16* WHALE-FISHERY. 



instances quoted by JNI. Noel, an actual whale-fisli- 

 ery must be referred to. 



Though the whalc-fishers inhabiting the shores 

 of the Bay of Biscay, spoken of in the preceding 

 pages, were principally Spaniards *, yet some of 

 them were evidently French, and consequently the 

 whale-fishery of this nation is partly involved in 

 that of the Biscayans. As it would be needless to 

 repeat here what lias already been advanced, it will 

 be necessary only to observe, that when they began 

 to pursue the fin- whales from the Bay of Biscay to 

 the high sea, the numbers taken were so consi- 

 derable, that, according to Rondelet, about the year 

 1554, the Ushers of the coast of Bayonne made use 

 of the bones of the whale for the inclosures of theii- 

 gardens f . The French sent ships to Spitzbergen 

 at a very early period, as appears by the account of 

 all the rival fishers being driven out of the coun- 

 try by the Russia Company's ships, in the year 

 1613, excepting some French ships, which they 

 permitted to fijsh there, on payment of a cer- 

 tain tribute of v;hales. After this time, the French 

 were in the habit of frequently visiting the Spitz- 

 bergen fishery, and occasionally with a considerable 

 number of ships, though it seems they seldom used 

 to resoit to the bays, but usually fished in the open 



* Beschryving, &c, vol. i. p. 26,-27- 

 + " Memoire," p. 12. 



