others. From the information supplied to me at Anse Sablon it seems quite clear that the Jersey firm of Frewin and Company have paid duty to Newfoundland at their establishment in Anse Sablon for at least fifty or sixty years. But there is, and has been, it would appear, more or less this curious limitation: that at times, if not always, this firm has paid duty only on what it sells for consumption on land east of the mouth of the Blanc Sablon River, or east of the line from Woody Island to Point a Peau; but not on what the firm consumes on its own premises which, as mentioned above, are held to be in Canada.

        9.  Some light is also thrown on the problem by the occupation, past and present, of Anse Sablon. All that live to the East of the River are natives or residents of Newfoundland territory, generally so in fact, and always so in the exercise of jurisdiction. On Woody Island there are three establishments.

        The only other settlement on Greenly Island is that of the Lighthouse and Fog Signal Station, both maintained by the Dominion of Canada since 1873. The light was one that was visible for fifteen miles, and the Fog Alarm was also a powerful one; but the light is being improved, and a splendid new Fog Alarm is nearing completion. This establishment will in future, I was informed, be provided with two keepers. The need for the Fog Alarm can be well seen from the fact that in July, 1905, for example, it was in operation 272 hours. Some thirty to forty schooners were at anchor in front of the Island, as far as one could see in the fog, at the time of my visit.
        It does not appear that the Newfoundland Officers exercise any jurisdiction in the waters between the south side of Woody Island and Greenly, even if vessels come there close to Woody Island. Licenses are paid to Canada for cod-traps laid down on the coast at any spot from Lazy Point westward. The current is too strong for these traps on the coast between Lazy Point and Point a Peau.

        10.  The Anse Sablon district has been completely denuded of trees. Formerly Woody Island was, it would seem, covered by forest. There is not a tree visible in the district now; and nothing larger than small bushes on Woody Island. Firewood has to be imported to Anse Sablon from Hawke's Bay in Newfoundland.
         No cultivation is possible. But a good deal of grass grows at different places, especially on Greenly Island.
        The nature of the surface is due entirely to erosion, and not at all to dislocation. The erosion is due to weather and water.
        The formation is silurian schist, which seems to rest on a bed rock of red granite, which crops out at Frewin's, Job's, and at other points near or at the beach.
        The hills present at most parts a more or less greyish color, which was

found to depend principally on an abundant crop of those lichens that form the favorite food of the reindeer and of the local caribou. Formerly the native caribou were plentiful in the district, but they are becoming fewer in number. Last year there were none. It appears to be a good district for foxes, of the red and dark variety. A collection of the mosses and lichens was made, and will be transmitted to Kew for exact scientific determination. But even a very superficial examination of the neighbourhood leaves no doubt that the principal industry of that part of the coast should be the raising of reindeer. It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of this question.
        The harbor of Anse Sablon is not a very good or safe anchorage. So far as depth of water is concerned vessels can anchor anywhere in the bay, if not too close inshore. They can also anchor between Woody and Greenly Islands; but Anse Sablon Bay is open to the south-east and to the south-west. The place is, however, and always has been, much frequented by fishing vessels. Just before my arrival, there had been some fifty schooners or more there, about one-fourth of which were from the United States. I understood that only two sail came from Canada; and that the remainder were from Newfoundland. It appears that all American vessels that came into the Bay, in Newfoundland jurisdiction as described above, paid Light Dues with one exception of the “Mabel D. Hines.” The same dues were collected from the two Canadian vessels “Ben Bolt” and “Percy Roy.” Light Dues are not paid by the Newfoundland vessels. It should be mentioned that fishing craft cannot be supplied with water at Greenly Island, where there is difficulty in supplying even the permanent residents. Vessels therefore have to water at the establishment of the Messrs. Job near the River, or from the River itself. If foreign vessels stay outside the bay and send their boats in for water they can thus escape light dues; but if the vessel comes into the bay, then she becomes liable to light dues. Newfoundland has no lights on the coast, so that as regards the collection of light dues from Canadian vessels the position is this: That Dominion craft entering the bay pay light dues to Newfoundland while the lights all along that part of the coast are entirely maintained by Canada; and the many Newfoundland vessels that fish on the Canadian coast between Anse Sablon and Harrington do not pay light dues to Canada.
        As regards vessels of the United States in the bay, these that paid did so under protest, alleging that they paid no light dues in Bay of Islands last year; and pointing out that this Colony has no lights on the coast near Anse Sablon. American vessels both fish on the coast there and also come there for bait for open sea fishing.

        12.  On the 16th July, we ran into Anse au Clair in a dense fog. There were a few vessels there procuring a supply of caplin for bait. Some of these vessels were American. They had brought caplin seines with them which they hauled close to the shore, immediately in front of the houses of the permanent residents, whose services were in no way employed in procuring the supplies of bait.

