710 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



person was allowed to carry any out of the town, on a penalty of 20s. The shells were gathered in cart-loads on the 

 beach, and manufactured into lime. 



For nearly a century and a half there is no record of the progress of the Lynn fisheries. The next fact noted is 

 that in the year 1832 a whaling company was formed and 5 ships employed. They harbored in Saugus River, but on 

 the crossing of the railroad, in 1638, they were removed to Boston. None of the whale-ships were built at Lynn. A 

 ship-yard was established iu the western part of the town about this time, but no vessel larger than a schooner was 

 built there. 



To increase the value of the fisheries an act was passed on March 26, 1852, by the Lynn authorities, to prevent 

 the destruction of shad and alewives in Saugus River and the tributary streams in the city of Lynn. Shad had long 

 before disappeared, but alewives continued abundant. 



" In the summer of 1857 much excitement took place in many places (Lynn included), concerning the discovery of 

 pearls iu fresh water mussels and clams. Many small ones were found in shell-fish taken from the floating bridge and 

 flax-ponds in Lynn, but not enough to render the search more profitable than regular labor. It was quite imusing 

 occasionally to observe some venerable and demure citizen, who never in his life had been guilty of imagining there 

 was such an amusement in the world, wending his way toward the ponds, and fancying his real object entirely con- 

 cealed by the rod and Hue a7id other sporting gear with which he had so cunningly encumbered himself." 



MEDFORD AND VICINITY. 



VESSEL FISHERIES OF MEDFORD FROM 1629 TO 16:i9. The following interesting sketch is from Brooks's History 

 of the town, printed at Boston in 1855 : 



"To Medford belongs the honor of establishing the first fisheries in 'London's Plantation of Massachusetts Bay.' 

 Careful and costly preparations for thi* business were made in England in 1G29, by Mr. Cradock, who believed it the 

 most promising investment then offered from the New World. In the company's 'first general letter,' under date of 

 April 17, 1629, is indicated a course of trade which was to be pursued by the Medford fishermen. It is thus: 'We have 

 sent five weigh of salt in the Wlielpo, and ten weigh iu the Talbot. If there be shallops to be had to ti:-h withal, 

 aud the season of the year fit, pray let the fishermen (of which we send six from Dorchester), together with some of 

 the ship's company, endeavor to take fish, and let it be well saved with the said salt and packed up in hogsheads 

 aud send it home by the Talbot or Lion's Whelpe. At the same time they send 'a seine, being a net to fish with. May 

 28, 1629 ; they say, 'We send salt, lines, hooks, knives, boots, &c.,for the fishermen, desiring our men may be employed 

 iu harbor, or upon the bank. If you send ships to fish on the bank and expect them not to return again to the plan- 

 tation, &c.' 



"By this it appears that those vessels which had caught a cargo of fish 'ou the bank' were expected to take 

 them thence to London. September 3, 1635, the general court chose a committee of six 'for setting forward and man- 

 aging a fishing trade.' That fishing was profitable, we have the following early record : 'Thirty-five ships sailed this 

 year (1622) from the west of England, aud two from London, to fish on the New England coasts, and made profitable 

 voyages.' Through the instrumentality of our fishing interest, the general court passed the following order, May 22, 

 1639 : ' For further encouragement of men to set upon fishing, it is ordered that such ships and vessels and other stock 

 as shall be properly employed and adventured in taking, making, and transporting of fish according to the course of 

 fishing voyages, aud the fish itself shall be exempt, for seven years from henceforth, from all country charges.' 



"To show how minute was the fostering care of our fathers on this point, we have the following order of June 2, 

 1641 : ' It is ordered that fishermen shall have their fish for bait at the same rate that others have at the wears, and 

 be first served.' 'The property of Governor Cradock, invested at Medford for fishing and other purposes,' was large. 

 Mr. Sq,vago says, ' he maintained a small plantation for fishing at Mistick, in the present bounds of Maiden, opposite 

 to Wiuthrop's farm, at Ten Hills.' Complaint was made by onr fishermen of a law, passed by Plymouth Colony, 

 which laid a tax of 5s. on ' every share offish' caught by strangers 'at the cape.' 



" From all that we can gather, we conclude that Mr. Cradock had invested as much as $15,000. which, in various 

 trade here, must have made Medford a thriving and populous plantation for an infant settlement. The fishing busi- 

 ness continued for fifteen or twenty years, but with less and less profit to Mr. Cradock. It was finally abandoned 

 as a failure, aud afterwards the river-fishing alone claimed attention. 



SHAD AND ALEWIFE FISHERIES IN MYSTIC RIVER. "May, 16I$9: The price of .alewives in Medford, at this time, 

 was 5s. per thousand. This made food incredibly cheap. 



"That Mystic River, as a resort for fish, was early known ajd greatly valued, appears from many testimonies. 

 In .Tosselyn's account of his two voyages to New England (1638), we have the following record: 'The river Mistick 

 runs through the right side of the town (Charlestown), aud, by its near approach to Charles River in one place, makes 

 a very narrow neck, where stands most part of the town. The market place, not far from the water side, is surrounded 

 with houses.' In Mystic River were 'bass, shad, alewives, frost-fish, and smelts.' Josselyn says, 'We will return to 

 Charlestown again, where the river Mistick runs on the north side of the town (that is, on the right side, as before 

 said), where, on the northwest side, is the town of Mistick, three miles from Charlestown, a league and a half by 

 water, a scattered village. At the head of this river are great and spacious ponds, full of alewives in the spring-time ; 

 thenotedest place for this sort offish.' 



"This quotation from Josselyn, while it goes to prove that bass, shad, and alewives were no strangers in our 

 rivers, shows like wise that the population of our town was then settled chiefly between the two brick houses now stand- 

 ing, and that the place was called Mistick. The ' wear ' or fishing dam at Medford was at the outlet of the pond, 



