore could not be far distant. How- ever, the wind being light, and the sea smooth, we ventured to continue our west- erly course ; until, upon listening atten- tively, Captain Campbell imagined that he could distinguish a low murmuring, like the sound produced by surge, when dash- ing against a distant reef of rocks. We thereupon immediately let fall the anchor : and this proved to have been a very wise precaution. The fog dispersing, we found ourselves near a dangerous part of the coast, called Shoal-bay, situate a few miles to the southward of St. Johns. We had not before obtained so near a view AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 23 view of Newfoundland, ; therefore the whole crew were extremely earnest in their con- templation of its naked rocks and frowning forests ; and as the mist slowly cleared away, every point of land became the sub- ject of their scrutiny. Immediately opposite to the ship, appeared a remarkable natural curiosity, called the Spout, which is visible at a great distance from the shore. We had no opportunity ofexamining thisphaeno- menon minutely; but could easily perceive that the spout in question was occasioned by a column of water forcing itself through a fissure in the rock; and being impelled to an amazing height, it assumed the appearance of volcanic smoke. In this state it admirably answers the purpose of a land- mark, for those who are otherwise un- acquainted with the coast. When the fog was entirely dispersed, we discovered His Majesty’s ships, Dryad and 24 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND and Comus *, at anchor near the Rosa- mond. These ships had left Broyle Bay in the morning, with an intention of getting into St. Johns: but the quantity of floating ice rendering that port quite inaccessible, it was proposed to return again to Broyle Bay. Accordingly, we joined their company; and towards evening the three ships came to anchor in that place. Cape Broyle, standing at the entrance of * This ship was afterwards destined to meet her fate upon the coast of Newfoundland. The following intelligence of her wreck appeared in the Papers of December 14th, 1816. “ Torbay . — Arrived the schooner Plymouth , Captain Davis , of this port. By this vessel we learn the particulars of the loss of His Majesty’s ship, Comus , in the Bay of St. Mary's , at midnight, on the 24th of October ; and the wonderful escape of the officers and men, in four small boats, after rowing from four in the morning till six in the evening, in search of a spot to land; then obliged to march back eighteen miles, to the wreck, in search of provisions, where they remained several hours before they could procure any: nor had they a change of clothes, or a bed to lie upon, before they reached Renews , eleven days after the ac- cident.” AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 23 of the bay bearing the same name, is, perhaps, the most remarkable promontory on the whole eastern coast of Newfound- land. In appearance, it resembles an enormous saddle t; and as it stands about thirty miles to the southward of the Capital, it is extremely useful, to determine the position of any vessel, upon her first obtaining sight of the island. The know- ledge of proper land- marks is of the utmost importance to mariners navigating the coast of Newfoundland. The dense fogs that continually hover around the shores frequently x'ender it impossible to obtain a sight of the sun for many days : so that the difficulty of ascertaining the exact latitude and position of a ship is here productive of much inconvenience and mischief, Broyle Bay is a deep inlet: its entrance lies -r See the annexed Sketch of Cape Broyle, taken by the author, from the deck of the Rosamond. \ \ 26 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND lies at the foot of the Cape before men- tioned. The depth of water is sufficient for vessels of almost any size, and the harbour is sheltered from all winds. On steering into this place, great care ought to be taken, to keep close in with the southern shore of the channel ; as there is a dangerous sunken rock lying upon the north side of it, near Cape Brigus. T-here are not more than five or six families settled within this bay; who, of course, obtain their livelihood by the curing of cod : and they afterwards carry the product of their labour to St. John’s, where they dispose of it to the merchants, in ex- change for provisions and necessaries ; but they very seldom receive specie in return for their Jish. from this it will appear evident, that those merchants, who reside constantly at St. John’s, receive a double profit . the first arising from their foreign exports AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 27 exports of salted cod; and the second, from the articles which they supply to the out-harbour* settlers, in return for this commodity. It follows, therefore, as a natural consequence, that the principal mercantile men of this country, by mono- polizing almost the whole of the external and internal trade, are thereby enabled to amass the most splendid fortunes with an inconceivable rapidity ; whilst the middling and lower classes of fishermen may toil from year to year, with patient and un- remitted industry, and yet find themselves, in their old age, many degrees worse off than when first they crossed the Atlantic, as wretched emigrants from their native country!. The * All the ports of Neufoundland, except that of the Capital, St. Johns , are called Out-harlours. t The author is aware that he shall have occasion to resume this subject in a subsequent part of his \\ ork: but he trusts that the Reader will make an allowance for any seeming repetition, which it is almost impossible to avoid, in the de- scription of a people who depend entirely upon the fisheries for the means of their existence* 28 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND The lower order of fishermen in New- foundland, being principally Roman-Catholics from Ireland, maintain a little jolly priest of that persuasion ; who gains a precarious livelihood, by trudging on foot along the coast from one harbour to another, “ To shrive the dying, bless the dead.” We saw this personage, during our stay at Broyle : he was a short rotund man, who cer- tainly did not exhibit, in his own person, any outward appearance of having suffered either from severe penance or bodily mortification. In addition to the recommendation of its being a very secure anchorage, the shores of Broyle Bay are covered with wood ; and a cataract of the clearest fresh water falls into the sea, from a precipice near the huts of the settlers. There is a small patch of cultivated land at the head of the bay. The AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 29 The sudden changing of the drift or low ice, upon the coasts of Nezvfoundland and Labrador, is very remarkable. We had entered Broyle Bay in the evening, through an open sea, entirely clear of obstruction as far as the eye could extend : but on the morning of the next day, the harbour was completely choked with ice, so as almost to render it possible to walk from the ship to the shore: and upon ascending the mast, we could perceive that the wide ocean itself was also one vast plain of broken fragments. To account for this singular phenomenon, it ought to be observed, that there is a strong southerly current continually setting along the whole of the shores extending from Davis’ Straits to Nova Scotia : therefore, upon the breaking up of the great Northern bays in the spring of the year, the low drift ice is carried towards the south with great velo- city, where it eventually disappears, in consequence 30 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND consequence of being exposed to the heat of the sun. It is thus, in its progress from north to south, that the ice occasionally enters and blocks up the different bays and harbours along the coasts of Labrador and Newfound- land : but the inconvenience thereby caused to mariners is of a temporary nature; as the floating mass, being easily affected by the slightest change of wind, frequently disappears in the course of a few hours, leaving the sea open and navigable as before. We were rather surprised to find that the fishermen at Broyle Bay demand almost as high a price for their salted cod as the same commodity generally obtains in England. This was quite a disappoint- ment to us, who had imagined that fish in Nexvfoundland must be, comparatively, as cheap AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 31 cheap as coals at Newcastle : but we afterwards learned that the merchants of St. John’s would gladly purchase salted cod at thirty-two shillings per quintal from the out-harbour fishermen, for which they could obtain forty or forty-six shillings, either in Spain or Portugal. But it must not be understood, from this, that the thirty- two shillings per quintal is actually paid by the merchants of St. Johns to the out- harbour settlers: the fish is merely valued at that price, and provisions to the amount are given in exchange. Having completed our stock of water and fuel, we sailed from Broyle Bay; in order, if possible, to get into St. John’s harbour. We made two or three ineffectual attempts, and experienced much thumping among the drift ice; but at length succeeded, about the loth of June, in entering the narrow mouth of this capacious port. With some 32 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND some labour and difficulty, our ship was warped up into a proper situation, nearly opposite to the town ; where we moored her in safety. Fish Flake, and Salting House ; as they are seen in all the Ports of Newfoundland. CHAP. II. ST. JOHN’S, CAPITAL OF NEWFOUNDLAND. Discovery of Newfoundland — Taken possession of ly the English — Province of Avalon settled — Entirely ceded to Great Britain — Entrance to St. John's Harbour — Fortifications — Naval Arsenal — Fish Stages — Town of St. John's — Government — Sir Richard Keats — Judi- cature — Population^- State of Society — Climate . T. he discovery of Newfoundland has, by some authors *, been ascribed to John Cabot, a Venc- * Campbell's “Naval History of Great Britain vol. I. p. 214* . RaynaV s “ History of the East and West Indies vol. VII. p. 191. Land. 178 3. D 34 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND a Venetian navigator; and by others*, to Sebastian Cabot, his son, who was born at Bristol. In a Work of this kind, it is not necessary to enter into a long discussion of their separate pretensions, particularly as the matter has already been handled by able writers t, to whom the curious Reader may be referred for more particular information. It can, however, be stated with certainty, that this island was first seen in the year 1497, or 1498 , by an English squadron, fitted out by Henry the Seventh. In the reign of his successor, Henry the Eighth, the cod-Jisli first became an article of com- merce ; and some small vessels sent from England , returned with a cargo of salt and dried codt. From this time forward, the Banks * Hume s “ History of England," vol. III. Chap. XXVI. p. 406. f Ellis's “ Voyage to Hudson's Bay," pp. 4—6. Campbell 1 s “ Naval History of Great Britain," vol. I. pp. 287—289. t Raynal’s “ History of the East and West Indies, vol. VII. p- 192. Book XVII. Land. 1783. AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 35 Banks of Newfoundland were annually visited by numbers of ships, from Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, and England . The fine harbours along the coast became the property of those who first entered them in the spring of the year, which was the cause of much mischief and confusion. The emulation and rivalship of the original fishermen were so great, that they contrived every possible means to retard and to injure their competitors, by breaking down the stages, and scattering the materials of them upon the waves To replace the damage sustained upon these occasions, the waste of young trees, and the number destroyed by stripping off the rind, was almost incredible; and it was thought necessary to put a stop to such ravages in future. Accordingly, in the year 1583 , Sir Humphrey Gilbert sailed from § Captain lVhitlourne'% “ Discourse and Discovery of Newfoundland p. 23. 