The Story of NewfoundlandBirkenhead, Frederick Edwin Smith, Earl of
History
The Story of Newfoundland
Birkenhead, Frederick Edwin Smith, Earl of
America -- Discovery and exploration -- British; Newfoundland and Labrador -- History
After the colonization of Virginia and Maine had begun, Sir John
Popham, who had done much to set on foot the schemes relative to these
American settlements, recollecting the attempts that had been made to
colonize Newfoundland, suggested to the merchant adventurers of
Bristol that they should make new efforts to establish colonies on the
island. The King's support having been promised, funds were raised,
and a royal charter was granted to a company on April 27th, 1610,
designated "The Treasurer and the Company of Adventurers and Planters
of the City of London and Bristol for the Colony or Plantations in
Newfoundland." London and the West of England were thus associated, as
they had been in the Virginian Company of 1606. There were forty-six
members, including the Earl of Northampton, Sir Francis Bacon, Thomas
Aldworth, Mayor of Bristol, John Guy and Philip Guy of Bristol; and
the territory granted to them comprised the lands from Cape St. Mary
to Cape Bonavista. The same year John Guy, the first Governor, led out
the first colony to Newfoundland, landed at Conception Bay, and
selected for his capital Cuper's Cove (Port de Grave). Guy and his
companions then built a fort, a dwelling-house, a workshop, and a
boat, sowed corn, and made preparations for the winter. Next fishing
ordinances were issued by the Governor. "That struck the first note of
a conflict which was to last for 150 years, and of which the echoes
may yet be heard. The fishermen, merchants, and seamen who flocked to
the coast for the fishing season vehemently resented anything which
might seem to threaten their turbulent lawlessness, and the great
merchants in England, who were profiting by the fisheries, were
jealous lest the planters should in some way interfere with their
operations; but, for a time, the planters had sufficient influence
through the patentees in England to maintain themselves."[24] After a
sojourn of six summers--though only three winters--in Newfoundland,
Guy returned to Bristol, and spent the remainder of his life there in
his aldermanic dignity.
He was succeeded (1615) in the Governorship by Captain John Mason who,
together with Sir Ferdinando Gorges, founded New Hampshire and Maine.
Mason stayed six years in the island; he explored it, prepared a map
of it, encouraged the growth of corn successfully, and with less
success endeavoured to establish commercial intercourse with the Red
Indians.
In 1618 appeared the "Briefe discourse of the New-found-land by
Captain John Mason." After a discerning account of the attractions of
his theme, the writer concludes:
"I might hear further discourse of our discoveries ... but these may
suffice as _verbum sapienti_; being of sufficient trueth to remouve
errours ... also to take away malicious and scandelous speeches of
maligne persons, who out of envy to God and good actions (instructed
by their father the Devill) have sought to despoil it of the dewe and
blamish the good name thereof."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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