History of the government of the island of Newfoundland / With an appendix containing the Acts of Parliament made respecting the trade and fishery

The author traces the development of governance and legal institutions on the island, beginning with competing charters and the tension between resident planters who sought police and justice and seasonal merchants who resisted permanent administration. He describes practices such as the fishing admirals, episodes of disorder, and the progressive creation of civil governors, justices, and courts. Major statutes and administrative reforms that shifted authority and obligations affecting the fishery are analyzed, and an appendix reproduces parliamentary acts governing trade and fishing.