30 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND from Plymouth with a small squadron, and, after a tedious voyage, arrived at St. John s in Newfoundland. There, in the presence of all his captains and officers, and in the name of Elizabeth , Queen of Great Britain, he took possession of two hundred leagues of territory, extending in every direction from St. John's. A turf and a rod were presented to him, in token of his right, as the Governor appointed by her Majesty’s patent*, to rule over the newly-acquired country. Immediately after this event, Sir Humphrey framed three laws for the observance of the fishermen. By th e. first, the form of religion was established ac- cording to the Liturgy of the Church of England : Secondly, it was made high- treason to plot against her Majesty’s Govern- * The form of the Patent granted by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Humphrey Gilbert may be seen in Harris's “ Collection of Voyages and Travels,” vol. I. — from whence, also, most of the observations respecting the Expedition of Sir Hum- phrey have been selected by the author. AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 37 Government : and, Thirdly, it was ordained, that if any person should utter words of dishonour against her Majesty, he should suffer the loss of his ears ; or if the offender were a master of any vessel, his goods should become confiscate to the Crown. A pillar of wood was erected upon the shore, with the arms of England engraved thereon ; and the land by the sea- side was parcelled out into separate lots by Sir Humphrey t, the proprietors gladly consenting to pay an annual tribute to the Governor for the same ; by which means they hoped to secure their stages and fish- flakes against the periodical ravages of their countrymen. This f In the French edition of Raynal's “ Histoire Philoso - phiquc," this celebrated Navigator is styled the Chevalier Humshree: and Justamond , in his translation of that Work, has rendered this word Humshree , by Hampshire. Thus, the glory of having first secured the sovereignty of Newfoundland to the British nation is likely to be taken from a patriotic knight who expended his whole fortune in the undertaking ; and given to a personage whose name is unknown in the annals of England. 38 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND This new regulation had a very bene- ficial effect on the Newfoundland trade : for we find in Whithourne s account*, that in the year 1615 there were 250 English vessels employed upon the coasts of that island ; and that, according to the usual manner of manning ships in those days, not less than 5000 seamen were en- gaged therein. Still, the English fisheries were eclipsed by those of foreign nations, who annually sent 400 sail thither, to obtain cod-fish and oil f; and this induced many people in England to undertake the colonization of the country. Sir George Calvert, Secretary to King James the First, settled the province of AvalonX, which was the name given to a sort of peninsula in Newfoundland formed by the deep bays of Trinity and Trepassy ; and, from thence- forward, * Whitbourne & 6< Discourse and Discovery of Newfound- land, r p. 12. t ibid. P . ii. $ Ibid. pp. 78, 79. AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 39 forward, the whole eastern coast of the island became gradually occupied by the English fishermen. “Those,” sajs Ilaynal\, “ who were concerned in the fishery, “ being forced, both from the nature of “ their employment and that of the soil, “ to live at a distance from each other, “ opened paths of communication through “ the woods. Their general rendezvous “ was at St. Johns, where, in an excellent “ harbour, formed between two mountains “ at a very small distance from each other, “ they met with privateers from the mother- “ country, who supplied them with every “ necessary article, in exchange for the “ produce of their fishery.” Other nations were not insensible of the benefits which the English derived from their permanent settlements in Newfound - . land. § Raynal's “ History of the East and West Indies vol. VII. pp. 192, 193. Book XVII. Lond. 1783. 40 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND land. The French planted colonies on the north and south sides of the island, and built the town of Placentia. The share possessed by this people in the fisheries was a natural source of uneasiness to a nation that has always been extremely jealous of any encroachments on her maritime power or commerce. Accordingly, in the Treaty of Utrecht , the entire possession of Newfound- land was demanded by Great Britain : and Trance being glad to procure a peace upon almost any terms, consented to this sacrifice, and merely reserved to her subjects the privilege of drying their fish upon the shores of that island*. By subsequent treaties, the French have been restricted to the small islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon: and as they are not suffered to erect any fortifications on them, their fishery is immediately stopped, whenever * Smollett's “ Complete Hist, of England vol. X. p. 121. AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 41 whenever a war is declared between the two nations. The English, French, and Americans are the only people who have at present the right of fishing on the Banks of Newfoundland. Having thus given a concise sketch of the history of this country, we will now return to a description of its Capital. The entrance to St. Johns Harbour forms a long and extremely narrow strait, but not very difficult of access. There are about twelve fathoms’ water in the middle of the channel, with tolerable good anchor- age ground. The most lofty perpendicular precipices rise, to an amazing height, upon the north side; and the southern shore only appears less striking in its attitude, from a comparison with the opposite rocks. There is a light shewn every night on the left side of the entrance; whei'e there are also 42 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND also a small battery and a signal-post. Other batteries of greater strength appear towering above the rocky eminences to- wards the north. At about two- thirds of the distance between the entrance, and what may properly be termed the harbour itself, there lies a dangerous shelf, called the Chain Rock ; so named from a chain which extends across the strait at that place, to prevent the admission of any hos- tile fleet. Mariners, on entering this place, ought to beware of approaching too near the rocks beneath the light-house point. At the time we sailed by them, the masts of a large ship were still visible above the water, that had a short time before been forced by the swell upon those rocks, where she immediately foundered. We were afterwards concerned to hear, that the unfortunate vessel in question was one of the ships that had sailed from Cork in our convoy, about six weeks before. In AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 43 In addition to the fortifications already- noticed, there are several other strong for- tresses upon the heights around the town, so as to render this place perfectly secure against any sudden attack. Fort Tozvnshend is situate immediately over the town, and is the usual residence of the Governor. Forts Amherst and William are more to- wards the north ; and there is also a small battery perched on the top of a single pyra- midal mount, which is called the Croze’s Nest. At the upper part of the harbour, and upon the eastern side of it, there is a small place styled the King’s Dock-yard, although it can scarcely be said to deserve this title. At the time we were there, the Admiral was very intent upon enlarging and im- proving its condition. It may not be amiss to add one reflection on the obvious policy of rendering St. John’s a considerable naval depot; for notwithstanding that we possess so 44 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND so fine an arsenal as Halifax upon the coast of America , yet Newfoundland, as an island, is not so open to the attacks of an enemy ; and it would be an excellent resort for our cruizers during the summer months, should we, by any mischance, be deprived of the former valuable acquisition. In considering this point, Bermuda has not been forgotten ; but the dangers mani- fest in the approach to that island will ever render its utility, as a naval depot, of pre- carious advantage to our fleets. The harbour of St. John's is most exposed to heavy gales from the north-ivest; as the wind from that point rushes with extreme violence through a valley to the left of the town. On first entering the bays and ports of Newfoundland, the attention of a stranger is mostly attracted by the remarkable appearance AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 45 appearance exhibited by the innumerable stages erected along the sea-side for the salting and drying of cod. The shores around the harbour of St. John's are entirely covered with them, and their construc- tion is particularly simple. Numerous supporters, exactly resembling Kentish hop-poles, are first fixed in the ground : over these is placed a horizontal plat- form of similar poles; and the whole is finally overspread with a covering of dry fern. This sort of structure is called, by the fishermen, a Fish Flake : but there are other stages, erected in a similar manner, although standing partly in the water, with a hut at their extremity, for the reception and salting of the cod, previous to its final removal to the Flakes, for the purpose of being dried in the sun. The Capital of Newfoundland consists of one very narrow street, extending entirely 46 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND entirely along one side of the port. The houses are principally built of wood; and there are very few handsome or even good- looking edifices in the place. This street stands upon very irregular ground, and is not paved ; therefore, in wet weather, it is rendered almost impassable, by mud and filth. There are a great number of small public-houses, but scarcely one tolerable inn : the London Tavern, however, has a good billiard-room attached to it. Shops of all descriptions are very numerous ; but most commodities are extravagantly dear, particularly meat, poultry, and vegetables, as the town receives all its supplies of those articles from Nova Scotia. The number of wharfs for lading ships is remarkable : almost every petty merchant, indeed, pos- sesses one of his own : and there is, besides these, a fine broad quay, called the Govern- ment Wharf, which is open for the accom- modation of the public. The AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 4 7 The Island of Newfoundland is governed by a Vice-admiral of the British Navy, whose jurisdiction extends also over the coast of Labrador, from Cape Charles to Mount Joli, together with the small islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon on the south, and Anticosti in the mouth of the River St. Lawrence. The Governor holds his situa- tion for three years; and he is, during this time, Commander-in-chief of the naval force employed within the limits of his govern- ment. He usually resides in a fortress above the town of St. John's, and returns to England for the winter months. During his absence, the chief power of the island is vested in the hands of the Military Com- mandant, who is styled the Lieutenant- Governor of Newfoundland. In the event of the decease of this last personage, the government devolves on the Chief Justice of St. John's. We 48 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND We were witnesses of the ceremony of installing and swearing in Vice- Admiral Sir Richard Goodwin Keats, G. C. B. as Gover- nor : and never was the protection of this valuable colony confided, during a critical period, to more indefatigable or able hands. The bravery, abilities, and brilliant achievements of Sir Richard Keats are known throughout Europe ; but his patient assiduity, excellent precautions, and unre- mitting vigilance, can only be manifest to those who were witnesses of the able dispo- sition of his naval force, whereby the shores of Newfoundland might be navigated in security during the most violent period of the late contest with America*. The * When Captain of the Superb, 74, under the command of Admiral Sir James Saurnarez, in the Straits of Gibraltar, Sir Richard Keats ran his ship alongside two Spanish three- deckers, and engaged them both at the same time : then making sail, he passed out from between them, unnoticed ; and, overtaking another of their fleet, whose force was more proportionate to that of the Superb, he soon compelled her to AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 49 The judicature of this island is confided to a Chief Justice, residing in St. John's : and there are also Magistrates in the principal places on the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, who are empowered to take cog- nizance of murder, robberies, and frauds ; but it has been judiciously ordained, that they should not interfere in any disputes relative to th e. fisheries. For the adjustment of the latter cases, an officer of the Navy is annually appointed to hold a Surrogate Court in the out-harbours. It would be very difficult to form the least calculation respecting the population of St. Johns; as no computation, however accurate, a surrender. The two three-deckers, not perceiving his escape, continued, in the darkness of the night, to engage each other; until they both caught fire, and were consumed together : thus giving to Captain Keats the honour of having, by a masterly manoeuvre, occasioned the destruction of two first-rate line-of-battle ships belonging to the enemy; and capturing another of equal force, with a comparatively trifling loss on his own part. E 50 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND accurate, can be considered as correct beyond the instant of time in which it is made. During the height of the fishery, it appears to be overflowing with inhabitants; but most of the people employed therein return to Europe in the autumn. There is not a work of any kind that we can refer to respecting Newfoundland, if we except those imperfect sketches given of it in the various publications called Gazetteers. Upon such works there can be little dependence placed, particularly when they profess to describe countries not generally known. Of this fact, we have an instance before us ; when, in speak- ing of Newfoundland, we find it stated*, “ that there are about 500 English families, “ who continue there all the year, besides t such times, they are found to be exceedingly plump and f These are probably of the same nature as the Alpine mice of Lapland, called Lemmick in that country, and Lem - blar by Samuel RJieen , as cited by John Scheffer, who gives to this little quadruped the name of Lemmus. It is said that the rein-deer eat them. They descend, as it were in a vast army, from the mountains ; and pursue their course norlh- ivard, in a direct line, until they are lost in the Icy Sea. A long account of them is given by Scheffer ; and JVormius has afforded a description, accompanied by a figure of the animal, in his Chapter of Rarities. Their colour is red and black ; but in winter, white : and they have short tails. They are not seen every year : but when they make their appearance, the ground is covered by their multitudes. — i2 Non apparent lice quotannis, sed quibusdam tantum tempo - u ribus , veniuntque ex abrupto tanta copia, ut per totam se “ diffundant terrain," &c. Olaus Wormius apud J. Scheffer . Lappon . cap. 29. p.344. Franc. 