NEWFOUNDLAND ISLAND.

NEWFOUNDLAND

EWFOUNDLAND is fituated to the east of the gulf of St. Lawrence, between forty-fix and fifty-two degrees of north latitude, and between fifty-three and fifty-nine degrees weft longitude, separated from Labrador, or New-Britain, by the ftraits of Belleifle; and from Canada, by the bay of St. Lawrence; being five hundred and fifty miles long and two hundred broad. The coafts are extremely subject to fogs, attended with almost continual ftorms of fnow and fleet, the fky being ufually overcaft. From the foil of this ifland the British reap no great advantage, for the cold is long continued and severe ; and the fummer heat, though violent, warms it not enough to produce any thing valuable; for the foil, at leaft in thofe parts of the island which have been explored, is rocky and barren; however, it is wa tered by feveral good rivers, and has many large and good harbours. This ifland, whenever the continent fhall come to fail of timber convenient to navigation, which on the fea coaft perhaps will be at no very remote period, it is faid, will afford a large fupply for mafts, yards, and all forts of lumber for the Weft-India trade. But what at prefent it is chiefly valuable for, is the great fishery of cod carried on upon those fhoals, which are called the banks of Newfoundland. Great-Britain and North-America, at the loweft computation, annually employ three thousand fail of finall craft in this fishery; on board of which, and on fhore to cure and pack the fifh, are upwards of one hundred thoufand hands; fo that this fishery is not only a very valuable branch of trade to the merchant, but a fource of livelihood to fo many thoufands of poor people, and a moft excellent nursery for teamen. This fishery is computed to increase the national stock three hundred thousand pounds a year in gold and filver, remitted for the cod fold in the north, in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the Levant. The plenty of cod, both on the great bank and the lesser ones, which lie to the eaft and fouth-east of this ifland, is inconceiveable; and not only cod, but feveral other fpecies of fish, are caught there in abunall of which are nearly in an equal plenty along the fhores of New

dance;

Newfoundland, Nova-Scotia, New-England, and the isle of cape Breton; and very profitable fisheries are carried on upon all their coafts.

This ifland, after various difputes about the property, was entirely ceded to England by the treaty of Utrecht, in 1713; but the French were left at liberty to dry their nets on the northern fhores of the island; and by the treaty of 1763, they were permitted to fish in the gulf of St. Lawrence, but with this limitation, that they should not approach within three leagues of any of the coafts belonging to England. The fmall islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, fituated to the fouthward of Newfoundland, were alfo ceded to the French, who stipulated to erect no fortifications on these islands, nor to keep more than fifty foldiers to enforce the police. By the laft treaty of peace, the French are to enjoy the fisheries on the north and on the west coasts of the island; and the inhabitants of the United States are allowed the fame privileges in fishing as before their independence. The chief towns in Newfoundland are, Placentia, Bonavifta, and St. John's: but not above one thousand families remain here in winter. A small squadron of men of war are sent out every spring to protect the fisheries and inhabitants, the admiral of which, for the time being, is governor of the island, befides whom there are two lieutenant-governors, one at Placentia, and the other at St. John's,

GENERAL

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

OF

GREENLAN D.

GREENLAND is a general name by which is now denoted the

moft eafterly parts of America, ftretching towards the north-pole, and likewife fome iflands northward of the continent of Europe, lying in very high latitudes. The whole of this country was formerly defcribed as belonging to Europe, but from its contiguity to, and probable union with the American continent, it appears most proper to be claffed among the countries belonging to the latter; we therefore have followed Mr. Morfe, and placed it among the divifions of NorthAmerica.—It is divided into two parts, viz. West and East Greenland, of each we shall here give a defcription from the best authorities extant.

WEST GREENLAND.

THIS country is now laid down, in our latest maps, as part of the

continent of America, though on what authority is not very clear.*

but

That

* Whether Greenland is an ifland, has not yet been decided, as no fhip has penetrated higher than the seventy-eighth degree, on account of the ice. That it is not an island, ง part of the American continent, is rendered probable; Ift. Because Davis' ftraits, or rather Baffin's bay, grows narrower and narrower towards the feventy-eighth degree north-2d. Because the coaft, which in other places is very high towards the fea, grows lower and lower northward.-3d. Because the tide, which at cape Farewell, and as far up as Cockin's found, in the fixty-fifth degree of latitude, rifes eighteen feet at the new and full moon, decreases to the northward of Disko, so that in the feventieth degree of latitude

