Class IV. COMMON W HA L E. 55 



Dictionary of Commerce*, it being certain that 

 the whale fifhery was carried on, for the fake of 

 the oil, long before the difcovery of the ufe of whale 

 bone. 



The great refort of thefe animals was found to 

 be on the inhoipitable mores of Spitzbergen^ and 

 the European fnips made that place their principal 

 fifhery, and for numbers of years were very fuc- 

 cefsful : the Englijh commenced that bufinefs about 

 the year 1598, and the town of Hull had the honor 

 of firft attempting that profitable branch of trade. 

 At prefent it feems to be on the decline, the quan- 

 tity of fifti being greatly reduced by the conftant 

 capture for fucht a vaft length of time : fome re- 

 cent accounts inform us, that the fi fliers, from a 

 defect of whales ? apply themfelves to feal fifhery, 

 from which animals they extract an oil. This 

 we fear will not be of any long continuance; for 

 thefe fhy and timid creatures will foon be induced 

 to quit thofe. fnores by being, perpetually harrarTed, 

 as the morfe or walrus has already in a great 

 meafure done. We are alfo told, that the poor 

 natives of Greenland begin even now to fuffer from 

 the decreafe of the feal in their feas, it being their 

 principal fubfiftence •, fo that fnould it totally de- 

 defert the coaft, the whole nation would be in dan- 

 ger of perifliing through want. 



In old times the whale feems never to have been Royal 



Fish. 

 * Vol. I. 442. 



E 4 taken 



