COMPARATIVE VIEW. — HOIXAND. 147 



The Dutch, it may be remarked, have been 

 more assiduous adventurers in the northern whale- 

 fisheries than any other nation, having pursued the 

 trade at all times since their commencement in the 

 year 1612 to the present, except when the pecu- 

 liar situation of the country with regard to other 

 nations, prevented their ships from visiting the fish- 

 ery ; and even then, in times of war, they often 

 ventured abroad under the disguise of a neutral 

 flag. Partial or total suspensions of their whale- 

 fishery were thus occasioned in the years 1653, 

 1659 (conditionally), 1665, 1666, 1672, 1673, 1674, 

 1691, 1781, 1782, and during the last war. Ex- 

 cluding these occasions, when the fishery was in- 

 tercepted, the Dutch whale-fishery, during a pe- 

 riod of 125 years, included between 1660 and 1795, 

 employed 18,992 vessels, which captured 71,900 

 whales ; averaging 152 ships and 575;^ fish, or 3f 

 fish per ship each year. 



The Dutch Government has at all periods, since 

 the discovery of the whale-fishery, encouraged its 

 prosecution by various edicts of indulgence, but 

 never by bounties, until the year 1815, when a 

 premium of 4000/.' (to be continued for three years) 

 was offered on the outfit of every ship, and 5000y* 

 more if she returned home clean. If slie met v»ith 

 success, 50y.' were to be deducted off the second 

 bounty for every quardeel or barrel of oil she brought 

 homC;, thus absorbing all the second bounty, if her 



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