LABRADOR.
Labrador. By W. G. Gosling. (Alston Rivers. 21s. net.)—We are glad that Mr. Gosling felt himself constrained to abandon his first idea of dealing with Labrador in a few chapters which should eapplement a history of Newfoundland. The result is that we have the most complete book that has yet been written on the subject. Mr. Gosling begins with the reputed and disputed Norse settlement. On the whole the story, though not without difficulties, may be accepted. A gap of something like five cen- turies follows, and then we come to the name of John Cabot. His first voyage, made in 1497 with a vessel that carried a crew of eighteen men, lasted little more than three months. He seems to have gone again in the following year, this time having five ships. Here he disappears from history. In the first half of the sixteenth century various voyages were made, and we begin to get the testi- mony of maps. In 1534 happened the voyage of Jacques Cartier; it was repeated in 1537, and again in 1541. At this stage we get to a rivalry of claims : Cabot went out under the auspices of Henry Tu. ; Cartier started from St. Halo. The French occupa- tion came first, and lasted into the second half of the eighteenth century; after the battle of Quebec the country passed under English rule. Here the first notable name is that of George Cart- wright, who went out in 1770, and had during the next quarter of a century some singularly diversified experiences. These, as they are told by Mr.Gosling, make a very interesting chapter in the wonderful history of the British pioneers. After a chapter 'on the Eskimos we hear about the Moravian Brethren, whose work in Labrador makes one of the finest chapters in a noble story of Christian effort. Finally, we have an account of Dr. Wilfrid Grenfell, as honourable a name, to say the least, as any that occurs in the history of Labrador. His book on the subject was noticed in the Spectator of February 19th. Readers of this volume will find the bare sketch given above filled in with much valuable detail, ethno- graphical, historical, and commercial. Some figures under the last heading may be given. In 1908 the export of codfish from Labrador was 288,836 quintals, estimated at about £160,000. Other exports were trifling, ilittle over £8,000. The Moravian exported goods to the value of about £12,000.
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