New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-09-26
1CIDENrs or OUR VISIT TO ST. JOHNS
yssp Our Special Correspondents
ST. JOINS, NEWFOUNDLAND,
FRIDAY Evening, Aug. IL, I65s


accompanied hr. Field on trip to Logic Bay,
ssye in the coast about six miles north Of this
plaee We had light open wagon, an Irish driver
and an old stager Of horse, which took US over
the ground in few minutes less than an hour.
The road passed through portion Of the stunted
fr-woods which we had skirted on the way to
Portugal Cove, and then turned eastward toward
the coast, approaching lofty headand OF red sand
stone rock, which is prominent feature In the
view northward from ST. Johns The rolling up
land gradually slOped into q narrow valley, with
stream at the bottom. Following this, we descended
10 a cluster Of fishing huts at the head OF rocky
cove. less than quarter OF mile IN breadth, be-
tween the two headlands. The shore was every
where perpendicular, or nearly so, and the huts
we're perched upon the brink Of cliffs seventy or
eighty feet high, at the bottom Of which the sea
rolled in and broke in volumes Of spray. steep
foot path descended between the fakes Of the ish-
erman to gap or split in the rocks, across which
was built the boat house, light timber frame
work high above the water and provided with falls
for hauling up the boats in rough weather.
An old fisherman, who appeareat TO be the only
posle at home, the other inhabitants having gone
of before day light to their fishing labors, accom-
panied us TO the bOal.hOuse, and pointed out tae
spot where part of il had been carried away
BY the fall Of an oyerhaDgiDg mass OF rock. We
walked along All elastic platform, made by poles
faf tent together, 20 tue ebc, whence there Was
magnihcen ut vie y Of the cove, with It's walls OF
6ars.red sandstone, fringed with moving lines
of foam. Eno It's grand buttress OF Red Head, "a
the promOntory is called, rising almost perpen-
dicularly to the hight of $50 feet A few fishing
crafts dotted the gray surface of the sea, over
which the mist hung low in the distance.
The fshermens wives were employed in spread
ing out upon the flakes the fish which had been
stacked together during the night with the skins
uppermOst to project them from moisture.
They informed us that the season was unusually
good this year, but as the pnce OF hsh wa low
they would gain but little by their abundance.
Last year, they said, fish had sold at 10 and 10
shillings the quntal, (l20 lbs, but this year the
price had gone down TO II and IL shlllings. The
value let me here explain, is not so much regu
lated by the demand in foreign markets as by the
will of tie merchants of 81 Johns who not only
fix the price of the fish they buy but of the goods
they sell 20 the fishermen. They thus gain in both
WAYS and fatten rapidly on the tolls aud hardshp5
world II is their policy to keep the fishermen
always in debt to them, and the produce of the
fishing seatOn Is often mOrtgaged to them In adj
vance 1t is ali actual fact that these poor usher
men are obliged to pay for their flour groceries, and
provisions from 80 to 100 per cent more than the
rich and independent residents of st. Johns. 1t s
no wonder therefore that the merchants amass
large fortunes in the of eight or ten years,
while their virtual serfs remain as poor and as
ignorant as their fathers before them. These
things have been mentioned to me by more than
one of the intelligent CITIZENS OF ST. Johns, aud
confirmed by all Of che fishermen with whom
cOnversed on the subject Several OF the latter
said to me- "Ah, Sir, If your people had the man
"aQement of things here it wOuli be better Tor
Gus" This monopolizing spirit OF gain is the
curse, not only of St Johns, but of all Newiound-
land 1t is the spirit which ressts all progress,
all improvements for the general good which seem
Ia threaten the overthrow OF Its unjust advantages
which has made Newfoundland at the present
day three hundred and fifty years after its discov
ery by Sebastian Cabot, an al most unknown will
derness, and which would tain preserve IL as
wilderness in order that no other branch OF indus
try may be Developed but that upon which 1t
preys.
The fishermen in some cases deliver their fab to
the merchants. cured; in others, the latter pur-
chase the yield as it comes from the boats, and
have the dry ing done upon their own flakes. The
chants Who carry on the manufacture OF oil. MIR.
Archibald, who has gone largely into this business,
has arranged machinery for crushing the llyers and
steamng them to extract the oil, instead OF the old
practice of boiling which often imparts an I'M
pleasant flavor to tie oil. BY the new process, 1t
IL produced in few minutes, and is perfectly pure,
hmpid and tasteless. The dried cod, after having
been assorted, are stored IN warehouses, ready to
be shipped to foreign markets. The re,te.t de-
mand n from Spain Cuba, aud the West Indies
generally. The whole Town is pervaded by the
peculiar odor of the fish, which even clings TO the
garments of those who deal in them. This odor,
very unpleasant at first becomes agreeable by
familiarity, and finally the nostrils 10 take
coguizance of it, st. Johns is decidedly the most
ancient and fsh.like town in North America.
saw a man in the street yesterday whose appear
ance and expression were precisely that OF dried
Goldfish
We returned homeward from Logic Bay by way
of Virginia Water, the residence of Mr.. Emerson,
Solicitor. General This is one of the most charm
ingly secluded hermitages which ii is possible TO
Imagine. We first turned into a stony lane, lead
ing through the midst of Il young forest OF fir and
spruce trees. As the lane descended the trees
became taller and more dense until we arrived at
cottage lodge, shaded oy willow, on the edge of
n beautiful lake, entirely enconpassed by the dark
woods Passing this lodge we found ourselves on
agrassy peninsula, twenty yards in width, between
what appeared to be two lakes, but were in reality
the two ends Of one, which curves itself into a
nearly perfect circle, three miles in extent. A
gate at the end Of this isthmus ushered us into
the woods again, between trees thirty or forty
feet high, and so dense 10 be almost impenetra-
bile Out of the DARK avenue We came at last upon
open lawn of about two acres, soping from Mr..
Emersons cottage to the lake. The cottage had
verandah in front, completely overrun with hop
vines and the ffsSrant Woo,lhinp and the e1ces of