THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF TlIK WESTERN NOimi ATLANTIC. 75 



" Agi-eeiueut made the 4"' of January, IGGi), between ye whale companies of 

 East and Southampton. If any companie shall fiiide a dead whale uppon the 

 shore, killed l)y ye other, a peison shall bee inunediately sent to give notice; and 

 the person bringing the news to bee well rewarded. And if one companie shall 

 finde any whale so killed at sea, they shall endeavor to secure them, and have one 

 half for their pains, and any irons found in them to bee returned to ye owners.'" 



In the second edition of this work, i)ublished in 1843,- is the follo\vin<^: 



" As an evidence of the extent to which bo.at-whaling was carried, on this [)art 

 of Long Island [Krookhaven], at the beginning of the eighteenth century, we 

 present the following items from a manuscri[)t in the handwriting of Madam 

 Martha, widow of Col. W"? Smith of St. George's Manor : 



" 'Jan. y^ 16, 1707 (she says) my company killed a yeai'ling whale, made 27 

 barrels. Feb. y? 4, Indian Hairy, with his boat, struck a stunt whale and could 

 not kill it — called for my boat to help him. I had l)nt a third, which was 4 

 barrels. Feb. 22, my two boats, and my son's, and Floyd's boats, killed a yearling 

 whale, of which I had half — made 36, my share 18 barrels. Feb. 24, my company 

 killed a school whale, which made 35 barrels. March 13, my company killed a 

 small yearling, made 30 barrels. March 17, mj^ company killed two yearlings in 

 one day; one made 27, the other 14 barrels.' 



"The following is the receipt for duties: 'New York, this 5''' June, 1707, 

 then received of Nathan Simson, y'' sume of fifteen pounds, fifteen shillings, for 

 ace' of mad" Martha Smith, it being y" 20'*' part of her evle, by virtue of a war- 

 rant from my Ld. Corubury, dated 25'*" of March, last past, 1707. Per me, Elias 

 Boudinot.' " 



Hubbard's General History of New England contains the following: 



"The next place, on that called Long Island, is East Ham[iton, at the furthest 

 end eastward ; then South Hampton ; next, Southhold, where the inhabitants of 

 late [1635-1650?] have fallen upon the killing of whales, that frequent the south 

 side of the island in the latter part of the winter, wherein they have a notable kind 

 of dexterity ; and the trade that ariseth therefrom hath been very beneficial to all 

 that end of the island." ^ 



"Upon the south side of Long Island, in the winter, lie store of whales and 

 grampuses, which the inhabitants begin [1635-1650?] with small boats to make a 

 trade of catching, to their no small benefit.'''' * 



It is by no means certain that the expression " of late " refers to the period 

 1635-1650, the events of which were being chronicled. More probably it refers 

 to the date at which the history was v/ritten. Shore whaling appears to have been 

 begun on Long Island about 1652. 



Weeden's Economic and Social History of New England, 1890, contains a 

 chapter on colonial whale fishery, in which some of the foregoing notices of whales 

 and whaling seasons ai'e quoted or referred to, together with many relating to the 

 fishery itself. ^ 



'Thompson, Benj. F., History of Long Island, New York, ist ed., 1839, p. 191. 

 = Vol. I, p. 438, foot-note. ' V. 668. ' P. 673. 



' Weeden, Wm. B., Economic and Social History of New England, 1620-1789, 2 vols., Boston, 

 1890. 



