112 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



shiftng their ground gradually as their fierce captors encroached more and more upon them to the 

 vicinity of the Western and Leeward Islands, the Cape deVerdes, the Brazil Banks, and beyond. 

 Some few whalemen, in spite of the restrictions, still visited the newly-opened fishing-ground. 



"The general results of the various voyages were on the whole good, and other places began 

 to feel the stimulus of a desire to compete. Providence took part, and early in 1768 several vessels 

 were fitted out from that port for this pursuit. New York, too, entered the lists, and Mr. Robert 

 Murray and the Messrs. Franklin fitted a sloop for the same purpose, and she sailed on the 19th 

 of April of that year.* The town of Newport manifested great activity. 



"It was currently reported in the colonies, during the early part of 1767, that the irksome 

 restrictions upon whaling were to be entirely removed; petitions to tbat efl'ect had been presented 

 to the home government, and a favorable result was hoped for, and early in 1768 the straits of 

 Davis and Belle Isle were again vexed by the keels of our fishermen, as many as fifty or sixty 

 anchoring in Canso Harbor in April of that year, a few of them bound for the former locality, but 

 the majority of them cruising in the vicinity of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and Newfoundland, t 



Two whaling sloops from Nantucket, one commanded by Coleman, and the other by 



Coffin, were lost this season in the Straits of Belle Isle, and the crews were saved by Captain 

 Hamilton, of the Merlin sloop of war, who also aided them in saving the sails, rigging, and stores 

 from the wrecks. The fisbery in those parts was quite unsuccessful, many vessels, up to the last 

 of August, having taken little or no oil.f 



"In 1768 there sailed from Nautucket eighty sail of vessels of an average burden of 75 tons, 

 and probably fully as many more from other ports Cape Cod, Dartmouth, Boston, Providence, 

 Newport, Warren, Falmouth (Cape Cod), and perhaps other ports being represented and the 

 voyages being undertaken to Davis Strait, straits of Belle Isle, Grand Banks, Gulf of Saint Law- 

 rence, and Western Islands. Early in the season the Western Island fleet appears to bave done 

 little, but by the middle of September they had obtained an average of about 165 barrels. The 

 northern fleet probably did nearly as well, as numerous instances occur of vessels spoken late in 

 the summer and in the early fall with from 100 to 150 and even as high as 200 barrels. Assuming, 

 tbeu, that one hundred and forty vessels returned with an average produce of 150 barrels (which 

 was the actual average import at Nantucket), and we have as the result of the season's fishing 

 1*1.000 barrels, worth, at 18 per ton, the ruling price, 47,200, or about $236,000." 



PROSPERITY OF WHALE FISHERY, 1770 TO 1775. "'Between the years 1770 and 1775,' 

 says Macy, 'the whaling business increased to an extent hitherto unparalleled. In 1770 there 



" * There seems to be no accessible report of this vessel's return, and hence the degree of success or failure of her 

 voyage is a matter of doubt. The people of Nantucket were reported to have made 70,000 iu 1767." 



" t From a log-book kept by Isaiah Eldredge, of the sloop Tryall, of Dartmouth, which sailed April 25, 1768, for the 

 si i :iits of Belle Isle. She cleared from Nantucket, as Dartmouth was not then a port of entry. On Friday, April 29, 

 .sin- was at anchor iu Canso Harbor, with fifty or sixty other whalemen. Saturday, Way 7, left Crow Harbor and at 

 night anchored in Man-of- War Cove, Canso Gut, ' with about sixty sail of whalemen.' The vessels were continually 

 beset with ice, and on the 23d of May they cleared their decks of snow, which was ' almost over shoes deep.' They 

 killed their first whale on the 22d of July. The larger number of vessels were spoken in pairs, which was the usual 

 manner of cruising. The sloop returned to Dartmouth on the 5th of November. This log runs to 1775, and commences 

 ;i<_;;iin in 1783, ending in 1797, with occasional breaks where leaves are cut out." 



" t In October, 1767, a whaling sloop, belonging to Nautucket, arrived at the bar off that port, on board of which 

 were four Indians, who had had some dispute at sea and agreed to si'ttlr. it on their return. As the vessel lay at 

 anchor the officers and crew except three white men and these ludiaus went ashore. The whites being asleep in 

 the cabin, the Indians went on deck, divided into two parties, and, arming themselves with whaling lances, com- 

 menced the affray. The two on one side were killed immediately, the other two were unhurt. The white men 

 hearing the affray, rushed upon deck, and, seeing what was done, secured the murderers. In November of the same 

 year some Newburyport fishermen were astounded at perceiving their vessel hurried through the water at an alarming 

 rate without the aid of sails. Upon investigating the cause, it was found that the anchor was fast to a whale (or vice 

 versa), and the cable was cut, relieving them of their unsolicited propelling power. (Boston News-Letter.;" 