1673. 140 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND and delicate, and far surpassing any of our English Game in richness and flavour. Their whistle, colour, and size, greatly resemble the plover; but their beak is much longer than that of a snipe; although they feed entirely upon berries. This country abounds in wild animals; such as, bears, wolves, foxes, hares, martens, deer, lynxes, squirrels, and porcupines. The latter are very numerous in the woods; and their flesh is esteemed a great delicacy among the fishermen. Wolves and foxes are seldom seen, except in winter; when hunger forces them to seek their food even at the very doors of the Settlements: they are then frequently caught in traps, concealed under the snow, and baited with flesh or fish. The superior cunning of the fox is here most conspicuous ; for it has frequently been seen to discharge the spring, by drop- ping a large stone into the trap; and thus possess AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 141 possess itself of the bait without the least risk of its safety. During the time of the author’s stay at L' Arise a Loup, an immense wolf had made itself very obnoxious, by its frequent nightly depredations on the poultry-yard. For a length of time, this animal escaped the whole of the bullets that were fired at it; until a young man shot it dead from the window of a store-house belonging to the Fishery *. The Newfoundland dog is an animal well known in England, for its attachment to the water ; but the true breed has become scarce, and is rarely to be found, except upon * The fine skin of this animal was brought to England , and presented by the author to John Marten Cripps , Esq. of Epsom, Surrey. This gentleman is well known to the world as the fellow traveller of Dr. Clarke . Since his return to his native country, Mr. Cripps has distinguished himself by the active practice of every Christian virtue, and especially in the important discharge of his duty as a Magistrate. n 142 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND upon the coast of Labrador. Most of the Fisheries are plentifully supplied with these dogs, and they prove of great utility in dragging home the winter fuel. They are also employed in Newfoundland for the same purpose, where they are usually yoked in pairs. Such is the disregard of these creatures for cold, that, when the thermo- meter of Fahrenheit has indicated twenty degrees below Zero, they have been known to remain in the sea during an entire hour. The fishermen feed their dorrs O upon salted hallihat, or, indeed, any other sort of food ; for they are an extremely voracious animal, and will devour almost any thing. Their docility is so remark- able, that they will leap from the summit of the highest cliffinto the water, in obedience to the commands of their master. To man they are ever gentle and good-natured ; so much so, indeed, that it has been very cus- tomary, of late years, to cross their breed with AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 143 with an English bull-dog, whereby they are rendered more fierce and surly towards strangers. It is pretended that a thorough- bred Newfoundland dog may be known by certain black marks on the roof of its mouth ; but this is by no means a positive proof, as many other kinds of dogs have the same mark. The author has already mentioned, in a former work, the method of travelling with these dogs, as practised by the Euro- pean settlers in Labrador*. The sledge used for this purpose is about twelve feet in length, shod on each side with whale- bone, and covered with the skin of the polar bear. It is drawn by ten or twelve dogs, yoked two and two, with a harness made of slips of seal-skin. Two of the most sagacious and best-trained dogs are placed in front, as leaders; no reins being necessary ; for * See Narrative of a Voyage to Hudsons Bay } p t iQ(j. 144 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND for the animals will naturally follow a beaten track through the snow; and they are easily guided by a long whip, the lash of which extends to the foremost dogs. The rate of travelling varies, according to the state of the snow ; but it seldom exceeds ten, and is never less than six, miles an hour. The author once went, accompanied by Mr. Pinson , to examine a salmon net at the trout river. In crossing the bay, the cod were so plentiful, that we killed several of them with the oars of the boat. We found five fine salmon stuck fast with their gills through the net, which extended from one side of the river to the other. Although it may seem incredible, yet it is nevertheless true, that in the short space of two hours the author caught twelve dozen trout, with one and the same artificial fly. During our stay at the river, however, the mosquitos had AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 145 had made such havoc upon us, that our heads were swelled to an enormous size before we regained the Fishery ; and it was many days before the marks of their stings entirely disappeared. Whitbourne, consistently with his usual propensity to represent every thing relating to Newfoundland and its vicinity in as favourable a light as possible, has discussed the subject of the mosquitos in a very face- tious manner. Instead of justly repre- senting them as a continual torment during the heat of summer, he says, “ Those Flies “ seeme to haue a great power and authority “ vpon all loytering people that come to the “ New-found-land: for they haue this pro- “ perty , that when they finde any such lying “ lazily, or sleeping in the Woods , they will “ presently bee more nimble to seize on them , “ than any Sargeant will bee to arrest a man “ for debt : Neither will they leaue stinging or “sucking L 140 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND “ sucking out the blood of such sluggards, “ vntill, like a Beadle, they bring him to his et Master, where hee should labour: in which “ time of loytering, those Flies will so brand “ such idle persons in their faces, that they “ may be known from others, as the Turkes doe “ their slaues* ” * Conclusion to IVhitbourne s Discourse and Discover}' of Newfoundland . AND TIIE COAST OF LABRADOR. 147 CHAR YL FROM L’ANSE A LOUP TO PORT SANDERS. Return of the Rosamond — Cruize — Bonne Bay — Anchor at L’Anse k Loup — Mosses — Sail from L’Anse a Loup — Ice Bergs — Belle-isle — Cape Charles — Salmon Fishery — Cape Chateau — Geological Observations — Extraordinary Currents — Chace — Anchor at L’Anse a Loup — Sail from thence — Anchor at Port Sanders. W ithin a fortnight from the time of her departure, the Rosamond again returned to Ij Anse d, Lo?ip ; but the Captain intending to take a short cruize in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, did not anchor in the bay. A boat was sent for the author ; who there- upon rejoined his ship, and immediately she made sail towards the west. l 2 For I 148 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND For about a week after this, nothing occurred worthy of notice, until we steered in towards the ivestern coast of Newfound- land. In the morning, we came in sight of the Blow-me-doivn Hills, a ridge of very high mountains in the vicinity of the Seven Islands. The following day we attempted to approach Bonne Bay ; but were suddenly compelled to reduce our canvas to a main- top-sail and foresail, as the wind blew in tremendous squalls from the land. Bonne Bay is surrounded by immense perpendi- cular rocks, rising to a great height from the sea ; and these lofty mountains have in various places been entirely split to their foundations, as if by some violent convul- sion of Nature. The wind rushes through the chasms so violently, that the approach to the bay is thereby rendered difficult and dangerous. We were compelled to haul off to sea- ward AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 149 ward at night-fall, to avoid the sudden squalls from the high land ; and the wind continuing foul in the morning, we gave up the intention of entering Bonne Bay, and merely despatched a boat thither, to com- municate with the inhabitants. Bonne Bay, in addition to the disadvan- tages already noticed, is by no means a safe anchorage for vessels of more than fifty or sixty tons burden ; as the beach is so steep that there are twenty-two fathoms water within two cables’ length of the shore, and beyond this distance the depth increases to sixty fathoms. About thirty inhabitants* are settled in this bay; but the fishing establishments are not upon a very exten- sive footing. Towards * The whole of the calculations made in this work, respecting the number of Settlers in the different bays and harbours, is meant to apply solely to the summer residents; as the greater part of the fishermen pass their winters either in St. Johns, Guernsey, Jersey , or England. 150 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND Towards evening, the pinnace returned on board, with the pleasing intelligence, that a British frigate had arrived in L' Arise h Loup since our departure from thence. In an instant, every sail was set ; and two days afterwards we again entered our old rendezvous, where we found at anchor His Majesty’s ship Hyperion, Captain Cumby*. Our hopes had been much excited, under the idea that this ship was intended to relieve us from so unpleasant and dreary a station : consequently, our disappointment was great on finding that she had merely brought a supply of provisions, with an order * Captain Cumly was First Lieutenant of the Bellerophon in the memorable battle of Trafalgar . After the death of her gallant Captain, Lieutenant Cumby continued to fight the ship with steady and determined bravery, which gained him an immediate promotion to the rank of Post Captain. It is a mere act of justice to this gentleman to add, that there is not a better officer in the navy, nor one who is more univer- sally beloved by his inferiors. AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 151 order for the Rosamond to remain on the coast of Labrador until the end of October. The Hyperion remained at L' Anse a Loup about two days ; and during this time the author had the gratification of examining a most curious cabinet, containing nearly two hundred beautiful specimens of the various mosses of Labrador. They had been collected with great care by the intel- ligent Surgeon of the Hyperion: and should he ever be prevailed upon to give a full description of his cabinet to the world, such a work would prove a valuable addi- tion to the natural history of these Northern regions. A few' days after the departure of the Hyperion, we again sailed from L' Anse a Juoup, and bent our course towards Belle- isle. Although now the middle of sum- mer, yet the Ice-bergs were still very numerous 152 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND numerous in the Straits ; and their beau- tiful masses presented the most grotesque and extraordinary shapes. The outlines exhibited in the annexed plate were sketched by the author on the tenth day of August, when twenty-seven mountains of a similar description were visible from the quarter-deck of the Rosamond. Some of those towering masses of Ide were aground, in forty fathoms water ; so that, if the opinion be correct, which