The Basque whalers of France and Spain enjoyed at least 50 years of prosperity off the Labrador coast hunting whales during the 16th century.

Much of our knowledge of daily life in outport Newfoundland in the late 18th and early 19th century comes from the pens of visitors. They were typically missionaries, explorers, naturalists, and geologists whose work brought them to outlying communities not often visited by outsiders or even the local government.

Population of Plaisance--Exploration--Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web

Considerable uncertainty surrounds our understanding of daily life in Newfoundland during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.