84 WHALF- FISHER Y« 



ascertain her suitableness and proper equipment, and 

 certificate thereof to be given to the Commissioners 

 of the Customs, — the owner and master then ma- 

 king oath of the nature and object of the voyage, 

 and that it is " 07i no other design oi' view of pro- 

 *' Jit *," than the capture of whales and other crea- 

 tures inhabiting the Greenland seas, and the master 

 having given bond for his faithful dealings, — the 

 Commissioners are required to grant licence for the 

 ship to proceed. Each ship to be properly equip- 

 ped, must be furnished with a certain number of 

 officers, seamen, greenmen f and apprentices, boats, 

 harpoons, lines, and other fishing stores, in propor- 



* It is remarkable, that this clause should have existed ; and 

 much more so, that it should have been inserted after the pass- 

 ing of acts for the encouragement of discoveries of a northern 

 passage into the Pacific, and a near approach to the Pole, — 

 when it is considered, that by this clause, the whale-fishers, 

 who, it was believed, could the most conveniently attempt 

 such an enterprise, were the only persons prevented from pur- 

 suing such a " design or view of profit." The insertion of this 

 sentence has evidently been intended, to prevent ships sent 

 on other trading voy;>ges from being benefited by the bounty 

 act ; and not to prevent attempts to make such discoveries as 

 the Legislature offered premiums for accomplishing. In fact, 

 the two acts, as they thus stand, if not incompatible, are at least 

 inconsistent. Lately, however, this inconsistency has been 

 pointed out to Government, and an exception has been intro- 

 duced into the master's and owner's oath, as to any rewards 

 offered by Government for the making of discoveries. (58th 

 Geo. IIL c. 15.) 



t Greenmen are svich seamen or landsmen as have not be- 

 fore been to the fishery. 