sup- poses them to swim with two thirds of their body immersed, their perpendicular height might be computed at one hundred and twenty feet above the surface of the sea. However, as a proof that no general rule can be accurately laid down on this subject, it will only be necessary to mention the following experiments. We sawed a large lump of Ice into a perfect AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 153 perfect cube, and marked its sides with a scale of inches; then dropping it gently into a tub of sea- water, we were rather surprised to observe that it floated with exactly half its body immersed! Being determined to ascertain this point beyond the possibility of a doubt, we again selected another mass of Ice , upon which we per- formed precisely the same operation, and found that this last swam only one fifth of the cube above the surface of the water. This variety in the weight of Ice we found to originate in its different states of poro- sity ; the most compact masses sinking, of course, deeper whilst in a floating state. It appeared, therefore, that although many detached masses of Ice may float with two thirds of their bulk immersed, yet the safest calculation will always estimate the apparent height of the largest Ice-bergs as about equal to their depth : so that those which we observed aground in forty fathoms 154 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND fathoms water must have been about two hundred and forty feet in perpendicular height, above the surface of the sea. There is, probably, no subject less gene- rally understood by nautical men, than that part of their duty which relates to the management of a ship in Icy seas. The system of manoeuvring to be pursued, in cases of this nature, is totally unlike any other method that can possibly fall under the common experience of a seaman. In forming an idea of the appearance exhibited by the overturn of an Ice-berg, the reader need only imagine the effect that would be pro- duced, were a huge mountain to be torn violently from its foundation, and precipi- tated into the ocean. But the mariner is subjected to less danger from the reeling of these lofty masses, than from the risk of bilging his vessel on the low drift-ice, which has been so repeatedly noticed in different parts AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 155 parts of this volume. A sea, covered with broken fragments of Ice, closely wedged together, and extending as far as the eye can reach, presents an intimidating and, apparently, an insurmountable obstacle to persons who are unacquainted with such situations. The immortal Cook, whose abi- lities as a seaman can never be surpassed, was yet ignorant of this peculiar tactic: nor is it to be wondered at, for this is not to be acquired by any theoretical instruction, but must be entirely the result of much practical knowledge. To the total inexpe- rience of Cook, in this respect, his failure, in the chief object of his voyage, may be attributed. When he first attempted to penetrate the frozen sea round the North of America, in the year 1778, he found a vast glut of drift-ice, blocking up the passage off the Icy Cape. A commander better skilled in the art of Icy navigation would have instantly pushed his ship into the midst of this ‘f 156 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND this accumulated mass, and endeavoured to force his way through it, in spite of all impediments : but, to effect this, it would be necessary, for insuring the safety of the vessel, that she should be conducted by some able Ice Pilot. Instead of adopting this method, Cook wasted a considerable time in vain endeavours to circumnavigate the ice : nor did he even confine his exertions to the doubling one continent; but, being deceived by the continual shifting of the Ice , he frequently wavered in his opinion, sailing backwards and forwards across Beering's Straits ; at one time intent on passing round the coast of America into Baffin's Bay ; at another, determining to force his May along the north-eastern shores of Asia, towards the river Oby and the White Sea, Cook did not live to make a second trial : and his successor, Clerke, was not better qualified to pursue the enterprise. If, therefore AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 15 ? therefore, those mariners did not succeed in discovering the north-ivest or north-east passages between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, might not their failure be rather ascribed to the inexperience of the Com- manders, in what may be called Polar tactics, than to the alleged impracticability of the undertaking ? Two days after our departure from L’ Arise a Loup, we came in sight of Belle- isle, a high and barren island, lying in the midway between Newfoundland and La- brador. Several tremendous Ice-bergs had grounded beneath its craggy precipices, and formed a striking contrast with the black cliffs behind them. The waves of the Atlantic dashed, in furious foam, against its rocks ; and Nature appeared to exert unusual efforts to preserve the place from violation of human footsteps. Neither European nor Indian has ever attempted to settle 158 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND settle upon this desolate spot ; and having no inducement to visit its shores, we turned our ship’s head towards the north. In the afternoon, we reached Cape Charles, the south-eastern extremity of the Labrador Peninsula. Cape Charles is in latitude 54°. 13'. n. and longitude 55°. 30 . w. of Greenwich. The promontory is rendered remarkable, in consequence of its being the easternmost projection of North America, and the point from whence the breadth of that vast con- tinent must be determined. A string of small islets lay off its extremity, extending, in a ridge, towards Belle-isle ; and these are frequently mistaken for the Cape itself. They form the shelter of a small fishing settlement, called Cape Charles Harbour; whither we despatched our boat, with an officer, to collect the boat-duty before mentioned. Whilst we were lying-to, awaiting AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 159 awaiting the return of the boat, a schooner bore down along the eastern side of Labrador, to which we gave chace. She proved, on examination, to be a vessel belonging to Mr. Pinson, of L Anse h Loup, returning from Sandwich Bay, where that gentleman possessed a fishery yielding annually two hundred tierces of salmon. These fish are caught without much diffi- culty, by means of a net extended quite across the river, into which the salmon run their heads, when going up the stream to deposit their spawn. Great care is taken by the fishermen to keep the net free from weeds or obstructions of any kind. When caught, the salmon is split or opened down the back ; then salted in tubs, where it remains for the space of a fortnight, with large masses of stone on the top, to keep the fish beneath the surface of the pickle. At the expiration of that time, it is re-salted into tierces, which contain each tw r o 160 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND two hundred pounds of fish, exclusive of pickle and salt. The Mediterranean ports are the greatest mart for the sale of salted salmon , and the average price is from sixty to seventy shillings per tierce. A few years ago, when the fisheries were unusually depressed, there was a bounty of three shillings per quintal allowed* on all pickled or salted salmon, or dried cocZ-fish, imported into any of the ports of Great Britain, Guernsey, or Jersey. This act, however, has since been repealed by Parliament. When our boat returned, we hoisted her on board, and made sail back again, towards Chateau Bay and Pitt's Harbour ; and we arrived there the next morning by day-light. Cape Chateau, lying off the entrance of a bay * Act 47 Geo. III. chap. 24. AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 161 a bay bearing the same name, is so called from the remarkable resemblance which it bears to an antient castle. Its turrets, arches, loop-holes, and keeps, are beautifully re- presented by a series of basaltic columns. The author could only regret his inability to delineate this singular head-land ; for it certainly presented as fine a subject for the pencil of an artist, as the celebrated Cave of Fingal, or the no less noted Giant's Causeway in Ireland. In addition to these basaltic phenomena, the shores of Labrador abound with thin, pellucid, shining laminae, of a talc- like substance, which are probably fragments of mica. Of these the author collected a few specimens, and brought them with him to Englatid. I he famous Larrador feldspar is now well known among mineralogists. It will, m therefore. 102 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND therefore, only be necessary to observe, that this stone is not found near the European settlements on the southern parts of the peninsula, but is generally met with in the vicinity of the Moravian Mis- sionary habitations to the northward of Sandwich Bay. Pitt's Harbour is a deep gulf, surrounded by the loftiest mountains, which render it liable to violent gusts and squalls of wind. A single rock, lying midway between the two sides of the port, presents the only danger of any consequence, in entering the place. At Henley Harbour, near Chateau Bay, there are a few small establishments for carrying on the cod-fishery in summer ; but few, if any, of the Europeans remain there during the winter : at the close of the season they return to St.John's. After AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 163 After collecting the tax, we sailed from hence, on our return to LAnse a Loup. During the night, we were much annoyed by the continual interruption of Ice-bergs; and towards morning, believing that we were near the entrance of our destined port, we lay to, to wait for day-break. This had nearly proved the destruction of the Rosamond; for at the earliest dawn we perceived the rocks off the viestern point of Forteau, within a very short distance a-head. We immediately tacked about, and in the forenoon anchored in Forteau Bay. Upon trying the current, in a boat, we were surprised to find that it ran, in one place, three miles an hour towards the west; and, in another, two miles in an easterly direction. Indeed, the uncertainty and velocity of the currents in the Straits of Belle-isle render the channel very m 2 unsafe 164 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND unsafe for nightly navigation : and, from this time forward, we generally preferred anchoring every evening, to avoid running any farther risk of being shipwrecked in the dark. There is good anchorage all over the Straits, in about thirty or forty fathoms water. I Whilst we remained at Forteau ., and were busily employed, completing our stock of water, a warlike ship appeared in the Straits, sailing away eastward, towards the Atlantic. Our Captain suspecting her to be the Hornet, an American sloop of war, we immediately weighed anchor, and gave chase, crowding every stitch of canvas, and running ten miles an hour, with our royals set. In six hours we had approached near enough to distinguish that the sup- posed American was not a vessel of war, but, most probably, a heavy-laden timber- ship from Quebec, bound to some port in Scotland. AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 165 Scotland. As evening drew on, we came close up with Belle-isle; and the wind at that moment taking us flat aback , in a contrary direction, we gave up the pursuit, and returned to the westward again, as speedily as we had sailed away. The next morning the Rosamond anchored at L' Anse & Loup ; and the fishermen of that place expressed their astonishment at our having sailed eighty miles to the eastward, and returned over the same ground, in the short space of seventeen hours. After remaining for a short time at our old quarters, we again quitted L' Anse k Loup, and proceeded to Port Saunders, a noble harbour, forming one arm of Ingor- nachoix Bay, on the north-west coast of Newfoundland. 166 VOVAGE TO M EWFOUNDLAN I) CHAP. VII. PORT SAUNDERS. IngomachoixBa !/ — Port Saunders — Solitude of the Forests — Red Indians of Newfoundland, the Aborigines of the Country — Attempts to civilize the Red Indians. According to the accurate surveys of the immortal circumnavigator Cook*, the en- trance to the great bay of Ingornachuix lies in latitude 50°. 38' n. and longitude 57°. 