Addenda: December 1692 | British History Online

Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 17, 1699 and Addenda 1621-1698. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1908.

'Addenda: December 1692', in Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 17, 1699 and Addenda 1621-1698, (London, 1908) pp. 628-629. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/colonial/america-west-indies/vol17/pp628-629 [accessed 22 April 2024]

December 1690



Dec. 15. Admiralty.	1,293. Secretary of the Admiralty to William Blathwayt. Forwarding a report by Captain Crawley, of H.M.S. Reserve, upon Newfoundland. Signed, J. Sotherne. ½ p. Annexed,
	1,293. I. Answers to articles of enquiry from the Lords of Trade and Plantations. (1) The number of English planters, all included, is 1,560. They depend wholly on fishing in summer and getting firewood and building their houses in winter. (2) The Colony depends on provisions imported from the British Isles and New England. (3) There is wood enough to supply the fishing-trade in all the convenient harbours for time to come out of mind. The inhabitants do not damage the materials left behind by the Adventurers. (4) The inhabitants use only their own stages, and only occupy the places of the Adventurers if the Adventurers come not. (5) The boat-keepers do not destroy the Adventurers' stages, but the masters of the ships take them down and store them. (6) The boat-keepers have all their fishing craft from old England, and nowhere else, but their provisions from England, Ireland, and New England. (7) There is no possibility of living six miles from the coast, by reason of the timber and rocks and want of arable land. The Southern part of the country takes no beaver nor furs. A small unknown quantity is taken at Trinity and Bonavista. (8) The trade from New England is provisions, sugar and molasses, with which they purchase refuse-fish for the Caribbees. No wine or brandy is imported; they are not debauched with rum; but fishing night and day they want liquor to enliven them against the cold. (9) The inhabitants have caught 95,900 quintals of fish. They employ 74 boats and 1,012 servants. They cannot afford fish so cheap as the Adventurers, the latter having an advantage of 30 or 40 per cent.; yet the inhabitants sell at the same rate as the Adventurers. (10) There is no fishing trade from New England on this coast. It is said that the fishing trade in New England decays owing to French privateers. (11) There have been no fishing ships from England since the war, and all fish taken has been taken (with few exceptions) by the planters. (12) About fifty-three sack ships have sailed for Spanish and Portuguese ports with fish, and eight for British ports with train. There are 218 stages, which are yearly repaired by the inhabitants. (13) No men have been left behind in the country since the war, for there have been no ships. (14) No known part of the Western Charter is violated except the rinding of trees, which is done by all alike including the Adventurers. (15) The French trade for furs, catch fish by Adventurers and inhabitants, and in all things do as we do. (16) There is said to be a fort and families in Placentia, but I cannot say what encouragement is given to planting. (17) The French planters lade ships with fish, and in the winter cut firing and repair their houses; they have a governor and about 150 soldiers. (18) We cannot ascertain what quantity of fish they catch, nor their rates and prices. (19) They come to the Coast five weeks sooner than we, and leave it a month earlier for Marseilles, Genoa and Leghorn. (20) The French trade has decreased since the war. (21) I cannot ascertain what forts the French have. (22) There is no commerce of the English with the French, nor do any English live among the French. (23) No foreigners fish on the Eastern coast. (24) I met no ships on the Bank nor on the coast adjoining, nor can hear any account of any. (25) The French can be disturbed only by force of arms. (26) No nations but the English and French have commerce with Newfoundland. (27) I can obtain no further particulars at present. 3 pp.
	1,293. II. Table of the harbours in Newfoundland with the distances between them. 1 p.
	1,293. III. Table of the inhabitants of Newfoundland, the quantity of fish and train made by them, and the ports to which the produce is exported. 2 pp. [Colonial Papers, Vol. LXVI, Nos. 94, 94 I.–III.]