A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 521 



the exports to the " Neighbour-Islands are Beef, Pork, Fish, Wax, 

 Honey, Palmetto-hats, Baskets, and Woodden ware. All about the 

 value of six thousand pounds per annum." 



They stated that there were about 400 planters; 8,000 men, women, 

 children, and slaves ; about 1,000 white persons able to bear arms. 

 Also that about 50 blacks had been brought in and sold as slaves at 

 about £15 per head during the previous seven years. As to com- 

 merce, the}'' stated that about ten or twelve small vessels came to 

 trade annually from New England, New York, Barbadoes, etc., for 

 provisions, besides eight or ten more touch at the islands ; and there 

 were thirteen or fourteen vessels, of from 20 to 80 tons, belonging 

 to the islands. 



c. — The Whale Fishery; Sharks Oil. 



The whale fishery was claimed as a royalty by the Bermuda 

 Company, and the colonists were strictly prohibited from taking 

 whales, except with special commissions, and for the Company. 

 Under these circumstances they were not very ambitious to pursue 

 the fishery, though several unsuccessful attempts were made as early 

 as 161*7 and 1621. The sperm whale, or "trunk whale" as it was 

 then called, Mas found there, but was probably never captured in 

 that century. At least Mr. Richard Stafford, in 1668, said that he 

 had never known of one being killed, though he, himself, had killed 

 many whalebone whales. In a few instances dead sperm % whales 

 had been found stranded on the reefs, and considerable oil obtained 

 from them. One such case is recorded in June, 1676. The so-called 

 " Right Whales " were originally very common in the spring months, 

 breeding in shallow water about the reefs (see ch. 30). But their 

 capture was not systematically undertaken till 1663, when special 

 rules were enacted by the Bermuda Company, and a special stock 

 company was organized for the whale fishery, December, 1663. 

 This effort was not at first a success and resulted in considerable loss 

 to the parties concerned. A writer in the Trans. Royal Society for 

 1665 (i, p. 11) quotes a correspondent as stating that he had helped 

 to take two old whales and three "cubs" in 1665, and that 16 had 

 been killed in 1666 (ii, p. 132). The largest he claimed was 88 feet 

 long.* In November, 1667, they offered to give those of the natives 



* From the description that this writer gave it is evident that this was a Hurnp- 

 Back Whale, with very long flippers and a dorsal fin. Such whales are swifter 

 and harder to kill than true Right Whales. Little account was made of the 

 baleen, which was short, but small quantities were shipped to London. Prob- 

 ably a few Biscay Right Whales were sometimes taken. (See ch. 30.) 



