JO WHALE-FISHERY. 



of national commerce, which had ever been offered 

 to the industry of man. 



The merchants of Hull, who were ever remark- 

 able for their assiduous and enterprising spirit, fit- 

 ted out ships for the v>^hale-fishery so early as the 

 year 1598*; which they continued regidarly to pro- 

 secute on the coasts of Iceland and near the North 

 Cape, for several years ; and after the re-discovery 

 of Spitzbergen by Hudson in 1607, they were 

 among the first to push forward to its coasts. 



Captain Jonas Poole was sent out on a voyage 

 of discovery in the year 1610, by the " Company 

 ^^ for the Discovery ofunlmoxmi Countries,'' the 

 " Muscovy Company," or the " Russia Company," as 

 it was subsequently denominated. When unable 

 to proceed farther to the northward, he returned 

 to Spitzbergen, and employed himself some time in 

 killing sea-horses, in order to reduce the expences of 

 the voyage. Having observed a vast number of 

 whales on the coast, he mentioned it to the compa- 

 ny after his return, Avho, the next year, fitted out 

 two ships for the fishery ; the Marie JMargaret of 

 160 tons, under the direction of Thomas Edge, 

 factor, and the Elizabeth of 60 tons, Jonas Poole, 

 master. Edge had six Biscayans along with him, 

 expert at killing whales, and his ship was fur- 



* Elking's View of the Greenland Trade and Whale-fishery, 

 p. 41. 



