profitt and honour," in which he unsuccessfully called for the King's
help and patronage in regard to the colonization of the island.[27]

In 1637 the Commissioners of Foreign Plantations, who had been
appointed three years before, resolved that the old colonial grants
had lapsed, and transferred them to new patentees, prescribing, under
the new fishing rules made by the Star Chamber (1634), one system and
area of control for settlers, and another for fishermen, and
restricting their respective activities. The first Governor under this
régime was Sir David Kirke, who established himself at Ferryland
(1638) with a number of settlers variously estimated at from thirty to
one hundred persons. His charter was a liberal one, embracing the
whole island, and was the reward of his gallantry in the capture of
Quebec. He introduced the practice of levying rent, imposing licence
fees, and exacting an excise of 5 per 120 fish on alien fishermen. The
convulsions of the Civil War were felt even in Newfoundland, and Kirke
paid for his Royalism by the loss, under the Commonwealth, of his
noble possession (1651).

What has been described as a period of repression in the history of
Newfoundland began with the reign of Charles I. and continued to the
end of the eighteenth century. As a recent writer observes: "In the
fairy story it is the youngest sister, but the eldest sister is the
Cinderella of colonial history. If Newfoundland had experienced only
the healthful neglect under which the other colonies prospered, she
too would have grown into vigorous life. But a strong and influential
class in England was interested in harassing the settlers, in
depreciating the resources of the island, and in throwing every
obstacle in the way of permanent settlement. This policy came in with
Charles I. and continued down to the very commencement of the