ABSTRACT
Throughout the eighteenth century, the settlement of Newfoundland was retarded by two restrictive influences. One was a domination by the west-country merchants of England, who considered the island to be for their own exploitation. The other was the traditional outlook of the home government which, while recognising the fisheries as a valuable trading asset, still continued to regard Newfoundland almost as a floating unit of the Royal Navy, capable of supplying both men and provisions to ships on the North American station.