2o'w. of Greenwich. Although totally uninha- bited, this is nevertheless one of the noblest harbours in the world. The entrance is narrow, * “ In April 1764, Captain James Cook was appointed Marine-surveyor of Newfoundland and Labrador ; and of the satisfactory manner in which he executed this office, the Charts which he afterwards published afford ample evidence.” — Con* linuaiion of Campbell's Naval History of Great Britain, vol . IV. p. 272 . AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. \G7‘ narrow, but without danger of any kind. After passing the channel, the port branches off into two separate arms or divisions ; but that on the left hand, called Port Saunders, is best calculated for the reception of large vessels, in consequence of its supe- rior depth of water. It is not, however, prudent to sail too far, before bringing to an anchor ; as there is a solitary rock lying in the centre of the harbour, about equi- distant between the entrance and the head of the port. Ninety or a hundred sail of shipping might here lie sheltered from every wind. The tides rise and fall about ten feet ; and it is high water at the full and change of the moon precisely at one o’clock. The anchorage is completely land- locked by high hills, covered with an abun- dance of excellent fire-wood; and there are many limpid streams of the purest fresh water. 1<)8 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND Wild-ducks and geese abound in the nu- merous marshes and ponds of the interior ; and in the marshes, by the sea-side, there grows an inexhaustible quantity of berries, which are delicious when made into pud- dings or tarts. In addition to this, the shores are covered with muscles, limpets, and lobsters: the latter fish lay in holes - among the weeds, a few feet beneath low- water-mark ; so that, when the tide is out, they may be hooked-up by hundreds. It is one of the most surprising and un- accountable circumstances attending the history of the cod-fish, that although found in myriads around all the other coasts of Newfoundland, yet it is never known to visit the north-western parts of the island. It is owing to this circumstance that Ingor- nachoix Bay has never been inhabited by Europeans, except it be now and then by a few stragglers, who go thither to catch salmon AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 169 salmon or rein-deer. Our officers went several times, upon shooting excursions, through whole forests, rotting with age; where the silence of nature was only in- terrupted by the echo of their own foot- steps, or the accidental falling of branches that crumbled into dust as they advanced. We erected a signal-post, as usual, to give timely notice of the appearance of any strange vessel : and as the Rosamond lay at Port Saunders for a length of time, to be painted and refitted, a description of the original inhabitants of Newfoundland may be here introduced: this extraordinary people constituting a peculiar race, distinct from the Micmacs, the Mountaineers, and the Esquimaux. They are called Red Indians. The Red Indians, or Aborigines of New- foundland, are now so very rarely to be met with, 170 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND with, that their genuine character is perhaps only to be deduced from the accounts which were published respecting them by the first persons who visited this country. JVhitbourne, in his Discovrse and Discovery of Newfoundland, says, “ The naturall In- “ habitants of the Countrey, as they are but “ few in number ; so are they something “ rude and sauage people; hauing neither “ knowledge of God, nor liuing vnder any “ kinde of ciuill gouernement. In their “ habits, customes, and manners, they re- “ semble the Indians of the Continent, from “ whence (I suppose) they come ; they liue “ altogether in the North and West part of “ the Countrey, which is seldome frequented “ by the English : But the French and Bis- “ caines (who resort thither yeerely for the “ Whale-fishing, and also for the Cod-fish) “ report them to be an ingenious and trac- “ table people (being well vsed:) they are “ ready to assist them with great labour “ and t AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 171 “ and patience, in the killing, cutting and “ boyling of Whales ; and making the “ Traineoyle, without expectation of other “ reward, than a little bread, or some such “ small hire*.” In another part of Whitbournc s account, he accuses the Red Indians ot dishonesty: “ Many of them secretly euery yeere, “ come into 'Trinity Bay and Harbour, in “ the night-time, purposely to steale Sailes, “ Lines, Hatchets, Hookes, Kniues, and “ such like.t ” But still the same author was of opinion, that by gentle treatment and a conciliatory policy, the Natives might have been civi- lized, and even brought over to the Chris- tian faith. “ And * Whithourne s Discovrse and Discovery of Newfoundland, page 2. •j* Ibid. p. 4*. /TN 172 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND “ And this Bay (Flowers) is not three “ English miles ouer land from Trinity Bay in some places ; which people, if they “ might be reduced to the knowledge of “ the true Trinity indeed, no doubt but it “ would be a most sweete and acceptable “ sacrifice to God, The taske thereof “ would proue easie, if it were but well begun, and constantly seconded by indus- trious spirits: and no doubt but God “ himselfe would set his hand to reare vp “ and aduance so noble, so pious, and so “ Christian a building.*” » In another part, he recommends that a settlement should be made in Trepassy Bay, “ by reason those sauage people are so neere ; who being politikely and gently “ handled, much good might bee wrought “ vpon them: for I haue had apparent “ proofes Whitbourne s Discovrse and Discovery of Newfoundland, pages i & 5. AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 173 ** proofes of their ingenuous and subtile “ dispositions, and that they are a people “ full of quicke and liuly apprehensions.!” A set of ignorant and barbarous fisher- men were not capable of profiting by this advice, nor of foreseeing the result of an opposite line of conduct. Accordingly we find, that even during Whitbourne s life- time, they had already begun to plunder and misuse the Natives. To prove this, the author is compelled to make rather a copious extract; but as it throws considera- ble light on the state in which the original inhabitants of Newfoundland were found, by the earliest visitors of the country, it may probably not be without its value, in the estimation of the curious reader. “ Now it may be well vnderstood, there 174 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND “ is great hope that those parts of the “ world will yeeld seuerali commodities of “ exceeding worth, whereon diuers good “ imployments may bee made for great “ numbers of his Maiesties Subjects. For “ it is w’ell knowne, that the Natiues of “ those parts haue great store of red Okar, “ wherewith they vse to colour their bodies, “ Bowes, Arrowes and Cannowes, in a “ painting manner ; which Cannowes are “ their Boats, that they vse to go to Sea in, “ which are built in shape like the Wher- “ lies on the Riuer of Thames , w r ith small “ timbers, no thicker nor broader than “ hoopes ; and instead of boords, they vse “the barkes of Birch trees, which they “ sew very artificially and close together, “ and then ouerlay the seames with Tur- “ pentine, as Pitch is vsed on the seames of “ Ships, and Boats : And in like manner “ they vse to sew the barkes of Spruise and “ Firre trees, round and deepe in proportion, “ like AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 1/5 “ like a Brasse Kettle, to boyle their “ meat in, as it hath been well approoued “ by diuers men ; but most especially to “ my certaine knowledge, by three Mari- “ ners of a Ship of Tapson, in the County “ ol Deuon ; which Ship riding there at “ Anchor neerc by mee, at the Harbour “ called Hearts-ease, on the North side of “ Trinity Bay, and being robbed in the “ night, by the Sauages, of their apparell, “ and diuers other prouisions, did the next “ day seeke after them, and happened to “ come suddenly where they had set vp “ three Tents, and were feasting, hauing “ three such Cannowes by them, and three “ Pots made of such rinds of trees, standing “ each of them on three stones, boyling, “ with twelue Fowles in each of them, “ euery Fowle as big as a widgeon, and “ some so big as a Ducke : they had also “ many such Pots so sewed, and fashioned “ like leather Buckets, that are vsed for “ quenching 176 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND “ quenching of fire, and those were full of “ the yolkes of Egges, that they had taken “ and boyled hard, and so dryed small as it “ had been powder-Sugar, which the “ Sauages vsed in their Broth, as Sugar is “ often vsed in some meates. They had “ great store of the skins of Deere, Beauers, “ Beares, Scales, Otters, and diuers other “ fine skins, which were excellent well “ dressed; as also great store of seuerall “ sorts of flesh dryed, and by shooting off “ a Musquet towards them, they all ran “ away naked, without any apparell, but “ onely some of them had their hats on “ their heads, which were made of Seale t “ skinnes, in fashion like our hats, sewed “ handsomely, with narrow bands about “ them, set round with fine white shels. “ All their three Cannowes, their flesh, “ skins, yolkes of Egges, Targets, Bowes “ and Arrowes, and much fine Olcar, and “ diuers other things they toohe and brought “ me ay AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 177 “ aw <*y, and shared it among those that “ tooke it ; and they brought to mee the best “ Cannow, Boives and Arrowes, and diuers “ of their skins, and many other artificial! “ things worth the noting, which may seeme “ much to inuite vs to indcuour to finde During the time we remained at L' Arise a Loup, the people on shore were busily employed in making preparations for the winter seal-fishery. As this proved even- tually to be our last visit to the coast of Labrador, it will not be an improper place to introduce an account of the method pursued by the seal fishermen for entrap- ping those shy and wary animals. There are two modes of catching the seals: the one is, by mooring strong nets at the bottom of the sea ; and the other, by constructing what is called “ a frame of nets," near the shore of some small bay. The latter is the most-approved method, and may be easily explained by a figure. Suppose 11)8 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND Suppose aa to be small capstans fixed on shore for the purpose of heaving the nets up and down, as occasion may require. bb, the hawsers leading from the capstans to the nets, cc, the water’s edge, dd, strong nets running from the beach into the sea : they reach from the bottom to the surface of the water, ee, large casks, used to buoy up the outer or great net, which runs parallel to the shore, ff, small anchors, confining the outer net close down to the ground. The hawsers from the capstans being slackened, the smaller nets dd sink to AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 1 99 to the bottom, whilst the outer net remains fixed in its perpendicular position. Great exertions are then made by the fishermen to drive the seals between the outer net and the beach ; when, on a due signal being given, the people on the shore heave up the small nets dd, by which means the animals become inclosed upon all sides. Frona this moment the fishermen consider their capture sure, as the fears of these creatures drive them to seek an escape by the bottom of the nets, which is totally impossible ; and they have not sagacity or courage enough to leap boldly over the top. When there are a great many seals in sight, the fishermen fire off muskets, to make them, as they express it, “ strike into the nets.” When the seals afe skinned, the fat is cut up into small pieces, and then melted into oil in large iron 200 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND iron boilers. This oil, in burning, is not so offensive to the smell as that produced from whale blubber. The price of the seal oil varies according to the produce of the Greenland and South- Sea whale fisheries : the average price is from 40 /. to 50 /. per ton. The seal skins are exported to England ; where the furriers draw out the hairs, and leave only the soft down which is found underneath them. It is in this state that they are used by the ladies, as trimmings for pelisses; and, of late years, the most beautiful travelling caps have been fabri- cated from the same materials. During the whole of the summer season, the European settlers in Labrador are em- ployed in the cod-fishery. Their winters are occupied in catching seals, obtaining furs, making casks, building boats, con- structing AMD THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 201 structing fish-flakes, and in completing every thing requisite for carrying on the summer fisheries. As it was now drawing towards the end of October, our Captain determined to take a short cruize in the Gulf of St. Latvrence; and afterwards to make another visit to L'Anse a Loup, previous to our final depar- ture from the Straits of Belle-isle. Accord- ingly, we again left the coast of Labrador: to which we were never afterwards des- tined to return. Previous to our sailing, we had received a rein-deer, as a present from the inhabitants of Forteau Bay : the venison proved an excellent repast to us, who had so long subsisted upon salt beef and coti-fish. Wild deer are by no means plentiful in Newfoundland; and are seldom caught, except in the northern parts of the island. 