STUDY VI, 



315 



In 1782, at the mouth of the Gothela, a fmall 

 river which waflies the walls of Gottenburg, one 

 hundred and thirty-nine thoufand barrels were 

 cured by fait, three thoufand feven hundred were 

 fmoked, and two thoufand eight hundred and 

 forty-five caiks of oil were extracted from what 

 could not be preferved. The Gazette of France *, 

 which contains an account of this fiihery, remarks 

 that, previous to 1752, thefe fifhes had entirely 

 difappeared for 72 years together. I afcribe their 

 defertion of this coaft to fome naval engagement, 

 which had chaced them away by the noife of the 

 artillery, as is the cafe with the turtle of the illand 

 of Afcenfion, which forfake the road for weeks to- 

 gether, when vefTels paffing that way difcharge 

 their great guns. It may, perhaps, be likewife 

 accounted for, from a conflagration of the forefls, 

 which might have deftroyed the vegetables that 

 attradted them to the coaft. 



The good Bifliop of Berghen, Pont-Oppidan, 

 the Fenelon of Norway, who introduced into his 

 popular fermons, complete trafts of Natural Hif- 

 tory, as being excellent articles of Theology, re- 

 lates •f-, that when the herrings coafted along the 

 fliores of Norway, " The whales, which purfue 



* Friday the iithOAober, 1782. 

 ■\ Font-Ofpidan% Natural Hiftory of Norway. 



" them 



