CASTLES in the AIR the Life, Times and Influence of the Reverend
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CASTLES IN THE AIR The Life, Times and Influence of the Reverend Moses Harvey (1820-1901) By James Edward Armour, B.A. (Hons.) A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of History Memorial University of Newfoundland April 2016 St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador ABSTRACT The period from 1874 to 1901 was a time of significant transition in the economic and political life of Newfoundland. Twenty years into responsible government and with Confederation on the backburner, the colony’s politicians turned their attention to economic diversification, landward development and carving out the island’s place in the British Empire. The period saw both economic prosperity and retrenchment; the construction of a trans-insular railway; the adoption of policies to foster agriculture, forestry, manufacturing and mining; and diplomatic efforts to resolve France’s outstanding claims on the northwest coast of the island. At the same time, the government made an attempt to intervene directly in its primary industry, the fisheries. It created a Fisheries Commission in 1889 that recommended conservation measures and artificial propagation as ways to restore the health of some of the island’s fish stocks. They also proposed new methods of curing, packaging and marketing Newfoundland’s cod, as well as a complete overhaul of the truck system. A major player in both the public and private debates surrounding all of these subjects was the Reverend Moses Harvey. Along with being minister of the Free Church of Scotland in St. John’s, Harvey was one of Newfoundland’s most active promoters in the late nineteenth century. He served as the media mouthpiece for both Prime Minister William Whiteway and Prime Minister Robert Thorburn; editing the Evening Mercury – the official organ of the Liberal Party and then the Reform Party – from 1882 to 1883 and 1885 until 1890. As well, Harvey wrote regular columns on Newfoundland issues for newspapers in London, New York, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, and Halifax. He also produced numerous books, ii articles, encyclopedia entries, and travel guides outlining the island’s attractions and its vast economic potential. In short, Harvey made a significant contribution in shaping the way residents and the outside world viewed Newfoundland during this period. This thesis examines late nineteenth-century Newfoundland through the writing of Moses Harvey. The biographical approach offers a fuller, more nuanced account of some of the major historical themes of the period including the politics of progress, opening up the interior, railway construction and attitudes toward the fisheries. It also provides an insider’s prospective on what led to some of the major political decisions, policy positions or compromises taken by the Whiteway and Thorburn governments. Finally, a more detailed review of Harvey’s work exposes the practical and political differences that he had with people like D.W. Prowse and Bishop Michael Howley. While these so-called “boomers” in Newfoundland’s historiography agreed on broad themes, they parted ways over what should be done with the fisheries and how best to channel the colony’s growing sense of nationalism. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The trouble with waiting twenty-five years to finish your thesis is that most of the people who really matter are no longer here. Be that as it may, my heartfelt thanks go to the Reverend Wilfred Moncrieff who first sparked my interest in Moses Harvey. He convinced me that it was a story worth telling and willingly – a little too willingly in retrospect – handed over all of his original research. Thanks also to Mrs. A.H. Crosbie. Mrs. Crosbie housed me during my time at Memorial and helped me out of countless research dead-ends by explaining who was related to whom. Gert Crosbie was Newfoundland History’s secret weapon if ever there was one. While it is always dangerous to single people out, there are three individuals who fostered my love of history that deserve some credit for the preceding pages – Claude Belanger of Marianopolis College, John Bullen from the University of Ottawa, and Nancy Grenville with the Centre for Newfoundland Studies. Each of them taught me a little history and a lot more about life. I would also like to acknowledge the input of my original thesis supervisor Professor James Hiller and the support provided by Professors A.A. den Otter, David Facey-Crowther, Joe Cherwinski, Rosemary Ommer, and Shannon Ryan. Correcting 75 undergraduate papers on “The Role of the Fishing Admiral in Newfoundland History” during my time as a teaching assistant, however, left psychological scars that took