        There are about 150 permanent residents at Anse au Clair, nearly all adherents of the Church of England. They have a small school building but no teacher. One could not but observe an unusually large number of children at that place, good-looking, healthy and intelligent. A few exceedingly small garden patches were seen, sufficient to show the hopelessness of growing any part of their own food there. Fowls, I was told by some of the housewives, cannot be kept on account of the dogs of the place; and they must have the dogs to bring home firewood in winter, for they have to go many miles for firewood. One could see from the stumps of trees that had been a foot or two in diameter that the hills at Anse au Clair were formerly covered by forest, where now there is only scrub or nothing. Up to that date the fishing had been a complete failure, but fortunately, for these poor people, the seal fishery of last season was above the average. They find caribou in winter about 10 miles inland, but in diminishing numbers; and last year they had sometimes to go 30 miles to find one. It is a good fox district. They cannot depend on ptarmigan for food supply; and look forward to the winter with much apprehension, if the cod-fishery does not very greatly improve.
         Some time before our visit to Anse au Clair the people of that place objected in a very emphatic manner to an American vessel taking bait there on Sunday. This was done for the reason that the residents maintained that “God has given the Sabbath Day for repose.” There is no reason to believe that this action was not taken on sincere and conscientious sentiment. I understood that the American Master concerned admitted that little or no damage had been inflicted. One could not but sympathise with those poor people on the peculiar hardship of all their surroundings.
        13.  On the 16th we also visited Forteau. There are nearly 200 people resident there, scattered all round the margin of the broad bay. There also the fishery had been very poor. The people of Forteau have, however, one advantage over those residing at Anse Sablon, and at Anse au Clair; they can still procure firewood in their own district, for there is some forest left, small trees, indeed, on the Forteau River. This stream is not navigable to boats.
        The same geological peculiarity was evident there at Anse Sablon that the sedimentary formation rests on a bed rock of red granite, which crops out beneath the schistose rocks at the water's edge.
        14.  The political position of that part of the coast of Labrador was urged on me at Forteau. I was assured that the majority of the permanent residents from Anse Sablon to Battle Harbor desire to be incorporated with Canada. The reasons alleged for this were that they cannot possibly grow the vegetables they require as food, and they that must import these from Canada and pay duty to Newfoundland on their potatoes, cabbage, turnips, onions, butter, cheese, etc. They declare that it is a specially great hardship to have to pay thirty cents a barrel on potatoes. It was stated that they can obtain eloemargarine from St. John's free of duty, but complaint was made as to its quality.
        On the other hand, attention was drawn to the fact that the money they

spent in wages on the coast, in light-houses, telegraph stations, Marconi stations, post office, etc., is all Canadian.
        And to this was added that though they pay taxes to Newfoundland they have there no representation.
        15.  It is unquestionable that the life led by the permanent settlers on that part of the coast is a very hard one. It would appear to be becoming harder with time, owing to the destruction of the forest that formerly existed, and in consequence of the fast diminishing numbers of caribou. The want of education for their children will also tend to heavily handicap the coming generation in the struggle for life among those that will have had greater advantage.
         Nothing can be done for those people in the way of ordinary form of agriculture to permanently improve their condition. Temporary relief will in all probability be required by some of them during the coming winter to enable them to live through it. Such relief will, no doubt, be given where absolutely necessary, but it is only a temporary and recurrent, though inevitable, expedient.
         It would certainly be well worth the trouble to consider carefully whether the status of the permanent residents on that part of the coast could not be permanently rendered tolerable by the introduction of reindeer there. It would appear that there are immense areas of moss-covered hills and plateaus on the coast suitable for vast herds of these animals, the possession of which would raise the quiet and temperate population of Labrador into a condition of comparative affluence.
        On the hill behind Anse au Clair one can see a large area of grassy country that would nourish sheep or goats. These animals cannot be thought of now, any more than fowls, on account of the at present indispensable dog. With sheep would come the material for some home industries.
        It would thus apparently be found that the reindeer would not only be of great direct advantage, but would also effect much indirect good.
        It is not apparent what else can be done to ameliorate the condition of the resident population there unless, indeed, some system could be introduced under which Government could advance to heads of families sufficient money to enable them to procure cod-traps and fishing vessels, on some such terms as those on which Australasian Governments advance money to farmers, at a rate of interest which recoups the state without making a profit. The generally honest and temperate disposition of the people would favor such a scheme.
        If such a plan could be combined with the introduction of the reindeer on a scale sufficiently large, then the condition of the permanent residents on that hard coast would in all probability be immensely improved.

[1927lab]