156 FISHERMEN OP THE UNITED STATES. 



schooner Independence, of Boston, Capt. Lewis L. Smith. The crew consisted of Lewis L. Smith, 

 master; Daniel Smith, father to the captain, and Lewis and Daniel Smith were his sons. The 

 cook was Daniel, and thai was his grandfather's name, and he was on board. Then there were 

 Atkins Smith, the captain's brother, and Job Hill, the captain's brother-in-law. Then there were 

 Ambrose Hill, Job's son, and I. We sailed for the Gulf of Saint Lawrence on the 27th of April. 

 That was too early to get into the Gulf for ice. We first harbored in Barrington, near Cape Sable. 

 Then we made a move eastward and harbored in Liscomb's Harbor. The next move we got to 

 Canso, where we remained several days. The northern part of the straits was filled with ice. 

 After some days of southerly wind, the ice drifted northward and we made another move along, 

 harboring again at Port Hood, where we were detained a few days. We were bound for the Mag- 

 dalen Islands. We got about half-way, and had to come back on account of the ice. After a 

 few days the ice cleared so that we reached the Magdalen Islands and went into harbor. The 

 vessel went out into the gulf and brought their fish to shore as soon as they got part of a fare, 

 and they were cured by a Frenchman living on the island, who received 10 per cent, for curing them. 

 We didn't fish any to speak of at Magdalen Islands, but we went over to Bank Bradley fishing, 

 also to North Cape, Prince Edward Island. We didn't get more than two thirds of a cargo of fish, 

 and when it came time to come home we left the Gulf, notwithstanding some 40 hogsheads of salt 

 were not consumed. After taking the fish on board at Magdalen Islands the schooner sailed and 

 arrived home in the latter part of September. When I left the vessel I engaged in the shore 

 fisheries through the autumn, winter, and following spring. This completes 1824. 



The next spring I shipped in the schooner President, Ebenezer Atkins master. That schooner 

 was 84 tons, and carried 100 hogsheads of salt. During both of these voyages we fished wholly 

 with mackerel bait, and we could catch as many as we wanted. The mackerel were caught with jigs, 

 there being enough offal thrown over from the decks to keep them on the surface. We nearly 

 always took the spawn of codfish and used it for mackerel toll-bait to keep them at the surface. 

 We fished mostly on Bank Bradley, off North Cape, Prince Edward Island, and along the west 

 shore from Escuminac Point to Point Miscou. We finished our salt and then commenced our 

 homeward passage, arriving home the latter part of September. When we were on the way home 

 I was looking out to see the barren and sterile sands of Cape Cod come into view. After arriving 

 in Provincetown the fish were washed out by the crew and delivered to the owner for preparing for 

 market. I engaged in the shore fishery until the fish were ready for market, when I again joined 

 the vessel. After taking in the fish, we went to Boston for market. The cod-fishermen then went 

 up and tied alongside the Long Wharf. The dock came up to the Faneuil Hall building. Where 

 the Quincy Market building now stands, there was water when I first went to Boston. When 

 I was on the Independence the vessel's jib-boom extended up to North street (Ann street it 

 was culled then). Our vessels went up there and hauled up to Long Wharf to wait for a 

 buyer. They kept coining, one after another, until there was quite an accumulation of vessels 

 there. The, meat they ate was chiefly sheep, and they would buy them for 12i cents, but they 

 used to generally give about 25 cents. There was at that time considerable work for the crews in 

 unloading vessels while thej were waiting for a purchaser to buy their fish. We sold the fish for 

 $2 a quintal. I made $150. 



I was engaged in the following year, during the spring, in fishing for codfish at Eace Point. 

 In Hie winter the fishing was in (Jape Cod Bay. I shipped then in a new schooner belonging to 

 Wellfleet, the Aurora, Capt. Freeman A. Baker, master. She was a vessel of 55 tons and was 

 built at Newbmypoit. We engaged in the mackerel fishery on the New England coast from Cape 

 Cod to Mount Desert. On that voyage the vessel came over from Welltleet and took me aboard, 



