Likewise, the word-of-mouth tradition reported that the people of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and of Ciboure had followed the whales and the cod fish in these parts before the first expedition of Christoper Columbus, and that the Basque fishermen, originally from Saint Jean-de-Luz or of Biscaye had furnished the exact information to the great navigator, of the existence of a continent situated to the west of the Atlantic Ocean. The absence of the documents did not permit the exact verifications of these assertions. People awaited the XVI century to be shown proof of the presence of the Basque and French fishermen in general on the coasts of Newfoundland. In the spring they had built the scaffolding, installed provisions for the final drying of the cod fish, which they had to abandon in the autumn, when the fishing season ended.
On the other hand, it is nearly certain towards the end of the XVI century, the Basque, French, and the Spaniards enjoyed, if not a monopoly, at least a predominate situation, not merely on the souther side of Newfoundland, but in the region where, sooner or later, the French colony of Placentia was to be established, but again on the west side from which he had baptized the important points as far as the banks to the right of Belle Isle and the shores of Canada, where they had entered into steady relations with the natives, who to understand these last, it was necessary for them to speak the Basque language.
But towards the XVI century, almost all the French ports which sent the Terra Neuviers to search for cod fish, the foreign fishermen, always rivals, and others there, started a strife - not only with the Spanish but also with the Portuguese and the English. A good police force was put in action, first by the British, then by the Malouins, now by a Fishing Admirals named by the ruling government, strained to intervene by those who had been sent in war ships. In early times, the idea to take possession of the island, and the stocking of permanent establishments intended to protect the fishermen, made its appearance. It was also a question of Terre-Neuve ceasing to become an exclusive Maritime colony.
Over a long period the establishment of officials (clerks) did not work out. The English were probably the first to make a success of it. From 1610, the company of Adventurers and Planters obtained the concession of the territory situated on the east coast, between the capes of Bonavista and Sainte Marie where the English and Irish settlers were established.
The government of Louis XIII understood the danger; then around 1625, the captains of St.Jean-de-Luz, Lohobiague, Hirigoyen and Haristeguy had been asked to protect the fishermen with their armed whalers. But this was only a temporary measure and the Company of the NW France received indirectly an order to stop the extensions of the British.
Several direct attacks by the British war ships against our Terre-Neuviers, decided Louis XIV to name, in 1655, a special governor of Newfoundland, in the person of gentleman DeKereon. In any event from 1648 a certain number of Frenchmen were established in the island on a temporary basis, those who were not already installed in his government. But three years later, the intervention of Bayonne, of Bordeaux and of La Rochelle, who gave them in exchange, provisions, equipment for the fishery, and all the merchandise which was needed for this own use and also for the trade which they could make with the Indians. Concurrently, more than two hundred ships were fishing the Malouins ( from St. Malo) were coming and going to the Petit Nord , the Basques living around the environments of Placentia. An unexpected event was to place the colony at the mercy of the latter.
In 1658, le Rochelais, Nicolas Gargot, named "Jambe de Bois" (leg of wood) obtained the port of inheritance with the meridional coast line of Newfoundland, along a depth of twenty-six leagues. By virtue of a Commission dated 1660, which appointed him "Count of Placentia" as well as to the head of the naval division, Gargot took charge of the Great, to Little Placentia and of Little Paradise. An order was passed have a sufficient number of men to construct and guard the forts; two years later, a gentleman from Nantes, named DuPerron, landed on the island, accompanied by about 80 persons. With the beginning of the events, a French Colony was therefore created at Placentia - and distinct from the many season events, created by the Basque fishermen. Who made reports of these settlers, and of these fisherman, of the naval captains and of the officers of the King? That is the question we now propose to study.
It is better to indicate at the start what existed between the fisherman and those the people called the "dwellers", of the common interest, which was to protect the coast against the attacks of foreigners, an obligation to provide for themselves against their perpetual rivals. The soil of the colony was known to be poor and there were not a sufficient number of inhabitants to make it into a commerical proposition; the settlers, like the fishermen, were living almost exclusively off the profits or benefits of the fishery.
Now, as the cod fish frequenting the banks and the coasts in considerable quantities, furnished the needs of everyone, the organization of the fishery presented certain needs - which created conflict between the fishermen and the settlers. The latter, during the summer season, were obliged to hire supplementary labour among the well-trained Basque seamen, who ordinarily made up the best of the Newfoundland crews. Those volunteers had simply to pass to Terre-Neuve to board the fishing boats and were working solely for the benefit of the settlers, with whom they recalled the times when better nourished and had better beds aboard these vessels. This competition created difficulty in recruiting for the naval captains and in the disussions over the price of the passage of the seamen.
On the other hand, to dry the fish, they had to have the possession of a good beach,where they could establish a scaffold. Now the good beaches were limited in number around Placentia, and the settlers established their own concessions by virture of a certain portion of the beach which had been accorded to them. As soon as a settler was established, he was forbidden the use of this concession by all the fishermen and from this the quarrels were born. These conflicts between the settlers and the fishermen seem to have lasted during the whole colonial history of Newfoundland from beginning until this day.
