p. 2538
warping of a peneplain. Viewed geologically and topographically, I can see no reason to differentiate the coastal belt from the great interior of the Labrador peninsula.
This southern half of the coast has abundant harbours, sites for fishing stages, and locally sufficient woodland to furnish fire-wood, needed by settlers and summer fishermen. According to observation, many of the islands are of use to the fishing fleets. Many bays of the mainland are similarly useful to them. On the other hand, the fishermen appear to make no practical use of the country more than one or two miles back from any bay-head. Elsewhere it is difficult to imagine their need of at any time occupying or doing business farther from the actual shore than a quarter of a mile. Drying-grounds are practically never situated at so great a distance as 200 yards from the shore. Practically the only sites flat enough for buildings are on the rocky islands, a few rocky places on the mainland within some hundreds of yards from the shore, and on the elevated, old sea-beaches, which are close to the present shore (usually less than a quarter of a mile).
GENERAL CCONCLUSION.
To me it seems clear that there is no topographic basis for distinguishing a definite coastal belt along the eastern side of the Labrador peninsula from the rest of the peninsula. The fringe of islands is a perfectly distinct entity and can be rigorously represented on a map. The difficulty is to delimit a coastal belt, inland from the actual shore of the mainland. Logically, I can see no help from the fact that the Torngat Mountains, for example, form a rather distinct range, rising from and parallel to the Atlantic shore. The only rigorous criterion for subdividing eastern Labrador on a topographic basis is the use of “ heights of land ” or water-divides. Yet even this mode of subdivision is not founded on any principle involving any human relations to the country ; nor is it founded on any scientific principle, when applied to the whole stretch from Blanc Sablon to Ungava Bay, for the rock formations on the two sides of any of the principal water-partings are indentical.
On the other hand, while there is no possible geological or geographical criterion for accurately defining a coastal belt or strip, yet, for the practical purpose of fishing, the Labrador coast-belt can be defined rather closely. The belt of land useful in the fishing industry must include practically all the islands, and as well the local flats, sporadically located at the actual shore of the mainland, and extending inland at each place a few hundred yards. It is possible, however, that at some points as, for example, Sandwich Bay, land situated a few miles up the rivers might be fairly included in the fishing-rights belt of coastal Labrador, if it should be found that fishermen go so far from the seashore to secure fire-wood or other timber useful in their business. The rest of the land called Labrador might as well be on the other side of the world so far as the welfare of the fishermen on this coast is concerned.
[1927lab]
|
