Newfoundland
an island and British colony of North America; in the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and separated from Labrador on the N. by the straits of Belle Isle. The island is 370 miles in length, 290 in breadth, and about 1,000 in circumference; area, 42,200 square miles; pop. (1901) 217,037; (1917) 252,- 464. Capital, St. Johns.
About a third of the area of the island is occupied by lakes and ponds. The coast provides a large number of excellent and sheltered harbors. The plains abound with herds of the caribou deer; these. with bears, wolves, foxes, and 'beaver, form the principal fauna of the island, which is a favorite resort for sportsmen. In winter the cold is severe. Much of the soil, especially in the S., is unproductive; grain and root crops are the most important agricultural products; large areas are adapted to stock raising. The chief resources of the inhabitants have been in the past the cod, seal, and salmon fisheries, these industries being the most extensive of the kind in the world.
The chief industries of the people are agriculture, fishing, mining and lumbering. The annual catch of fish is valued at about $1,500,000, and the sealing industry is also important. In 1918 151,- 431 seals, valued at $864,000, were taken.
About 1,500 men are engaged in the fishing industry. Valuable iron deposits have been found in various parts of the island. The forests produce large quantities of pulp for paper and extensive pulp and paper mills have been established in Grand Falls, Bishop Falls, and Deer Lake.
The imports of Newfoundland in the years 1918-1919 were valued at £5,528,- 000, and the exports at £6,198,000. The annual expenditure is about $5,700,000, and the annual revenue about $6,500,- 000. There are about 900 miles of railway and about 4,600 miles of telegraph. A part of the peninsula of Labrador, lying between the Hudson Strait and Blanc Sablin, is included in the administration of Newfoundland. Newfoundland was discovered by John Cabot in 1497. In 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert took possession in the name of England and in 1621 Calvert made a settlement in the peninsula of Avalon.
Representation was granted in 1832. In 1854 the present form of government was established. Newfoundland forms, with the department of Labrador, a NEWGATE crown colony. It is administered by a governor, assisted by an executive council, and a House of Assembly of 36 members.
Soon after the discovery of Newfoundland, French fishermen frequented the "banks" in larger numbers than the English, and Great Britain did not take formal possession till 1583. The first permanent settlement was made in 1623. Before the treaty of Utrecht (1713), which ceded the island to Great Britain, the French and English had Britain, frequent conflicts over the right of possession. Fishing rights were conceded to the French, and this led to long and bitter disputes which have interfered with the development of the island. The French claim the exclusive right to fish from Cape John on the E. coast, around the N. coast, to Cape Ray on the W.
Great Britain has never admitted this claim. The position maintained by the French has prevented the development of the mineral resources on the N. coast.
In March, 1890, a modus vivendi was concluded between the French and British governments, remaining in force till Dec. 31, 1900. It caused great dissatisfaction among the people of the island. A Royal val Commission, appointed in August, 1898, decided that part of the French claims should be removed by purchase or concession; that the lobster fisheries should be arranged on the same basis; that the French should be furnished free bait, on abandonment of their bounties (to expire in 1901); that they should be prohibited from interfering with the "Treaty Shore," and that smuggling should be suppressed. On the outbreak of the war in South Africa, the colony on its own initiative renewed the modus vivendi, in order to relieve the home government and to prove its loyalty. The executive power of the colony is administered by a governor, executive council, legislative council and elected House of Assembly. Newfoundland sent a comparatively large number of men to Europe during the World War, and the service rendered by the colony was proportionately equal in extent to that of any other part of the British Empire. a NEWGATE, celebrated London prison, formerly standing at the W. ex- Formerly stan tremity of Newgate street, opposite the Old Bailey. It was long the chief criminal prison of city and county until it was demolished in 1902. The earliest prison here was in the portal of the "new gate" of the city as early as 1218; hence the name. About two centuries afterward it was rebuilt by the execu- NEW GUINEA tors of Sir Richard Whittington, whose statue with a cat stood in a niche, till its destruction by the great fire of London, in 1666. It was again reconstructed in 1780, but the new buildings were greatly damaged by fire in the Gordon Riots of that year. After the passing of the Prisons Bill in 1877, Newgate fell gradually into disuse.