years to heal. Financial support for round one of this undertaking came from Memorial University’s School for Graduate Studies, the St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal, as well as from the Reverend Ian Wishart and St. iv Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in St. John’s. While it took a while to see the results of their investment, I was very grateful then and that gratitude has only increased over time. As mid-life crises go, finishing an M.A. thesis leaves a lot to be desired, but I am glad that Professor Sean Cadigan talked me into it. In a way, we have come full circle. I first met Sean in the History Department at Memorial. He was in the final stages of his PhD and I was just starting out. Over countless cups of coffee at the old Auntie Crae’s in Churchill Square, he continually reassured me that Harvey was worth studying and pleaded with me to just write the darn thing. It turns out, he was training to be my thesis supervisor. I could not have done this without him. His insight, patience and friendship made all the difference. It is tradition to say that any errors are mine alone but Sean is the smart one, he should have caught all the mistakes. When I started my research the card catalogue was still king and Al Gore had not yet invented the Internet. Today, everything is just a click away. One thing has not changed though and that is how essential archivists and librarians are to the process. Helen Weller at Westminster College in London spent hours combing through their records and the staff at Library and Archives Canada always had helpful advice. Special thanks to Elizabeth Browne at the Queen Elizabeth II Library as well as to Joan Ritcey and Linda White from the Centre for Newfoundland Studies. Apart from my mother, they are the only known members of the Moses Harvey Fan Club and improved this thesis immeasurably. I would also be remiss if I did not acknowledge my colleagues at Summa Strategies Canada. They agreed that this was important, even though it did not contribute a cent to the bottom line. They also nodded politely when I went on at length about some v of the finer details of nineteenth-century Newfoundland – for that, and the company’s financial support, I am grateful. Finally – a word or two of thanks to my family. To my parents and siblings: for their ongoing encouragement and for knowing when to stop asking how the writing was going. To my beloved wife Margaret: this thesis has redefined the term long-suffering but as with life, you have vastly improved everything I could imagine or accomplish. To Moses the cat, named as a living reminder for me to finish this thesis - mission accomplished, departed friend. To my children, William and Catherine: thank you for refusing to name the next cat Harvey. Looking back on his twenty-four year correspondence with the Montreal Gazette, Moses Harvey wrote that if some future “dry-as-dust” came across his columns: … he might find some things useful as guide to his pen, and might even bless the memory of the plodder who made this little contribution to the history of this corner of creation. And so I take comfort from the thought that we shall not all perish. Each one can make his contribution to the sum of things, however humble that may be. I am sorry that my own humble contribution has taken so long, but I hope it is seen as an appropriate blessing to the life and work of the Reverend Moses Harvey, nineteenth- century Newfoundland’s most prolific advocate. vi Table of Contents Abstract ii Acknowledgments iv Table of Contents vii Chapter 1 – Introduction 1 Chapter 2 – From Pupil to Pulpit (1820-1844) 13 Chapter 3 – From Northern England to Newfoundland (1844-1852) 43 Chapter 4 – From Preacher to Promoter (1852-1878) 66 Chapter 5 – From the Promise of Progress to Politics (1878-1889) 117 Chapter 6 – From Fish to the Finish Line (1889-1901) 178 Chapter 7 – Conclusion 221 Bibliography 233 vii 1 CHAPTER ONE – INTRODUCTION When it comes to the history of Newfoundland and Labrador, the politicians and community leaders in the late nineteenth century seemingly have a lot to answer for. Their incessant push for landward industrial development is said to have come at the expense of more practical investments in the colony’s primary resource – the sea.1 The crushing public debt brought on by an expensive, poorly built, trans-insular railway is often cited as one of the main factors leading to confederation with Canada in 19492. And the political rhetoric of the period, that spoke of a land with infinite economic potential held back by England’s merchant firms and a distracted or disinterested imperial government, has resulted in a nationalist sentiment that is still being felt today.3 Political and economic expectations were very high in the late nineteenth century.