By John Francis Maguire, 1868
« Previous page | Start of chapter | Book contents | Next page »
CHAPTER IX.
Newfoundland--Monstrous Policy--Bad Times for the Irish Papists--How the Bishop saved the Colony--The Cathedral of St. John's--Evil of having but one Pursuit--Useful Efforts--The Plague of Dogs--Proposal to exterminate the 'Noble Newfoundland'--Wise Legislation--Reckless Improvidence--Kindly Relations--Irish Girls
THERE is not within the circle of the British Empire a more interesting colony than Newfoundland, or whose inhabitants have had to struggle against a more stupid and perverse policy than that deliberately adopted towards it by the Home Government, and faithfully enforced by its willing representatives. The policy of this day is to stud the earth with vigorous offshoots from the parent stock, and foster them into sturdy growth by the gift of free institutions; and the natural result of a policy so wise and enlightened is this--that there being no wrongs to avenge, no bitter memories to cherish, no galling restrictions to chafe or irritate the public mind, the colony cheerfully bears the light yoke of loyalty to the mother country, whose manufactures it consumes, whose commerce it extends, whose resources it developes, and whose people it enriches and employs. But the policy pursued towards Newfoundland was the very opposite to everything wise and enlightened. To say that it was discouraging would not express its character in adequate terms: it was rather repressive, if not actually crushing. The absurd idea of the wiseacres of that day was to make of Newfoundland a mere fishing-station, and of St. John's a landing place. By the Treaty of Utrecht the British obtained the island from the French in 1713. When the island thus came into possession of its new masters it contained a not inconsiderable French population, to whom freedom of worship had been guaranteed by treaty `as far as the laws of England permitted;' and so successfully did the Governor of the day take advantage of this dangerous proviso, that the disgusted French Catholics and their clergy sold their property and 'abandoned' the questionable protection of the conquerors. The French Catholics having been effectually got rid of, their Irish brethren became the objects of special proscription. The following order was issued by several Governors down to so late as 1765. It shows the spirit against which the Irish Catholic had to contend:
For the better preserving the peace, preventing robberies, tumultuous assemblies, and other disorders of wicked and idle people remaining in the country during the winter, Ordered--
That no Papist servant, man or woman, shall remain at any place where they did not fish or serve during the summer.
That not more than two Papist men shall dwell in one house during the winter, except such as have Protestant masters.
That no Papist shall keep a public-house, or sell liquor by retail.
That the masters of Irish servants do pay for their passage home.
Another order, addressed to the magistrates about this time, exhibits the fierce spirit of persecution in a manner still more striking:
Whereas you have represented to me that an Irish Papist, a servant, a man without wife or family, has put up mark posts in a fishing-room within your district, with an intent to build a stake and flakes thereon, and possess the same as his right and property, which practice, being entirely repugnant to the Act 10 and 11 Wm. III.:
I do therefore authorise you to immediately cause the post marks above-mentioned to be taken down, and warn the person so offending not to presume to mark out any vacant fishing-room again as his property, as he will answer the contrary at his peril. You are also to warn other Papists from offending in the like case, as they will answer to the contrary.
(Signed) T. BYRON, Governor.
But Pat was irrepressible. He would come and remain, and prosper too, notwithstanding that he was fulminated against in order and proclamation, and though the fecundity of his race was officially deplored as a great and embarrassing evil. The fact was, the Irish were hard-working and useful, and those who appreciated their value encouraged their coming and remaining, despite of Governor, and Fishing Admiral, and Home Government. Wisdom slowly dawned on the benighted authorities, who were compelled to tolerate what they could not prevent. But such was the state of things in the colony for a long series of years, and actually within the memory of living men, that a house could not be put up, or even thoroughly repaired, without the sanction of the Governor! The wonder should not be why Newfoundland has not made more rapid strides than it has, but that it has progressed so rapidly as it has done. 'Let no one blame Newfoundland, then,' says Dr. Mullock,* 'for not having hitherto advanced as rapidly as other colonies. I boldly assert that there was never more energy shown by any people than by the inhabitants of this island. The Government that should foster them considered them intruders, and banished them when it could.' The gifted Prelate thus completes the picture:
They had not the liberty of the birds of the air to build or repair their nests--they had behind them the forest or the rocky soil, which they were not allowed, without licence difficultly obtained, to reclaim and till. Their only resource was the stormy ocean, and they saw the wealth they won from the deep spent in other lands, leading them only a scanty subsistence. Despite of all this they have increased twenty-fold in ninety years, have built towns and villages, erected magnificent buildings, as the cathedral in St. John's, introduced telegraphs, steam, postal, and road communications, newspapers, everything, in fact, found in the most civilised countries, and all this on a rugged soil, in a harsh though wholesome climate, and under every species of discouragement.
We have seen that the 'Irish Papist' could not be discouraged out of the country, in which he was not without the ministration of the priest, who, though he had no fixed abode in the island, usually came out in a fishing-boat, and so disguised as to escape the vigilance of the hostile authorities. Protestants suffered from no such disadvantage. Their's was the recognised religion of the State, and its ministers were stationed in the principal settlements. This indeed was the state of things throughout the continent of America, wherever, in fact, the British power was recognised. Catholics were under a ban, hunted, persecuted, or grievously discouraged, while Protestants enjoyed in its fulness the advantages of a protected Church and a dominant religion. This should be always taken into consideration when estimating the progress of those who were guilty, in the eyes of their jealous rulers, of the double offence of being Catholic and Irish.
