292i WHALE-FISHERY. 



towed by the iisli directly to windward, with the ve- 

 locity of at least Ij to 2 knots, during an hour and 

 a half. And then, though the whale must have 

 been greatly exhausted, it beat the water with its 

 fins and tail in so tremendous a way, that the sea 

 around was in a continual foam, and the most hardy 

 of the sailors scarcely dared to approach it. At 

 length, about 8 P. M, after 40 hours of almost in- 

 cessant, and for the most part fruitless exertion, 

 this formidable and astonishingly vigorous animal 

 w^as killed. The capture and the flensing occupied 

 48 hours ! The fish was 11 feet 4 inches bone 

 (the length of the longest lamina of whalebone) ; 

 and its produce filled 47 butts, or 23c\ ton ciisks 

 with blubber *. 



SECT. X. 



Proceedings of the Fishei^s after a Whale ?> 

 Killed. 



Befoke a whale can he flensed, as the operation 

 of taking off the fat and whalebone is called, some 

 preliminary measures are requisite. These consist 

 in securing the fish to a boat, cutting away the at- 

 tached whale-lines, lashing the fins of the whale 

 together, and towing it to the ship. 



* This interesting occurrence was communicated to me by 

 the late Captain of the Royal County, in a letter containing the 

 accoimt of tJie trajisaction, as inserted in his log-book. 