That part of it which the Europeans have any knowledge of is bounded on the weft by Baffin's bay, on the fouth by Davis' ftraits, and on the east by the northern part of the Atlantic ocean. It is a very mountainous country, and fome parts of it fo high that they may be difcerned thirty leagues off at fea. The inland mountains, hills, and rocks, are covered with perpetual fnow; but the low lands on the feafide are cloathed with verdure in the fummer feafon. The coaft abounds with inlets, bays, and large rivers; and is furrounded with a vast number of iflands of different dimenfions. In a great many places, however, on the eaftern coaft efpecially, the fhore is inacceffible by reafon of the floating mountains of ice. The principal river, called Baal, falls into the fea in the fixty-fourth degree of latitude, where the firft Danish lodge was built in 1721; and has been navigated above forty miles up the country.

Weft Greenland was firft peopled by Europeans in the eighth century. At that time a company of Icelanders, headed by one Ericke Rande, were by accident driven on the coaft. On his return he reprefented the country in such a favourable light, that some families again followed him thither, where they foon became a thriving colony, and bestowed on their new habitation the name of Groenland, or Greenland, on account of its verdant appearance. This colony was converted to Christianity by a miffionary from Norway, fent thither by the celebrated Olaf, the first Norwegian monarch who embraced the Chriftian religion. The Greenland fettlement continued to increase and thrive under his protection; and in a little time the country was provided with many towns, churches, convents, bifhops, &c. under the jurifdiction of the archbishop of Drontheim. A confiderable commerce was carried on between Greenland and Norway; and a regular intercourse maintained between the two countries till the year 1406, when the last bishop was fent over. From that time all corref pondence was cut off, and all knowledge of Greenland has been buried in oblivion.

latitude it rifes little more than eight feet, and probably continues to diminish, till there is no tide at all.To which may be added the relation of the Greenlanders, which however cannot be much depended on, viz. that the ftrait contracts itself so narrow at laft, that they can go on the ice fo near to the other fide as to be able to call to the inhabitants, and that they can strike a fish on both fides at once; but that there runs fuch a strong current from the north into the futait, that they cannot pass it.

Ellis' voyage to Hudfon's bay for the discovery of a north-west passage.

3

This

This strange and abrupt ceffation of trade and intercourfe has been attributed to various caufes; but the most probable is the following: The colony, from its first settlement, had been haraffed by the natives, a barbarous and favage people; agreeing in customs, garb, and appearance, with the Esquimaux found about Hudfon's bay. This nation, called Schrellings, at length prevailed against the Iceland fettlers who inhabited the western diftrict, and exterminated them in the fourteenth century: infomuch, that when their brethren of the eaftern diftrict came to their affiftance, they found nothing alive but fome cattle and flocks of theep running wild about the country. Perhaps they themselves afterwards experienced the fame fate, and were totally deftroyed by thefe Schrellings, whofe defcendants ftill inhabit the western parts of Greenland, and from tradition confirm this conjeture. They affirm that the houses and villages, whofe ruins ftill appear, were inhabited by a nation of strangers, whom their ancestors deftroyed. There are reafons, however, for believing that there may be ftill fome defcendants of the ancient Iceland colony remaining in the eastern district, though they cannot be vifited by land, on account of the ftupendous mountains, perpetually covered with fnow, which divide the two parts of Greenland; while they have been rendered inacceffible by fea, by the vast quantity of ice driven from Spitzbergen, or Eaft Greenland. One would imagine that there must have been fome confiderable alteration in the northern parts of the world fince the fifteenth century, fo that the coaft of Greenland is now become almoft totally inacceffible, though formerly vifited with very little difficulty. It is alfo natural to afk, by what means the people of the eastern colony furmounted the above-mentioned obstacles when they went to the affiftance of their western friends; how they returned to their own country; and in what manner hiftorians learned the fuccefs of their expedition? Concerning all this we have very little fatiffactory information. All that can be learned from the most authentic records is, that Greenland was divided into two districts, called WeftBygd and Eaft-Bygd: that the western divifion contained four parishes and one hundred villages: that the eastern diftrict was ftill more flourishing, as being nearer to Iceland, fooner fettled, and more frequented by flipping from Norway. There are alfo many accounts, though most of them romantic and flightly attefted, which render it probable that part of the eastern colony ftill fubfifts, who, at fome time or other, may have given the imperfect relation above mentioned. This colony, in ancient times, certainly comprehended twelve extenVOL. IV.

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