THE ORDER CETACEA. 67 



last they approached the coasts of Iceland, Greenland, 

 and Newfoundland. Thus was commenced, in the course 

 of the sixteenth century, the northern whale-fishery, as 

 pursued in modern times. 



The earliest whaling voyage made by the English 

 appears to have taken place in the year 1594. The 

 merchants of Hull are recorded to have fitted out ships 

 for the fishery in 1598 ; and much about the same time 

 the Dutch engaged in the trade. The Hamburghers, the 

 French, and the Danes quickly followed At first, both 

 in England and Holland the business was carried on by 

 companies which had obtained charters for its exclusive 

 prosecution. At length, however, it was thrown open in 

 both countries to individual enterprise, under which new 

 system it was found to be conducted with much more 

 success and profit. The Dutch monopoly was put an 

 end to in 1 642 ; the English not till long afterwards. In 

 this country, indeed, the trade was in the hands of an 

 exclusive company till about a century ago. Up to that 

 date it had, in general, been attended only with loss to 

 each successive association that engaged in it. 



In 1732 the British Parliament first adopted the plan 

 of attempting to encourage and establish the trade, by 

 giving a bounty to every ship which should engage in it. 

 The bounty was at first twenty shillings a ton ; but it 

 was raised in 1 749 to double that rate, upon which, says 

 a late writer, '* a number of ships were fitted out, as 

 much certainly in the intention of catching the bounty, 

 as of catching fish." The bounty, which was after- 

 wards reduced to thirty shillings, was again raised to its 

 former amount, and subsequently reduced, first to thirty 

 shillings, then to twenty-five, and after that to twenty, 

 but was at last altogether withdrawn in 1824. The 

 trade is, at present, therefore, carried on without any 



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