COMPARATIVE VIEW. — IRELAND. 133 



what was needful, he applied to the Irish Parliament 

 for aid, and ohtained a grant of 500/. ; but dying soon 

 after, it was never paid. His brother then pursued 

 the project, ])ut with no better success. 



In 1759, two enteiYiising gentlemen, who lived 

 on the sea-coast of the county of Donegal, revived 

 Chaplain's undertaking. But though they procur- 

 ed all the necessary assistance from persons experi- 

 enced in tlie Greenland fisherv, tosjether with a 

 well adapted vessel, fully equipped with boats and 

 other apparatus ; and though numbers of whales 

 were seen, both wlien they made their first attempt 

 in 1760, and in the year following, yet they were 

 unable to take more than one during the two first 

 seasons in wiiich they persevered in the pursuit. 

 After having expended 3000/. in the undertaking, 

 they discovered, that the wliale which resorted 

 to these seas, being of different habits fiom the 

 Greenland whale, could not be taken in the same 

 way. My ICesbet, therefore, one of the speculators, 

 made a trial with the harpoon-gun, and fired both 

 harpoons and lances at the whales, and with such 

 success, that they killed three fish in 170*2, two of 

 which were between 60 and 70 feet in length, and the 

 other above 50 ; and in the year following, they also 

 killed tv.-o whales of a large size, wliich v^as more than 

 many of the ships, fitted for Greenland at a vast ex- 

 pence, obtained. The same year (1763), the Irish 



