COMPARATIVE VIEW. — SCOTLAND. 117 



company in Eclinbiirgli, and vessels ^vere fitted 

 from Leith, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dundee, Dun- 

 bar, Borrowstounness and Greenock. Their suc- 

 cess in 1753 was 611 whales, and in 1754, 36 whales, 

 of which 18 belonged to the Edinburgh Companies. 

 In 1755, 15 ships from Scotland procured 41 whales, 

 1 bottlenose, and 1 seahorse ; and in 1756, the 

 fishery was generally successful. Until the year 

 1763, the whale-fishery from Scotland employed 

 14 to 16 sail of ships, but for upwards of 20 years 

 after this period, not more than 10 ships were sent 

 out annually, and sometimes only 3 or 4. In 

 1785, the trade began again to flourish, and in the 

 year 1787, 31 ships were sent out, w^hich caught 84 

 whales and 6571 seals ; the produce of which was 

 about 2548 butts, or 1274 tons of blubber, being 

 equal to about 33 or 34 tons of oil ^9er ship ; and 

 in the following season, the same number of vessels 

 caught 62 whales. Above 200 sail of ships proceed- 

 ed to the fishery from England at this period. 

 Between the years 1750 and 1788, 2449 whale- 

 fishing ships, burden 740,065 tons, were fitted out 

 from the ports of England, including repeated 

 voyages, and 430 ships, burden 130,998 tons, fi-om 

 the different ports of Scotland. The bounties paid 

 to the owners of these vessels, in the course of the 

 above interval of 39 years, amounted to 1,335,098/. 

 Is. 2d. for England, and 242,837/. 19.S-. 2d. for 

 Scotland. The official value of the produce of the 



