Another jurisdiction was given to the fishing admirals by this act: by sect. 14 they were to see the rules and orders contained in that act concerning the regulation of the fishery duly put in execution; and this was given them, as the act expresses it, _to preserve peace and good government among the_ SEAMEN _and_ FISHERMEN, _as well in their respective harbours, as on the shore_. This was a sort of police invested in them, which might be considered as partaking both of a civil and criminal authority. But this also, like the former, was limited as to the persons; no authority was given that could be exercised over the merchants and adventurers, who seem to be considered by this act as persons who might have right done them; but against whom it was not necessary to do any justice whatsoever—for, by the rules and orders of this act, the fishing admirals would be obliged to see they had ships-room; and their seamen and fishermen would be kept quiet and under controul; but if these adventurers had taken possession of any _fishing rooms, stages, flakes, or other conveniency for the fishery_, the admirals had no jurisdiction to call them to account, and to make restitution to the right owner, their jurisdiction in that particular being confined to the _masters of fishing ships, inhabitants, and bye boat-keepers_. The merchants and adventurers being therefore subjected by this act to no controul or authority whatsoever, when they begun to settle, and to have mercantile dealings, to a great amount, they had nothing to do but to take the law into their own hands; and having possessed themselves of plantations or fish, or any thing else, in payment of debts, real or pretended, there subsisted, under this act, no power whatsoever to call them to account; and it was, no doubt, for this reason, that the merchants have so constantly adhered to the support of this act, declaring that a free fishery, conducted under the policy of this act, was all they wanted, and complaining that every regulation made since that act has invariably operated to injure the trade and fishery. It was indeed the policy of this country to support a free fishery there, for ships going from hence, and to prevent settlement. So far the views of the government and the interest of the merchants concurred; but the application of this principle had the effect of leaving the island to the mercy of the adventurers, who found it their interest at length even to promote _settlement_ to a certain degree; contrary to their own declarations, and to the policy of stat. 10 & 11 Will. 3.; for no part of which they seem to have had any value, but the feeble judicature and police it gave the island; in consequence of which, they saw the whole fishery abandoned to their sole will and pleasure.