202 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND We will close this description of the Labrador coast, with a few remarks on the navigation of the Straits of Belle-isle. Ships intending to pass through this chan- nel to the eastward , should be cautious to keep near the Newfoundland shore, until they come abreast of L Arise h Loup ; when they ought immediately to cross over the Straits, and, during the remaining part of the passage, sail close along the northern / shore. The necessity of these precautions will appear, from a consideration of the following facts: First, there is a very strong northern in-draught into the Bay of Esquimaux ,■ which is likely to set a vessel upon Green Island, if she do not avoid the danger, by keeping over on the opposite side of the Straits. Secondly, after getting abreast of L Anse a Loup, the southern shore becomes low and shoal ; and there is always a strong current setting over to- wards Cape Norman, occasioned by an in- draught AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 203 in-draught into Pistolette, a deep gulf directly opposite to Cape Chdteau. In sailing out of the Straits, towards the Atlantic, the passage between Belle-isle and Newfoundland is by far the most pre- ferable. The other channel, between Cape Charles and Belle-isle, is generally choked by numerous Ice-bergs, which are driven, by the southerly current, round the south- eastern extremity of Labrador. It was in this bleak and desolate country that Cook first displayed those talents as a marine surveyor, which gained for him the patronage of Sir Hugh Palliser, and drew the public attention towards his extra- ordinary abilities. His charts of Newfound- land and the Straits of Belle-isle are, to this day, a convincing proof of the fidelity, genius, and discernment, that characterize all 204 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND all the nautical observations of that illus- trious circumnavigator. from L Anse a Loup we pursued our course towards the west; and on the day subsequent to our departure, we obtained sight of Mount Jolt, a remarkable eleva- tion on the Labrador coast, which has before been mentioned, as separating the government of Newfoundland from that of Canada. A day or two afterwards, we saw the island of Anticosti, extending in a blue ridge along the western horizon ; and giving, by its flat appearance, an adequate idea of those extensive swamps and morasses that have rendered the island uninhabitable. In con- sequence of its lying directly in the mouth ot the river St. Lawrence, and the coast being surrounded by very deep water, Anticosti AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 205 Anticosti presents a formidable danger to vessels trading with Quebec ; for a ship may be stranded upon the beach, before her soundings give the least notice of its proximity. The Canadian Government supports one or two poor families who reside at Anticosti for the humane purpose of relieving shipwrecked mariners ; and these are the only inhabitants on the island*. We had been cruizing about a week in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, when we attempted to re-visit our old station at L’ Anse a Loup ; but a most violent gale of wind from the north-east drove us back again towards the dangerous shores of Anticosti. We per- severed in our efforts, and bufFetted against the fury of the tempest for three days successively ; * His Majesty’s ship Leopard , of 50 guns, commanded by Captain Crofton , was wrecked upon the island of Anticosti , in the year 1814*. 206 VOVAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND successively ; but the wind seeming rather to increase than diminish, Captain Campbell was compelled to relinquish his original design ; and to the great joy of every person on board, we bore away towards the south ; bidding a last adieu to those scenes which Falconer has so forcibly characterized : “ From regions where Peruvian billows roar, “ To the bleak coasts of savage Labrador . 0 After a boisterous passage round the southern parts of Newfoundland, we arrived at St. Johns in the beginning of November , without meeting with any inci- dent worthy of recital. AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR* 207 CHAP. IX. FROM ST. JOHN’S, TO CAPELIN BAY, AND BAY OF BULLS. State of the Capital — Vigilance of the Governor — Ship- wreck of his Majesty's Ship Tweed — Sail from St. John’s — Anchor at Capelin Bay — Distresses of the Irish Emigrants — Excursion from Capelin Bay to Ferryland — Surrogate Court — First Settlement ’ of Ferryland — Present State of Ferryland — Sail from Capelin Bay — Anchor at Bay of Bulls— Description f the place — Return to St. John’s. We found the inhabitants of the capital busily employed in shipping off their mer- chandize for different ports of Europe ; and many of them were also arranging matters for their own return to Great Britain. Small vessels were hourly arriving from the outports of Newfoundland, bringing crowds 208 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND crowds of people, who came either to reside at St. John's during the winter, or to sail in the autumnal convoys for England. The fisheries had now ceased; and numbers of the low Irishmen were nightly parading the streets, in a state of intoxication. Amongst the more wealthy classes, balls, dinners, and entertainments, had succeeded to the incessant and uninterrupted industry which occupied every person, without distinction, during the bustle of the fishing season. Shortly after the arrival of the Rosamond at St. Johns, she was dignified by the reception of the Admiral’s flag. Sir Richard Keats suffered no person under his command to suppose that he held a sinecure situ- ation. The utmost activity pervaded every branch of the public departments. Ships of war were continually anchoring and sailing from the harbour; and the coasts of Newfoundland were scoured from AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 209 north to south by the most vigilant cruizers. The only sure way to the Admiral’s favour was by evincing the same indefatigable exertion, which he manifested himself upon every occasion. The naval Guard Officer was directed to obtain the most minute information from every vessel arriving at St. John s ; and to communicate the result of his inquiries, in person, to the Governor. In cases of reports concerning British con- voys being on their way towards New- foundland, or that the enemy’s privateers had been observed hovering near the coasts, it was positively ordered, that the Guard Officer should immediately make the same known to the Admiral, without regard to any hour or time in which such intelligence might be obtained. In the execution of his duty, the author once had occasion to wait on Sir Richard Keats with intelligence of this description. The Admiral had retired to bed ; but in five minutes he p entered 210 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND entered the audience-chamber, wrapped in a flannel dressing-gown. With the most patient scrutiny, he made himself acquainted with every minute particular ; and in less than half an hour afterwards, a frigate sailed out of the harbour, in pursuit of the supposed American corsair. About a fortnight after our hoisting the Admiral’s flag, a fisherman came overland from a small place to the southward of St. John's, called Petty Harbour, and reported that his Majesty’s ship Tweed, Captain Mathers, had been wrecked upon the coast. This disagreeable intelligence proved to be correct; and the survivors shortly afterwards reached the capital in a dreadfully lacerated state. The following is a brief statement of the melancholy catastrophe. The Tweed, of twenty guns, sailed from Cork AXD THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 211 Cork with a large convoy bound for New- foundland. Having, according to their reckoning, reached within forty or fifty miles of the island, the fleet hove to, awaiting the approach of day-light, as the night proved dark and tempestuous. At midnight, the Tweed was suddenly encompassed by terrific breakers ; and before the least exertion could be made, the ship struck with violence against the face of a perpen- dicular precipice. A mariner’s presence of mind acquires fresh energy from the actual appearance of danger. By taking advan- tage of the moment when a mountainous billow lifted the vessel to a level with the summit of the rock, the First Lieutenant and one of the seamen sprang to the shore, with a small rope in their hands. It was to the amazing activity and foresight displayed by these men, that the other survivors owed their preservation. A strong hawser was conveyed to those on the p 2 eminence. 212 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND eminence, by which forty of the crew contrived to ascend. Numbers perished in attempting to follow the example of their more fortunate shipmates. Irresistible bil- lows now rolled incessantly over the rope, and dashed those who clung to it with fury against the rocks. Several poor wretches quitted their hold, and sunk amid the raging surf : others had their brains beaten out, and fell dead into the water. Many with broken or dislocated joints were assisted to rise by those who had already reached the shore. All the Officers were saved, except the Surgeon and Purser, whom no entreaties could stimulate to try the frightful means of escape. One miserable wretch, who had not courage to quit the wreck, and yet dreaded to be left alone upon it, was driven by his fears to a despair bordering on phrensy : he drew forth his knife, and, bestriding the rope, threatened instant death to any person who should endeavour to AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 213 to pass. This was no moment to expostulate with a madman : he was instantly felled by a blow on the head ; and the most daring rushed forward, to attempt the ascent. Shortly afterwards, a mountainous wave rolled over the ship, and bore the wreck into deeper water, where it instantly dis- appeared ! Of one hundred and twenty souls, sixty were thus hurried into eternity in an instant. The survivors passed the remainder of that dreadful night in the cavity of a rock ; where the Captain, Officers, and seamen, lay huddled together in one heap, to avoid being frozen to death. The rain fell in torrents, and instantly congealed upon their garments. The intense cold added greater pain to the agony of their wounds ; and many were afterwards deprived of their fingers and toes, owing to the same cause. Of 214 VOV'AGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND Of th eTwccd's convoy, the whole escaped, excepting the Southampton, a very fine merchant ship, laden with provisions. The crew of the latter were saved ; but they after- wards underwent hardships, even greater than those experienced by the survivors from the wreck of the Tweed. Such are the dangers to which all vessels are liable, in navigating the coast of New- foundland. The insertion of the fore- going melancholy facts will better illustrate the truth of this observation, than a mere warning sentence, which may be more easily forgotten or overlooked. A short time after the loss of his Majesty’s ship Tweed, our Captain was appointed Surrogate for the Chief Justice of St.Johns; and one of the midshipmen was sworn in to officiate as constable or clerk. The adjustment of all cases connected with the fisheries AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 215 -fisheries is usually confided to an officer of the navy, who annually visits the out- liarbours for this purpose. The Admiral always selects the best-informed Captain for the fulfilment of this arduous service; and the Surrogate has power to levy fines under the amount of fifty or sixty pounds. We sailed therefore from St. Johns about the middle of November, upon a judiciary excursion to some of the south-eastern ports of Newfoundland. Towards the first evening after our quitting the capital, we met with his Majesty’s ship Pheasant ; and as the Captain of that ship had no specific destination, he accompanied us, for a short distance, on our voyage. The emulation displayed by these two commanders would have afforded a con- siderable 216 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND siderable source of amusement to an un- concerned spectator. Both ships were crowded with canvas, to excel each other in sailing. Such was the acute observation and inquiry of Sir Richard Keats, that every officer under his command exerted himself to the utmost, to obtain the approbation of so distinguished and able a chief. Wherever the head of a depart- ment is known to be so exceedingly vigi- lant, the inferior officers are ever attentive and diligent in the execution of their respective duties. At night-fall, we parted company from the Pheasant ; and at day-break the fol- lowing morning the Rosamond anchored in Capelin Bay, which is the next port to the southward of Cape Broyle. Stone Island, Goose Island, and Ruoy Island, lay directly in the mouth of Capelin Bay; N AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 21 ? Bay ; and there is a good channel between either of them : but there is not a sufficient depth of water for large ships between Stone Island and the main-land of Cape Broyle. A large rock, lying in the mid- channel, also contributes to render the latter an unsafe passage, even for fishing vessels. After passing the islands, Capelin Bay runs in towards the west-north-west, to a depth of nearly six miles, A ship may sail in or out, with the wind in any direction ; and the harbour is so convenient, that it has frequently been made the rendezvous for the Newfoundland trade bound under convoy to the Mediterranean . The number of excellent ports on this coast cannot be made to appear more manifest, from any circumstance, than from the few fishermen who have settled in this noble 218 VOVAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND noble bay. In some parts of the world, such a harbour would be deemed an in- valuable possession ; particularly as the heights might be easily fortified, so as to secure the place from any sudden attack. On the south side of Capelin Bay there extends a long slip of land, projecting towards the east; and from the extremity of this cape a string of small islets, or rather dry rocks, which separate this port from Ferryland Harbour. Nothing can be more deplorable than the situation of those poor Irishmen who migrate annually, in great numbers, from the mother country, to Newfoundland. In order to procure tor themselves a passage across the Atlantic, they enter into a bond with the master of a trading vessel; whereby they stipulate to pay him a certain sum as passage-money, immediately subsequent to their AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 219 their having obtained employment at St. Johns. The emigrants are compelled to find securities in Ireland, for the due observance of their agreement; and when the vessel reaches Newfoundland, they are suffered to go at large, in search of an employer. It must be allowed, that many of them are not over scrupulous in returning to fulfil their contract ; as they hope, by absenting themselves, to avoid paying their passage- money. In such cases, the master of the trading vessel publishes the names of the absentees; with an intimation, that, on a failure of appearance, their Irish securities will be sued for the amount of the debt, * costs of suit, and interest. The fear of involving their parents, or other relations, in a law process, seldom fails to draw forth the fugitives ; when their employer instantly pays down the amount of their passage- money, and places the sum to his new servant’s debit account. F rom 220 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND From this moment the unfortunate emi- grants become the vassals of their employers ; as it is but rarely that they can succeed in working out their emancipation : for the slavery of the Newfoundland fishermen, thus commenced upon their first entering the country, is perpetuated by a system of the most flagrant and shameful extortion. Every merchant, and master of a fishery, is the huckster of his whole establishment; and the servants are compelled to purchase their supplies of food, raiment, and every trifling necessary, of the person in whose service they may chance ‘to be engaged. No money passes between them ; but the account of every article that is supplied to the fishermen is entered in the books of their masters. The prices are so enormous, that the original debt due for the passage- money of the emigrants, instead of being diminished by the hardest and most faithful servitude, continues rapidly to increase. It AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 221 It is in vain that the unfortunate debtor complains of the barefaced imposition, by which he is forced to pay three times the value of the most trivial article : having no money, he cannot go elsewhere to obtain what he may want, nor can he subsist with- out the necessaries of life. Thus, then, the Newfoundland fisherman toils from day to day, with no relaxation for the present, and without the least hope for the future. His exertions, labours, and industry, serve but to swell the purse and the pride of a rapa- cious master; until death happily inter- venes, and cancels all accounts betwixt them. Those only are gainers by the fisheries who are able to employ people » on their own service, and have the means of conveying the produce of their labours to St. John's for a market. The preceding observations on the dis- tresses of the Irish fishermen have been inserted 222 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND inserted in this place, that it may not be supposed the author intended to allude to the merchants of any particular port in Newfoundland. There are doubtless many exceptions to the character here drawn of the masters of fisheries; but general fidelity of description is not to be invalidated by partial distinctions ; and those who know themselves to be superior to the extortionate rapacity of such men, will bear witness that the foregoing representation has not been ex- aggerated. The day after our arrival in Capelin Bay, our Captain proceeded in a boat to the town ot Ferry land : and as some of the Officers also entertained a wish to see the latter place, we made an excursion over land for this purpose. A pathway through the woods is the only road between the two harbours ; and this path is, in many AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 223 places, so swampy, that we journeyed with considerable difficulty. The bogs and quagmires were here and there covered with branches of trees. We noticed all v. i those kinds of trees which are peculiar to the forests of North America; such as, the fir, poplar, birch, willow, larch, alder, and spruce. Of the latter, there are many species ; and a decoction of its bark affords a wholesome beverage to the inhabitants of Newfoundland and La- brador. The young shoots and tender branches of the . spruce-tree are usually selected for this purpose, and boiled in water until the bark may be rubbed off by the hand ; the branches are then taken out, and a proportion of molasses added to the liquor. In this state it is put into an open cask, and left to cool ; when it is consi- dered fit for use. This sort of drink is not very palatable, upon a first trial ; but it is said to become more agreeable to the taste after 224 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND after a person has accustomed himself to the use of it. There is a bird very common in the woods of this country, which is called, by the settlers, “ a spruce partridge.” Its flesh is of a disagreeable bitter taste, sup- posed to be occasioned by its feeding upon the bark of the spruce-tree. In colour, shape, and size, it resembles the common partridge of England; but differs from the latter, by perching on the branches of trees, and in being so very tame as frequently to be knocked down with a pole. We shot some of these birds on our journey to Ferryland : they were exceed- ingly bitter when roasted; but when cooked as a fricasee, they lost this disagreeable qua- lity, and became perfectly well tasted and savoury. We arrived at Ferryland about ten o’clock VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND. 225 o’clock in the forenoon, and were surprised to find all the people of the place in their best attire, as if it had been the day of the Sabbath. Men, women, and children, were flocking in a body towards a large edifice upon the side of a hill. Conjecturing this to be a place of worship, we ascended with the crowd, and entered the building pell- mell with them. Here we were astonished at seeing our worthy Captain placed in a high-railed pew; by the side of a short squab man, in a green coat, with a pair of large spectacles upon his nose. On the Captain’s left hand, ten or eleven decent- looking men were huddled together in a sort of pound, with scarcely sufficient room to turn themselves. A moment’s observation convinced us, that we had en- tered the Surrogate Court of Justice ; that the people in the pound were Jurors ; and that the little man in greqn was the Magi- strate, of Ferryldnd. Q At 226 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND At the moment of our intrusion, the Court was occupied in the trial of an Irish fisherman, who, after labouring hard for five or six months, had, it appeared, been brought thither by his master, to shew cause why he should not forfeit the whole of his nominal wages, because he became intoxi- cated towards the latter end of the fishing season. The law was evidently on the master’s side ; and the Jurors were all masters themselves. The poor fellow was found guilty, in the fullest extent of the word; but the Jury were desired by the Captain to re-consider their verdict: they did so, and returned the same result. Our Captain then, as Judge, proceeded to pass sentence upon the culprit, in the following words : — “ Prisoner, you have been found “ guilty, after the most mature delibera- “ tion, of unruly and disorderly conduct. “ The law, in such a case, warrants the “ Court to cancel all your claims for wages; “ but, AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 227 '* but, in consideration of your former in- “ dustrious character, of your large family, “ and of your master having himself supplied “ the means of intoxication, you are hereby “ sentenced to be mulcted of only one half “ of your wages, as a penalty for your “ drunkenness and misconduct.” The effect produced by this righteous judgment was instantaneous : the countenances of the fishermen brightened, whilst those of the Masters fell. The former were bright- ened by the smiles of gratitude and joy : the latter bore the deeper tints of irritation and discontent. Our good Captain mani- fested the same impartiality and lenity, throughout the whole line of his judicial career; and persevered to the last in the humane system of tempering justice with mercy. It was in vain that the Masters of the Fisheries fawned, or frowned : he nei- ther suffered himself to be seduced by the q 2 treachery 228 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND treachery of the one, nor alarmed by the menaces of the other. After the whole business of the Court was concluded, he refused all solicitations to enter the houses of the opulent ; and returned in his boat, to enjoy the satisfaction which results from conscious rectitude, on board the Rosa- mond. After leaving the Surrogate Court, we strolled down the hill, and went to see the harbour of Ferryland. The inner part of this port is as secure from all winds and waves as a bason or dock ; and it is therefore called, by the inhabitants, “ The Pool. ’ r lhe mouth of Ferryland harbour is narrow, but not dangerous: the tides rise three, four, and sometimes five feet; and this is the case all along the south-east coast of Newfoundland. There is a suffi- cient depth of water in Ferryland harbour for AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 229 for the reception of large merchant vessels; and even ships of war hflve wintered in the Poo l*. It has been already observed, that New- foundland was first colonized by Sir George Calvert, Secretary of State to James the First and in Whitbourne's Discovery there are three letters from the first set- tlers, Captains Edward Wynne and Daniel Powell. Wynne was appointed Governor of the colony at Ferryland; and Powell esta- blished himself at a bay to the southward, called Aquqfort. It is evident, by their letters, that these men were either fools or knaves; that they were either misled by a false judgment in their favourable accounts of Newfoundland, or that they purposely wrote a deceptive description of the country to deceive their patron. Ferryland * His Majesty’s ship Hazard lay in Ferryland Pool during the whole winter of 1812. f See page 38, Chapter II. 230 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND Fcrryland was the first place in Newfound- land which could boast of permanent inha- bitants from Europe, and the beauties of the place have been thus glowingly pourtrayed by Captain Wynne : — “ We haue Wheat, Barly, Oates and “ Beanes both eared and codded, We “ haue also a plentifull Kitchen- Garden of “ many things, and so ranke, that I haue not seene the like in England. Pup “ Beanes are exceeding good : our Pease “ shall goe without compare ; for they are “ in some places as high as a man of an extraordinary stature : Raddish as big as “ mine arrnc: Lettice, Cale or Cabbedge, “ Turneps, Carrets and all the rest is of ‘f like goodnesse. We haue a Medow of “about three Acres; it flourished lately “ with many cockes of good hay, and is t‘ now made vp for a Winter feeding. “ touching this Countrey, the Summer- “ time AND TUP: COAST OF LABRADOR. 