yearly advances, with perhaps a profit, over & above, But to the great hurt of those who unhappily for them have embarked in the Seal fishery that does not appear to be the intention of the Regulations.
      If it should be objected to this view of the charges attending the Seal fishing, that outfits may be made cheaper from Britain than from Quebec, it is answered that several Individuals concerned, from a desire to retire their property, & at same time to comply with the Regulations have put it to the tryal, and found of the two their equipments from Great Britain the most expensive.
      Should the rights of property claimed by the Canadians be deemed valid upon a minute enquiry, the disputes, law suits & confusions that must follow the enforcing the present Regulations in their full rigour and extent are more easy to be imagined than expressed. But on the Supposition that no Such propertys do exist, and that the wisdom of Government sees meet to confine in future; the exercise of every species of fishery on that Coast to the Inhabitants of Britain alone; Yet the dictates of humanity & natural justice must plead in favor of Individuals who in faith of Grants or permissions given them, and trusting in the lenity of the British Legislature have ventured & invested their propertys to so great an extent, as will require time to recover. And it is humbly hoped that those who shall be found in that predicament will be permitted to possess the Posts or Passes they have re-established at such great expence & labour, for at least three or five years, without being liable to be displaced by a first arriving Ship, of any new comer; And that if the Policy of the nation shall ultimately require them to make their equipments from Britain they may not before that period is expired, be Subjected to the further expence of entering into the precarious branches of the Cod or Whale fisherys against their judgement & inclination—which as they are circumstanced they can only do, for the sake of retiring a property, of itself but too uncertain even under all the indulgences that can be given them.
      So far as regards the Cod and Whale fisherys the Regulations of Governor Pallisser are certainly well calculated and must be productive of good consequences, But as to the Seal fisherys, whether they be given as encouragement to Cod & Whale fishers, or whether they be permitted to be carried on singly, certain it is, the necessary outfits & preparations must be made, and it is demonstrable that in either Case Such preparation will stand the Adventurer in the Same expence, independent of any other plans he may be concerned in. So that unless such Adventurer can obtain peaceable possession for a term that will give him a probable chance to get in his money again, he will find his first outset so heavy as to Sicken him of a Second attempt under the same uncertaintys. From the nature of the Seal fisherys it is impossible to Subject them to the Same Rules as the Cod & Whale fisherys, without destroying them entirely. The latter are of a fluctuating & changeable nature, as to place & time and all they went on Shore is convenient places to cure their cod & melt their oyl, which the other cannot hurt or interfere with them in the exercise of: The former being Sedentary require great expence more bulky matterials & comfortable houses for the people in the winter, which cannot

be transported at pleasure, neither does it seem at all clear, that men following the Sedentary Seal fishery, where they must stay the greatest part of the year, and have no active employment but for about fifteen days, should ever add to the number of useful Seamen; nor if they did, can their numbers its presumed be an object to Government, Sufficient to recommend a scheme, that will ruin individuals, in order to gain a point so inconsiderable. In any event if the Regulations are enforced as they now stand, with regard to the Seal fisherys, they must be totally ruined, and very grievous hardships in the mean time, thrown upon those who at present possess & have been at such expence to set them on foot. They must either abandon the enterprise at once, or if they mean to preserve the property they have invested, they must increase their risk & expences in Schemes Still more precarious. And even after they shall have comply'd with this very hard condition, that the trivial circumstance of another Ships arriving at their fishing places a few hours or days before them, shall still subject them to be dispossessed, and expose them to the loss of their property, or to its being rendered of little or no use to them, (which is the same thing in effect) would, in their humble conceptions be enacting a law as grievous & burdensome in its operations as they fear it will be found inadequate to the purposes expected from it.

Reced Read June 12.

1772

[1927lab]