The Florida star., 1900-08-31

fish. The colonIsts have appealed
again ard again to the mother country
for relief. but without avail. and
threaten to take the matter into their
own hands and drive the foreigners of
their shores.
st. Johns has been twice almost
totally destroyed by fire-in 1916 and
1892 II hss now population OF 3d.
600. The burned district has been
nearly built over. and the new city has
been improved and beautified. The
most imposing structures are the gov.
ernment house and the Catholic and
Church OF England cathedrals. The
city Is ahead OF London In one respect
1T has trolley line. Ii is governed
by a council OF three. appointed by
the governor. The total salary Of
these three councillors is $500 a year.
PilOted by Mr.. Joseph Roper. one Of
St Johns substantial citizens, and
who takes pride In the fact that he
has never been out or the jurisdic-
tion OF the colony, our party visited the
famous seal killer. Captain Arthur
Jackman. - board the queen or the
Sealers. the Terra Nova. just In from
a Mediterranean voyage. We remem-
bered Captain Jackman as the master
OF the Kite. which carried Peary sew
eral times TO the arctic regions, and
also took Mrs. Peary on her first trip
10 the arctics 10 meet her husband.
The Kite lay alongside the Terra No
va. and we were privileged to inspect
the quarters which were so long the
home OF the Pearys. The Kite is one
OF the Is or 20 steamers that leave ST.
Johns every year for the seal fisher
les. Her catch was small this year.
but Captain Jackman brought back
1000 pelts on the Terra Nova. and was
gone less than a month. AS the pelts
are worth about S3 apiece, this was
quite good months work.
According to law no sailing vessel
can clear for the seal fishing before
March l, and no steamer before the
10th. nor are they allowed To make more
than one trip year. This is TO con.
fine the latch 10 the young. leaving the
old ones for breeding purposes. The
young seals are born on the ice about
the middle OF February. ana increase
In bulk So rapidly that they are in per-
feet condition by March p.
The seals frequenting the coasts OF
Newfoundland have regular migratory
movements. They are found OH the
Ice from February till May, when they
commence their nOrtherly movement.
In June they are seen in enormous
numbers on the Greenland coast, where
they spend two or three months. As
the early winter sets in they begin
their southern migration, keeping
ahead of the ice as il forms. and NOV
ing towards the coast of Labrador.
feeding in its ilOrds ana bays. They
reach Newfoundland by the close of
the year. where they feed till February.
when their northern migration begins,
To meet the ice Oh which their young
are To be brought forth and cradled.
For nearly Al century they have borne
an annual draft of from II quarter To
half a million without apparently di-
miniShing their numbers.
The excellence of the Newfoundland
roads Is ii constant surprise 10 me.
know of no 81 mile stretch Of road in
the States as good as that between 81.
Johns and Carboncar, or that between
the latter place and Placentia. about
the same distance. Placcntia, 10y the
way. was the French capital OF New
fOundland when France ruled the
southern half of the island. | am
told there are over 1000 m - of just
such roads in the colony. They are
built and maintained 10y the govern
ment. which has spent SluO,Ouo a
year on them for half century. They
are built Oh natural foundations. the
top dressing being the crushed stone
obtained in grading and clearing. Thus
they have the solid qualities of mae
adam ur tclford roads. without the ac-
cumpanying cNpcnSr of building. As
the towns are few and the traffic light
the cost for repairs is also small.
Every boy who il not codliShing
seems To- have - Nrrn" \rWfuundlan