231 “ time heere is so faire, so warme, and of “ so good a temperature, that it produceth “ many herbes and plants very wholesome, “ medicinable and delectable, many fruit “ trees of sundry kinds, many sorts of “ Berries wholesome to eate, and in mea- “ sure most abundant; in so much as many “ sorts of birds and beasts are relieued “ with them in time of Winter, and where- “ of with further experience I truste to “ finde some for the turne of Dyers.” — “ Our high leuels of Land are adorned “ with Woods, both faire and seemely to “ behold, and greenc all Winter. Within *« Land there are Plaines innumerable, many “ of them containing many thousand Acres, “ very pleasant to see to, and well fur- “ nished with Ponds, Brookes, and Riuers, “ very plentifull of sundry sorts of fish, “ besides store of Deere, and other beasts “ that yeeld both food and furrc. Touch- “ ing the soyle, I finde it in many places, 232 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND “ of goodnesse farre beyond my expecta- “ tion : the earth as good as can be : the *' grasse both fat and vnctious*.” Had the foregoing letter been dated from some one of the most fertile provinces in France or Italy, we might not have sup- posed the writer to be guilty of exaggera- tion. But his description is both fallacious and absurd, as applied to the bleak and ste- rile coast of Newfoundland. We found, indeed, that the original colony of Ferry- land had increased in size to the level of a large and respectable English village ; but the soil around the place was slaty, and destitute of all vegetation. At a short di- stance from Ferry land arise lofty mountains, composed of argillaceous schistus, which are bare, even to their summits. Beyond these, the woods, swamps, and quagmires of the * See Letter of Captain Edward Wynne to the Right Honourable Sir George Calvert , in Whitbournt i “ Discovrse and Discovery of Newfoundland ” interior AMD THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 233 interior are found to commence and con- tinue. Captain Wynne could only have been induced to make such a shameful mis- statement of facts, in the prospect of some immediate object of aggrandizement or gain. He must naturally have concluded that Sir George Calvert would seek a con- firmati m of his agent’s accounts from persons who had also visited Newfound- land. The following passage in Wynnes letter evidently proves that he felt some apprehensions of being detected in his imposture. “ The Vines that came from Plinimouth, “ doe prosper very well: nay, it is to be “ assured, that any thing that growes in “ England, will grow and prosper very “ well here: whereby it plainely appeares ** vnto your Honour, what manner of “ Countrey 234 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND “ Countrey the same is. Therefore it may “ please you to giue credit vnto no man that “ shall seeme to vrge the contrary. And for “ my part, seeing that by the prouidence “ of God and your Honours meere fauour “ towards me, this imployment is falne to “ my lot, I trust that neither Gods grace in “ me, nor the experience that I haue gained “ by the trauels of my youth, will suffer “ me to wrong your Honour. Farre be it “ from mec to goe about to betray you and “ my Countrey, as others haue done that “ have beene imployed in the like trust.” — ** I trust also, that what I haue vndertaken “ either by word or writing, will bee found “ the Characters of a true and zealous “ minde, wholy deuoted vnto your Honours “ seruice, the good of my poore distressed “ Countrimen, and to the aduancement of “ Gods glory.” Had this man been perfectly at ease, respecting ANT) THE COAST OK LABRADOR. 235 respecting the rectitude of his principles, and the accuracy of his reports, he would have been less solicitous in thus fencing the truth of his statement with specious assurances. Observing very little else worth notjce in Ferryland, we returned on board in the evening; and the following morning the Rosamond sailed from Capelin Bay. On leaving this port, the coast towards the south appears to be split into a number of deep cracks ; the fissures of which form a line of noble harbours, extending ^he whole distance from Cape Race to Ferryland Head. Amongst the most conspicuous of these, we may enumerate Renoivcs, Fcrmowes, and Aquafort. Towards the north of Capelin Bay rises the majestic promontory of Cape Broyle ; and farther on, the coast exhibits a flat wall of rock, until, again trending inwards, it 236 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND it forms Witless Bay, where there lies a dangerous ledge of sunken rocks. The course from Cape Broyle to the south head of the Bay of Bulls is exactly north- north-east half east\ and the distance is about five leagues. There are a few small islands lying along-shore between those two places, the most considerable of which are, Foxes, Gull, and Green islands. We anchored in the Bay of Bulls on the morning subsequent to our leaving Capelin Bay ; and our Captain immediately went on shore, to hold a Surrogate Court for the administration of justice. The distance between the two promon- tories forming the Bay of Bulls is not more than a mile and a quarter, or thereabouts ; and from those capes the bay runs in, west- north-west, for nearly two miles. On the north AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 237 north side there is a projection of land, called Bread and Cheese Point, with a sunken rock lying off, at the distance of three hundred and sixty-five yards. Every other part of the port is perfectly free from obstruction or danger. A ship of war, entering the Bay of Bulls, should anchor a little within the Bread and Cheese Point, where she will find fourteen or fifteen fathoms’ water; but merchant vessels anchor higher up the bay, towards the river’s mouth, in from five to six fathoms water. Ships of war ride with about three points of the compass open towards the sea ; but merchantmen lie with only one point exposed. In 1 762, the French made a descent from the Bay of Bulls. They were commanded by Monsieur De Ternay , and rapidly made themselves masters of St. John s, the capital of the island. But the invaders were quickly 238 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND quickly compelled to evacuate their con- quest, by an inferior naval and military force commanded by Lord Colville and Colonel Amherst. Th t fishing establishments in this bay can hardly be said to merit the title of a town, although they be superior to the generality of Newfoundland villages, in cleanliness, order, and regularity. There is here a decent hall for the reception of the Surro- gate Court ; and many of the houses are neat and commodious ; but they are all built of wood, and weather-boarded. On the north side of the bay, several wooden quays project into the water; and many light merchant vessels were busily em- ployed alongside of them. Ships bound from hence to Europe, take on board about half their cargo at the quays, when they are compelled by the shoalness of the water to haul out farther into the bay, and AND THE COAST OP LABRADOR. 239 and the remaining part of their burthen is conveyed on board by large boats. The day after our arrival at the Bay of Bulls, the author, accompanied by a few of his brother officers, proceeded upon a shooting excursion into the country. After roaming for a considerable distance through woods and by the shores of small lakes, we came at length to an open swampy plain covered with furze and prickly shrubs. Here we found the partridges so numerous, that we each shot five or six brace, without the aid of dogs. Towards evening we returned to the ship, completely exhausted by our long ramble through the woods and morasses of the interior. The following morning we sailed from the Bay of Bulls, with a slight breeze at the south-east: and our Captain being very anxious to get back again to St. John's, we ran in, and anchored there at midnight. 240 VdYAOfi Tb NEWroUNDLANb CHAP. X. FROM ST. JOHN’S TO ENGLAND. Anxiety of ilie Crew — Preparations for sailing — Custom respecting Passengers — Desultory Observations — Sail from St. John’s — Part from the Admiral — Dispositions for Defence — Storm — Part from the Convoy — Colonel Grant — Finesse of a Frenchman — Prize — Anchor at Spithead. It was now the beginning of December, and winter began to set in with great rigour. The anxiety of our officers and seamen to return to England was augment- ing daily ; and their apprehensions had been much excited, by a report of the Rosamond's having been selected by the Admiral to lie at an out-harbour until the following spring. In fact, Sir Richard Keats had such a measure in contemplation; AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 241 as he very justly thought it necessary to station a respectable naval force for the protection of the island, in consequence of the boldness displayed by some of the American squadrons. His Majesty’s frigate the Crescent was therefore ordered to winter in St. Johns Harbour ; his Ma- jesty’s ship Pheasant, at Ferryland; and our ship was to have been sent for the same purpose to Placentia ; but, in conse- quence of some severe domestic calamities having occurred in the family of our worthy Captain, the Admiral kindly con- sented that we should return with him to England, provided any other man of war could be found to supply the place of the Rosamond. Day succeeded day, and no other vessel arrived : and as the Admiral’s convoy was now nearly ready for departure, we began to give up all hope of leaving the country ; r when. 242 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND when, to our great joy, we were awakened one night by the firing of guns at the har- bour’s mouth. We all conjectured that a fresh ship had arrived from j England, to succeed the Rosamond : nor were we dis- appointed ; the reports were found to pro- ceed from the guns of his Majesty’s ship Prometheus; and on the following morn- ing we began, with great alacrity, to pre- pare for leaving the island of Newfound- land. It surprised us much, that although we had never previously received much atten- tion from the Merchants of St. John's , yet it was no sooner publickly announced that the Rosamond was bound for England, than cards of invitation showered upon our officers from all directions. The mystery was however speedily explained. Some of us visited a few tea-parties, where we were immediately assailed by a hundred applications AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 243 applications from persons who wished for a conveyance in our ship across the Atlantic. Not feeling particularly grateful for the hospitality which had originated in such interested motives, we came to a resolution, neither to enter their houses, nor to receive any of them on board as passengers. We were however afterwards given to under- stand, that the practice of granting the - Newfoundland merchants a passage in King’s ships, during war, had grown, from habit, into a sort of established custom ; and we therefore submitted to the recep- tion of six or seven interlopers of this kind, to avoid the imputation of an affected sin- gularity. The foregoing description of Newfound- land will be concluded by a few desultory observations, that have been omitted in their proper places. r 2 A Committee 244 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND A Committee of Merchants at St. John's regulates the affairs of commerce, and makes application to the Admiral for the appointment of convoys when they are required. While we lay there in the Rosa- mond, the President of this Committee was an Irishman of low origin, who had been a serjeant in the rebel army at the battle of Vinegar Hill. Thereis a public Reading-room in St.Johns, to which any subscriber may introduce the non-resident officers of the army or navy, who from thenceforth are considered as ho- norary members of the Society. The whole of the English Daily Papers, the St. Johns Gazette, and most of the British Monthly r Publications, are here to be met with. There is but little religion in the capital of Neufoundland ; but the inhabitants pro- fess to belong either to the Protestant or to the AND THE COAST OF LABRADOR. 245 the Catholic Church. There is a Church for the use of the former, and a Chapel for those of the latter persuasion. The coin of Great Britain and the Spa- nish dollar are current in Newfoundland , ; but there is such a deficiency of specie, that almost every merchant issues notes in lieu of cash. This paper currency is the prin- cipal circulating medium of the country; and the notes are from five pounds to five shillings in value. The enormous gains of the Neivfoundland merchants has been already noticed ; and the following anecdote may serve as an illustration of the fact. During the time of our stay in this country, a merchant of considerable respectablity confessed to the author, that he should clear 2000 1. by the produce of the fshing-season ! — This asser- tion, of course, excited much surprise ; but 246 VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND but the merchant undertook, without the least hesitation, to point out the sources whence such extraordinary profits were derived. First. — The coJ-fish and oil procured by his own fishermen. Secondly. — The great profit on co