170 NEWFOUNDLAND.

The New England colonies, in return, resorted to all the means in their power to distress Britain in her American concerns ; and for this purpose strictly prohibited the supplying of the British fishery on the banks of Newfoundland with any provisions what- soever.

This was a proceeding wholly unexpected in Eng— land. The ships fitted out for that fishery, on arriving at Newfoundland, found their operations arrested for want of provisions; and not only the crews of the ships, but those who were settled in the harbours, were in imminent danger of perishing by famine. Instead of prosecuting the fishing busi- ness they came on, the ships were constrained to make the best of their way to England and other places for provisions.

In addition to this obstruction to the fisheries, natural causes co-operated. During the fishing season, a storm, more terrible than was ever known in these latitudes, arose, attended with circumstances unusu- ally dreadful and destructive. The sea, according to various accounts, rose from twenty to thirty feet

Brought forward, - L.844,000 37,000 trails salmon, at 405. - - - - 74,000 1,000 barrels herrings, at 15s. - - - - 750 5,000 seal-skins, at 4s. - - - - - 1,000 3,300 tons oil, at L28, - - - - - 92,400 2,000 small boats, at L3, - - - - - 6,000 Goods remaining in stores, - - - - 300,000

Value of property invested in this trade, - L-1,318:150