In the year of grace 1784 liberty of conscience was proclaimed in Newfoundland, and the Catholics at once , took advantage of the boon. In that year the Rev. James O'Donnell, 'the founder and father of the Church of Newfoundland,' landed in the island. A native of Tipperary, he had spent a large portion of his life in the Irish Franciscan Convent of Prague, in Bohemia, and afterwards presided over the convent of his order in Waterford, and subsequently as the provincial of the order in Ireland. He was the first regularly authorised missioner in Newfoundland since it had been ceded to the British in 1713; and to his wisdom, firmness and sagacity are due the practical settlement of the Irish in that colony. The following document is rather a strange commentary on the proclamation of liberty of conscience and freedom of worship of six years before. It was written by Governor Milbank, in answer to an application by Dr. O'Donnell for leave to build a chapel in one of the outports:--
The Governor acquaints Mr. O'Donnell that, so far from being disposed to allow of an increase of places of religious worship for the Roman Catholics of the island, he very seriously intends, next year, to lay those established already under particular restrictions. Mr. O'Donnell must be aware that it is not the interest of Great Britain to encourage people to winter in Newfoundland, and he cannot be ignorant that many of the lower order who would now stay, would, if it were not for the convenience with which they obtain absolution here, go home for it at least once in two or three years; and the Governor has been misinformed if Mr. O'Donnell, instead of advising their return to Ireland, does not rather encourage them to winter in this country.
On board the Salisbury, St. John's, Nov. 2, 1790.
What a proclamation of intolerance and stupidity! We doubt if, considering the period at which the world had arrived, there was ever penned a more discreditable epistle. We shall now see how this cruel mistrust was repaid by the distinguished minister of religion who was its object.
It was in the year 1799, shortly after the memorable Irish Rebellion, that the circumstance occurred which exhibited in the most conspicuous manner the value of the influence and authority of a zealous and courageous pastor, and the wisdom of encouraging, rather than discountenancing, the presence of a Catholic clergyman in the midst of an Irish population. Many who had been compelled to fly from their native land in consequence of the rising of 1798 found refuge in Newfoundland, bringing with them the exasperated feelings engendered by that disastrous conflict: nor was the state of things in the colony such as to soothe the bitter hatred which they cherished in their hearts. Amongst them a conspiracy was formed, its object being the destruction of the Protestant colonists; and such was the success with which the conspirators pushed their machinations that they secured the sympathy and promised co-operation of a large portion of the regiment then stationed in St. John's. Their plans were laid with great secrecy and skill, and the day was appointed for carrying their fatal designs into execution.
The time chosen was when the people had assembled at church, and, it not being then the custom for the military to carry arms into the sacred building, it was considered by the conspirators that those who would thus go unarmed could not offer much difficulty in the execution of the fearful plot. Had the intended rising taken place the consequences would have been awful; but happily, through the vigilance and prudence of Bishop O'Donnell--he had been appointed Vicar Apostolic in 1794--the conspiracy was defeated. Having been apprised of what was contemplated, he at once informed the General in command of the danger impending, urging him to deal with the soldiers, and undertaking himself to deal with the misguided civilians who had been involved in the guilty project. The necessary steps were taken, the contemplated rising was effectually prevented, and Newfoundland was saved from a scene of horror and bloodshed that would have formed a dark blot on the page of its history. The Protestants regarding Bishop O'Donnell as their preserver, under Providence, naturally felt towards that prelate an intense feeling of gratitude; and the British Government, whose representative but nine years before wrote him the miserable letter just quoted, recognised his great services by a pension--a very small one it is true--which was continued to his successors for some time. 'How often,' remarks the friend to whom I am indebted for the recollection of this important incident in the life of the good Bishop, 'have the clergy of the Catholic Church, as in this instance, heaped coals of fire on the heads of their opponents, and rebuked the blind intolerance of the persecutors of their faith!'
The days of systematic discouragement had passed for ever. 'The English Government,' says Dr. Mullock, 'tacitly recognised the population of Newfoundland as having a right to live in the land they had chosen.' But there was hard work in store for the zealous missionary; and, indeed, it required all the efforts of the ministers of religion, Protestant and Catholic, to extirpate the poison of infidelity which the works of PAINE, then extensively circulated and read, had spread through the colony. The mission was a laborious and a rude one at best; and in the seventieth year of his age Dr. O'Donnell resigned his charge to Dr. Lambert, and sought repose in his native land, where he died four years afterwards, and was buried in the parish chapel of Clonmel. Drs. Scallan and Flemming succeeded Dr. Lambert, and preceded the present Bishop, Dr. Mullock, a man of great energy of character, highly cultivated mind, intense zeal for the promotion of religion and education, and ardently devoted to the material progress of his people. There is now a second Bishop in the island, Dr. Dalton, whose cathedral is at Harbour Grace.
* Two Lectures on Newfoundland, delivered at St. Bonaventure's College, January 25 and February 1, 1860, by the Right Rev. Dr. Mullock.
« Previous page | Start of chapter | Book contents | Next page »