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The coast of Newfoundland is rugged and rocky, and deep water runs right up to the cliffs. These rise high and perpendicular in most places, but beautiful bays inter sect this outer face, and wind away mile after mile, in many cases among numerous islands, giving a coast line of over four thousand miles. Conception Bay, Trinity Bay, Bonavista Bay, St. Mary's Bay, Placentia Bay, Green Bay, White Bay, and Bay of Islands are the chief large inlets, and through them find outlet to the sea beautiful winding rivers of which the Gander, the Humber, and the Exploits are the largest, the latter being a mile across at its mouth. There are innumerable lakes, some many miles in length, Grand Lake and Red Indian Lake being among the largest, with areas of one hundred and ninety-two square miles, and sixty-four square miles respectively. The bottom of Grand Lake is three hundred feet below sea level. One-third of the surface of the Island is said to be water-covered. These lakes fill the deep gulches between rocky mountains, are very deep and mostly well stocked with trout. The highest and most beautiful mountains are on the north-west coast. They extend north from Cape Ray about 200 m., and rise to over 2,200 ft.; as they rise almost directly from the water line they have a very impressive effect on the passer-by. The "tundra" nature of the land near the Coast affords excellent pasture for caribou. The half dozen moose imported by the Government have multiplied steadily.
The total annual rainfall of Newfoundland is not large. Its sunshine is above the average. The heavy fogs, even of the south, seldom surmount the immediate ramparts of her shore line, while farther north, as the Gulf Current gets farther and farther from the land, except in the Straits of Belle Isle, where the warmer waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence meet the cold incoming tides from the Polar Current, the fogs, so far as navigation goes, are not a more serious factor than elsewhere. The climate is somewhat that of England, except that it is colder, and possibly a little damper, except in the North, where the narrow peninsula is completely sub-Arctic, being steeped on both sides in the Arctic waters.
Of the original inhabitants, a sturdy, brown race of peaceful and clever little people, called Beothucks, per haps the less said, the better. They were wilfully destroyed, being hunted down like wild animals.
Newfoundlanders are open air men. They do not take kindly to mining, or even to the lumber woods. On the other hand, they are born mechanics, and as carpenters, builders, plumbers, paint ers and skilled workmen of all kinds, they are greatly in demand— so much so that it is truly said that there are more Newfound landers in Boston today where a "Newfoundland Gazette" is regu larly published for their benefit than there are in St. John's. Once, however, her mineral wealth is seriously tapped, and her pulp and other potentials scientifically exploited and conserved, the population will probably increase.
The population of St. John's, like many other things, is recorded only according to religious affiliation, and there are said to be, in 1927 :-8,374 Church of England, 7,623 Methodists, 98o Salvationists, 1,047 Presbyterians, 348 Congregationalists, 326 other denominations; that is, 18,698 Protestants, and 17,746 Roman Catholics, almost entirely of Irish extraction.
In the whole Colony :—The church of England numbers 84,665, Methodists 74,205, Salvationists 13,023, Presbyterians 1,876, Con gregationalists 1,018, Other Denominations 1,670. Total Protes tants 176,457. Roman Catholics 86,576. There is an archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church, and two bishops, and one bishop of the Anglican Church.
The people of Newfoundland are of English stock largely from England's western seaports, while mixed with these are the inevitable Scots, and not a few Irish. Only a few French remain. Comparatively, they are a poor people, and at
times in outposts there is considerable shortage of the necessities of life, as the deficiency diseases only too forcibly testify, and even still there is, in the outposts, a great deal of illiteracy. For if the political system can be classed as successful, the denomina tional system of education has little, if anything, to recommend it, so far as results go, and overlapping sectarian schools paid for by the Government are one of the greatest handicaps of the Colony. One or two interdenominational schools have been founded by outsiders, under Government permission. In the capi tal itself, good schools exist, but Newfoundland has no uni versity of its own, and its students still go to England, Canada, or the United States for degrees and for higher education.
Almost of necessity the Newfoundland fisheries have been carried on a credit basis, since the time when the lower hands on the vessels were treated little better than serfs. But the credit system here has been exceptional in that in so many cases very little money was paid. This led to a peonage system in which the poorer people lived on what supplies their particular merchant cared to give them, and many, even fathers of families, never owned money. On the other hand, merchant and planter (i.e., fisherman with an outfit) in a sense stood together, and as long as the industry repaid generously both capital and labour, there was no lack for either of plenty or happiness. Trouble began when fish became scarce, when prices dropped, and when capital claimed all repayment first, and failed to recognize that labour also was the equivalent of money invested. Thus, in bad seasons, labour always accumulated debts, and no wages being credited for the out lay of all his time, the fishermen often lived and died in debt, and even handed his "red letter" debts on to his children, so much so that a law had to be passed that debts contracted at the cod fishery to one supplier might not be charged by another against any credits he might establish on account of the seal fishery. Of late years, cash has been regularly paid for balances due, and a truck act is in force. To understand the peculiar conditions of the social life of the fishermen of the island, these facts have to be understood. It was in an honest endeavour to remedy the conditions that about 1900 the Fishermen's Protective Union was formed, becom ing a co-operative, productive, and distributive society. The mem bers flew their own flags, created a new centre for the collection and sale of the proceeds of their voyages in a new harbour away alto gether from the capital, and all around the island, in the outposts where fishermen lived, they established the Fishermen's Union Cash Co-operative stores. The idea spread like wild fire, and if possible to carry it out efficiently, the system is unquestionably ideal, for it really offers the men, whose hard work and dangerous calling produce the wealth, at least a major part of the resulting profits. At first it went splendidly, though against great oppo sition, for it, like every reform, tended to upset all the con ventions of commerce as well as all the traditions of this particular trade. It had no revolutionary side, it sought peace, not war, in business. But it could only get human agents, and many of them were not equipped fully for their responsibilities. Politics, alas, were also allowed to enter, and played no small part when troubles began. Though the humble founder was honoured by the King, at the request of the Newfoundland Government, with a knighthood, and became the Minister of Fisheries, the success that was merited and anticipated for this most interesting venture has been disap pointing, though this Union still functions and has many firm and loyal friends ; but the bulk of fishermen do not have the same active connection with it as before.