12 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



We corne now to the grounds on the eastern side of the North Pacific. In former years many 

 ships cruised around Cape San Lucas,.near the Gulf of California, and along the coast of Lower 

 California from 10 to 50 miles off shore. Whales of large size were taken here in the winter months 

 by vessels that had spent the summer on the Japan Ground. Around the Maria Islands, near San 

 Bias, on the Mexican coast, whales were quite often found ; also in the Bay of Panama from the 

 coast to 90 west longitude, and farther west in the ocean from latitude 4 to 8 north, longitude 

 100 to 110 west. In the vicinity of Owhyhee and other parts of the Sandwich Islands vessels 

 met with fair success. 



INDIAN OCEAN GROUNDS. The principal resorts of vessels in this ocean were off' Port Dauphin 

 and around Madagascar in the Mozambique Channel ; around the islands of Mauritius and Bourbon 

 and the island of Roderique ; around the Amirante Group, and Seychelle and Comore Islands ; off 

 Zanzibar and along the east coast of Africa to the Red Sea; off the island Socotra; along the 

 Arabian coast ; around the Laccadive Islands and the island of Ceylon. Other resorts are along 

 the west and south coasts of Australia, especially in the vicinity of Cape Leeuwiu and off Shark's 

 Bay, on the ground extending from latitude 20 to 23 south, longitude 107 to 110 east. From 

 March to July ships cruise several degrees off shore to the west of Australia and from October 

 to May near the land. The number of American whaling vessels visiting the Indian Ocean has 

 .been gradually diminishing for several years, and in 18SO not a single vessel from the United 

 States went there for sperm oil. A fleet of about eleven sail of vessels, belonging at Tasmania, is 

 engaged mostly in sperm whaling, and some years they meet with good success. 



SPEEM- WHALE GROUNDS IN 1840. The principal grounds visited by sperm whalers about 

 the time of the greatest prosperity in this fishery are thus described by Commander Wilkes, of the 

 United States Exploring Expedition : 



" The following embraces all the different grounds in the Pacific visited by our whalers : 



" (1) The on-shore ground; that includes the whole extent of ocean along the coast of Chili and 

 Peru from the island of Juan Fernandez to the Galapagos Islands. 



" (2) The off-shore ground ; being the space between latitude 5 and 10 south, longitude 90 

 and 120 west. 



" (3) In the neighborhood of the Hawaiian Islands. 



" (4) In the neighborhood of the Society Islands. 



" (5) In the neighborhood of the Samoan Group. 



"(6 In the neighborhood of the Fiji Group. 



" (7) In the neighborhood of the King's Mill Group. 



" (8) Along and to the south of the equator, from the coast of South America to the King's Mill 

 Group. 



" (9) Across the South Pacific, between the parallels of 21 and 27 south. 



" (10) Across the North Pacific, between the parallels of 27 and 3.5 north. 



"(11) In the neighborhood of the east coast of New Zealand. 



<; (12) In the middle ground between New Holland and New Zealand. 



" (13) The coast of Japan, and between it and Bonin Islands. 



'(14) The northwest coast of America. 



" (15) Coast of California. 



"These, it will be seen, embrace a large field, and it might be supposed that a ship could 

 hardly miss finding the animals. Such, however, is not the case. A vessel may visit all these 

 places, and yet return home a ' clean ship,' if she happened to be out of season. It appears from 

 experience that whales, in their migrations congregate in the above-named places at certain times 



