COMPARATIVE VIEW. — ENGLISH PORTS. 125 



means of saving the crews of two London sliips, 

 both of which were wrecked. The Island of Jan 

 JMayen was, on the part of the British, the discovery 

 of the Hull fishers, and when their right to sail to 

 the whale-fishery was disputed by the Russia Com- 

 pany, on application to Government by the corpora- 

 tion, this island was granted them for a fishing sta- 

 tion. 



The Hull whalers have generally been conspicu- 

 ous for their success in their occupation ; and, of 

 late years, for the number of their shipping. 



In 1786, 18 vessels sailed from this port to the 

 whale-fisheries ; and in the year following the num- 

 ber was more than double. In the latter year (1787,) 

 the tonnage of the 31 ships belonging Hull, amount- 

 ed to 8160 tons ; one of the fleet was lost, and the 

 other 30 caught llOi whales, and 7941 seals, which 

 produced 3583 butts of blubber, and 571 tons of 

 whalebone. In 1788, the Hull ships sent to the 

 Greenland fishery, were 29 sail, besides 7 to Davis' 

 Straits : the whole caught 121 whales, 2997 seals, 

 19 bears, and 4> narwhales, producing together 2938 

 butts of blubber, and 46 tons 10 cwt. of wliale- 

 bone. Two years afterwards, the success of the 

 Hull ships was much greater, 17 of their fleet ha- 

 ving taken 125 whales and 12,640 seals, whicli 

 produced 1678 tons of oil, and 80^ tons of whale- 

 bone. In 1799, the Hull fleet was particularly 

 successful ; and in 1804, 24 Greenland sliips jnid 



