Roma at Three Rivers vo

of land in proportion to the number of shallops which they should employ in the fisheries.

Of the partners in the Company Jean Pierre Roma, who was appointed Director and undertook the work with energy, was the only one who inter- preted the conditions of the grant literally and tried to fulfil them. From the very first a divergence of views appeared between him and his confréres. They were interested only in the profits of the fishery and quite indifferent to their country’s welfare or to the welfare of the colony. Consequently, when they ex- perienced the losses and disappointments incident to the founding of any such establishment, annoyed that the enterprise did not net 100 per cent the first year, they withheld any further support and laid all blame at the door of Roma, who had taken up his residence on Brudenell Point, Three Rivers, and was striving manfully, if not modestly, to lay the founda- tion of a permanent establishment and a thriving colony.

That Roma was impatient of control and resent- ful of criticism is readily admitted; but a careful examination of his voluminous correspondence and shrill defence forces one to conclude that he was in deadly earnest, and that with reasonable support he would have achieved a marked success. In the opinion of de Pensens, of St. Ovide, and of others on the spot, his was of all companies the most likely to succeed. Furthermore, he was the driving power of the Com- pany and ultimately came to be sole proprietor after the purchase of the interests of his partners, and as