VII 



IS THE WHALE A FISH? 



ON MARCH 31, 1818, the Legislature of the State of New 

 York passed an act authorizing the Governor to appoint 

 certain *' gangers and inspectors of fish oil," who should pro- 

 vide themselves with proper instruments for gauging and 

 inspecting oil; who should, whenever requested, "gauge and 

 inspect any parcels of fish oiF' in their respective districts; and 

 who, further, should "inquire diligently, and seek out any 

 parcels of fish oil" in their districts. On the head of each cask 

 of oil that an inspector thus examined and gauged, he must 

 brand his name, the name of his district, the number of gallons 

 in the cask, and the quantities of water, of sediment, and of 

 pure oil that he found. To the owner of the oil he then must 

 give a certificate stating the results of his inspection; and for 

 his labour he was entitled to collect twenty cents for each 

 cask, large or small, that he thus gauged, inspected, and certi- 

 fied. 



It was common knowledge that various ingenious scoun- 

 drels, having no fear of God in their hearts, practised all manner 

 of clever schemes to dilute or adulterate oil to their profit. 

 Drawing out several gallons of oil from a cask, they would fill 

 the cask up with water; or by inserting in a cask a few blocks of 

 wood, or a quantity of some other substance worth less than 

 oil, bulk for bulk, they would contrive thus devilishly to in- 

 crease their lawful profits. The wariest purchaser was liable 

 to run foul of a rogue cleverer than himself, which was, of 

 course, distinctly annoying. So the law was a good one, and 

 to compel men of light morals to observe it, the act provided 

 that for every cask of fish oil bought, sold, or bartered, without 

 being thus gauged, inspected, branded, and certified, the 



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