The domination of the French governors, established with difficulty a fixed or sedentary colony. From 1663, Du Perron was assassinated as was his son and his priest, but the soldiers of the garrison. His successor, M. de Brion met the same fate and M. de la Poype was equqally unfortunate in that he almost met a violent death also. On their side, the Basque fishermen showed towards the officers of the King, an independent spirit and an uncalled for familiarity. It was thus when M.de Palme, governor, during a dinner on board ship, received a slap in the face one evening from a Basque Captain. Difficulties of this sort were still going on in 1690, when the colony was solidly established. M. de Parat, governor since 1685, had received in 1687 a reinforcement of twenty five soldiers, commanded by M. de Pastour de Costebelle. The settlers were fishing with 120 small boats and were selling the fish to the seamen of Nantes, of Bayonne, of Bordeaux and of La Rochelle, who have them in exchange, provisions, equipment from the fishery, and all the merchandise which was needed for their own use and also for the trade which they could make with the Indians. Concurrently, more than two hundred ships were fishing, the Malouins (from St. Malo) were coming and going to the Petit Nord, the Basque living around the environments of Placentia. An unexpected event was to place the colony at the mercy of the latter.
On the 20th of February, 1690, almost forty English pirates attacked Placentia at dawn and surprised M. De Parat in his bed. The cannons of the fort were rendered useless or thrown into the sea. Provisions were removed and the governor was cruelly treated, a wick treated with sulphut and burned was placed between his fingers. When they arrived for the fish, the boats of Bayonne, de Saint-Jean-de-Luz and of Ciboure found the colony in a complete state of destitution. It has to be said that the Basque seamen came first to the rescue of the garrison. They furnished the governor with 30 rifles, with ammunition and with provisions. They even began to enforce a convention which had been passed by their owners and this of the ships of Bayonne, by virtue of which they were obliged to work to solidify the entry of the port of Placentia. But this enterprise did not come to a good end , and the agreement did not last ling enough to become hateful to the fishermen and M. De Parat complained to the Minister with bitterness.
As a matter of fact, according to the governor of Placentia, the Basques did not agree to retrieve the cannon which had been thrown into the sea. They also refused to furnish him with nails of which he was in great need to build the fences. He did not want to leave some of the other men in Placentia , since he feared a fresh attack by the English. The situation became more aggravated due to the fact of the bad relations which existed between the soldiers and the inhabitants on the one part and the fishing seamen on the other. The latter, wrote M. de Pastour de Costebelle,that they hated the soldiers so much that they imitated the poor subordination of their captains with regard to the governor and his own people , he could not pass any soldier without being sworn at in the Basque language. Things came totally to a head, when a quarrel suddenly started between a certain Joannis de Heribour, master of ships and a soldier of the garrison. After the swearing came the blows, and a brawl started , during which a Basque Captain was slightly hurt from a blow to his head from a rock. At that time, one of his comrades, near de Harnadel, collected all the other who later on wrote: " The aforesaid de Harnadel is believed to have the power to move all the lesser noise of mutinies and revolts".
On the following August 20, 1690 a battle arose in close proximity to the bodyguards between the Basque seamen and a family of natives. A seaman was wounded by a young boy whose sister had been insulted. The intervention of M. de Parat and of several muskateers who had arrived meanwhile to restore order, so de Harnadel remained on his ship with all his armed equipment, spades, hatchets and daggers. The terrible Basque alerted the crews of all the other fishing vessels, and assisted by Hontabat and by Martin d'Hiribarn took possession of the young boy, notwithstanding the efforts of this governor. The Basques dragged the unfortunate creature by the hair of the head and forced him to go on board a small vessel where they threatened to hang him.
At the time, M. de Costebelle, who had been summoned in all haste, arrived. He found d'Harnadel, whom he regarded with arrogance and the affair would perhaps have rested there, if the wounded sailor had not had the idea to go to find his captain, Loubara junior who had insulted M. de Parat, accompanied by a number of ship's masters, and this time, more then three hundred Basques. He found in the presence of a sentinel whom he pretended to have been sorry for, the disarming rebels, the soldier and the striker. Afterwards, the guardsmen were invaded, they took possession of the arms they had found, and paraded before the governor, he in turn, putting his hand to his nose and threatened to massacre all the officers. According to M. de Costebelle, the intervention of Father Joseph, himself, saved their lives.
Such was the greater part of the revolts. The Basque mutiny was ended by their own choice. When the fishing season ended, the seamen of St-Jean-de-Lux, de Bayonne and of Ciboure went back to the gulf of Gasgogne. But they refused to go with M. de Parat who pretended he was going to France to seek the help of the King. The governor himself went to the Island of St. Pierre and embarked on the fishing vessel. This act was supposed to be just a punishment for his mistakes. But it is amusing to read in his memoirs of the time how the attitude of the Basque is described by the officers of the King.
According to M. de Costebelle, de Harnadel went to the home of the governor "with an insolent air to make his complaint"-- a beggar - seeking justice for himself if not for the people".
According to the same officer ,M. De Parat asked of the terrible Basque what punishment he desired to inflict on the soldier, de Harnadel. He replied haughtily, that the other merited nothing less than death. M. De Costebelle stated finally that the Basque were furious with rage.
M. de Parat simply pointed out that he had suffered greatly at the hands of the English and that the Basque had done to him, "all the cruelties which are without precedence". He compared de Harnadel and Honabat to "the fiercest of lions". The governor, it is true, wrote to the Minister himself, who did not have many documents in his possession.
