Tlie early history of Newfoundland is involved in obscurity. It was discovered June 24, 1497, in the reign of Henry VII, by John Cabot ; and the event is noticed by the following entry in the accounts of the privy-purse expenditure: '•1497, Aug. 10. To hym ihat found the New Isle, £10." It was visited by the Portuguese navigator, Caspar de Cortereal, in 1500; and witiiin two years after that time regular fisheries had been established on its shores by the Portuguese,
NEWFOUNDLAND
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Biscaj'ans, and French. In 1578, 400 vessels, of which 50 were English, were engaged in the fishery. Sir Humphrey Gilbert, with liis ill-fated expedition, ar- rived in St. John's harbor in August, 1583, and formallj' took possession of the island in the name of queen Eliz- abeth. In the return voyage the expedition was scat- tered bj^ a storm, and the commander lost. In 1621 Sir George Calvert (afterwards lord Baltimore) settled in the great peninsula in the south-east, and named it the Province of Avalon. The history of the island during the 17th and part of the 18th centuries is little more than a record of rivalries and feuds between the English and French fishermen; but by the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) the island was ceded wholly to England, the French, however, retaining the privilege of fishing and dr3'ing their fish on certain portions of the coast. A governor was appointed in 1728. The present form of government, established in 1855, consists of the gover- nor, a legislative council (appointed by the crown), and a general assembly (elected by the people). The coast of Labrador on the mainland, and the island of Anti- costi, have been included since 1809 within the juris- diction of the governor of Newfoundland. The question of annexation to Canada is now greatly agitated in the British dominions in America, but it is very doubtful whether the Newfoundlanders will yield their indepen- dence. The probability is that this island will soon be- come an important commercial centre. There is some prospect of a railroad connection Avith the United States to facilitate travel to Europe, shortening the ocean voy- age by four days. If accomplished, the social coloring of tliis now but sparsely settled comitry Avill change considerabh'. There are as yet no railroads in the isl- and, and its peculiar configuration renders even road- making a matter of great difUculty. There are no roads across the island ; they are confined chiefly to the south- eastern and south-western seaboard. There is fort- nightly communication in summer between St. John's and Halifax by steamer. On the colony, and connected with it, 400 miles of lines of telegraph have been con- structed, 50 miles of which, from Cape Bay to Cape Breton, are submarine.
The aborigines of Newfoundland, who called them- selves Beoths, and painted themselves with red ochre, whence thej- were called Red Indians, are supposed to have become extinct. There are a few Micmac Indians who came there from New Brunswick, and were mainly instrumental in extirpating the Beoths. The present in- habitants of Newfoundland, therefore, are mainly Euro- peans, and principally from England and Ireland. Those from the last-named country predominate to such an extent as to stamp the island with their own especial mark. " Unlike their countrymen in the United States, who, in the course of two or three generations, lose their accent, religion, improvidence, and all other national traits, and become assimilated by the predominant popu- lation into Americans, the Irish here, having been long almost a majority of the entire population, perpetuate all their peculiar characteristics, and even, to some ex- tent, impregnate the rest of the population with them. Thus the Newfoundland accent is a distinctly Irish one, tliough those who betray it may have no Irish blood in their veins, and never have been in Ireland in their lives. All along the coast the little huts erected near the fishing-stages for the fishermen to live in in sum- mer time have a strong family resemblance to those of the poorer peasantry in the 'ould country ;' and there is a sort of general air of slovenliness which the Celtic race seems to have a specialty for imparting to any community in which they preponderate." The signs and tokens, moreover, of Koman Catholics constituting the prevailing religionists of tlie island are apparent in many respects. Here, as elsewhere, it is the pecnliar- ity of Romanism that, while its adherents seem poverty- stricken, the Church is rolling in wealth. The Roman Catholic cathedral is by far the most imposing structure in the city of St. John, the principal place of the island,
and is the first object that strikes the ej^e on entering the harbor. Besides the cathedral and college, there are upwards of fifty churches and chapels, and no fewer than twelve convents, in that town. On all the island there were in 1874 04,486 Roman Catholics to 59,005 Episcopalians, 35,551 Wesleyan Methodists, and 1813 of other sects, such as the Baptists, Presbyterians, etc. Newfoundland contains two Romish bishoprics, St. John's and Harbor Grace, two Wesleyan superinten- dencies, and an Episcopal bishopric, with a bishop and a coadjutor. The number of places of worship in 1869 was 188, viz. Episcopalian, 81; Roman Catholic, 59; Wesleyan, 42 ; other, 6. For school purposes the island is divided into districts, and in each a board of educa- tion, consisting of Romanists for the Catholic schools, and another, consisting of Protestants, for the Protes- tant schools, is appointed by the governor in council. These boards have the general management of the schools in their respective districts, subject to the ap- proval of the governor in council. The governor, with the advice of the council, also appoints a Roman Catliolic and a Protestant superintendent to inspect the schools, and report on their condition. The sum of £750 (£400 for Protestants and £350 for Catholics) is appropriated annually for the training of teachers. Two scholars from each electoral district are entitled to £25 each for their board, lodging, and tuition in one of the academies or higher schools of the island. The money appropri- ated by the Legislature for educational purposes has hitherto been divided between the Protestants and Catholics in proportion to their numbers ; the act of April 29, 1874, provides for a further division among the various Protestant sects. This act did not go into effect until July 1, 1875, after a census had been taken, upon which and subsequent decennial censuses the de- nominational appropriations are to be based. It in- creases the number of inspectors to three. In the schools under government control a small tuition fee is required of pupils able to pay. Besides those estab- lished by the governmental boards, the schools of the Colonial Church and School Societj- (an English associ- ation under the auspices of the Established Church), and several established and controlled by the different religious denominations, receive aid from the govern- ment. The amount expended for educational purposes in 1872 was £14,852; in 1873, £15,316. The num- ber of schools in operation in 1874 was 293, with a total attendance of 13,597 pupils, of which 157, with 7805 pupils, were Protestant, and 136, witli 5792 pupils, Roman Catholic. Besides these there are grannnar- schools at Harbor Grace and Carbonear; an Episcopal, a Wesle3'an Blethodist, and a general Protestant acad- emy at St. John's; and at the same place an Episcopal theological institute and St. Bonaventure College (Ro- man Catliolic). See Blachwood's Mar/azine, July, 1873, art. iv; Anderson, Hist, of the Colonial Church (see In- dex in vol. iii); St. John, Catechism of the History of NeirfornvUand (1855) ; Anspach, Ilisi. of NeufonmUand (Lond. 1819) ; Pcdley, Newfoumlland (1863). See also the illustrated papers in IlarjKr's Monthly Mayazine, vol. xii and xxii.