THE ANTARCTIC SEAL FISHERIES. 441 



presented a good prospect of advantage. Sealing was in many respects nearly allied with whaling. 

 Seals and whales were generally met with on the same coast ; it required as large vessels and as 

 many men to engage in taking the former as the latter ; the outfits were nearly the same, and the 

 voyages were of like duration. In 1790 one vessel was fitted out for the coast of Africa, on a 

 sealing expedition, but the original plan of the voyage was not adhered to, and the cruise was 

 unsuccessful ; but it had some good effect, for some useful knowledge was acquired respecting the 

 different parts of the business, which was afterwards prosecuted to a considerable profit." 



Two vessels sailed from New Haven, Conn., in 1790 on a fur-seal voyage to Falkland Islands 

 and South Georgia. One of these, commanded by Capt. Eoswell Woodward, brought a cargo to 

 the United States. The other vessel, commanded by Capt. Daniel Green, proceeded to Canton, 

 China, where the skins were exchanged for merchandise. Captain Green on this voyage circum- 

 navigated the globe. 



Captain Patten, of the ship Industry, of Philadelphia, with a part of his crew, remained on 

 one of the Tristan d'Acunha group of islands from August, 1790 to April, 1791, for the purpose of 

 collecting fur-seal skins, during which time he obtained 5,600 for the Chinese market, and could, 

 he says, have loaded a large ship witk oil in three weeks, so abundant were the fur-seals, sea- 

 lions, and sea elephants. 



1792. 



A ship sailed from Boston, Mass., in 1792, under Captain Lee, for the Falkland Islands and 

 Pacific Ocean, whaling and sealing. Betsey, brig, 100 tons, Captain Steele, sailed from New 

 York May 2, 1792 ; arrived at the Falkland Islands in September. " A full cargo of fur-seal 

 skins was procured for the brig by the month of January," and the vessel arrived home in June, 

 1793. Edmund Fanning, who in 1797 sailed again on the Betsey, was one of the crew on this 

 voyage.* 



1793. 



Eliza, ship, Capt. W. E. Stewart, of New York, arrived at Canton in March, 1793, with 38,000 

 fur-seal skins from Mas-a-Fuera. The cargo was sold for $16,000. She had been a long time on 

 her voyage. This was the first vessel that went to Mas a Fuera for the purpose of procuring seal 

 skins for the Chinese market. Captain Palmer was in command when she left New York, but he 

 left her before she arrived in China. Capt. Amasa Delano, of Boston, took command at Canton 

 and returned with her to the United States, via Cape of Good Hope.t 



Schooner Swallow, Capt. Latham Gardner, of Nantucket, sailed for the Falkland Islands in 

 1793, whaling and sealing; arrived home May 17, 1794. 



Capt. William Howell, of New Haven, wrote to his father from the South Sea seal islands, in 

 1793, that they found plenty of seals, but not knowing how to preserve them they lost one season.J 



1796. 



Neptune, ship, Capt. D. F. Green, sailed from New Haven, Conn., November 29, 1796, and 

 arrived at New York February 17, 1799, having taken 50,000 fur-seal skins from Mas a-Fuera to 

 China, where they were exchanged for goods that yielded over $260,000 in New York. (See sub- 

 sequent pages for further details of this voyage.) 



* Fanning's Voyages. t Delano's Voyages. 



t Letter from Charles Peterson, of New Haven. I am indebted to Mr. Peterson for details of several early 

 voyages. 



