BY \V. LoDKWVK ( ROWTHKK. I-.s.u, M B. 135 



cosmopolitan gathering of whalers was made possible by 

 the fact that New Zealand was "No Man's Land" and not 

 annexed to the Crown, and in a chosen locality as Cloudy 

 Bay ships from Salem, Bristol, Le Havre, and Sydney lay 

 together for months taking their catch and often assisting 

 each other. V.D.L. being a Crown possession, as such, 

 gave no facilities for ships or craws other than British, 

 except for re-fitting and re-victualling. Oil taken in 

 Ameriean and foreign ships paid a duty in England of 

 £26 1 2s. per tun Imperial, whereas the duty on British 

 Oil wHvS Is. per tun Imperial. The following certificate 

 had to accompany the Oil, and was required upon the 

 entry at the Customs House, London. 



''V.D.L. This is to certify to all whom it may 

 "concern that the oath required by the Act of Geo. 

 "IV. C. 69, sec. 25, has been made before me (describe 

 "here the person administering the oath) by A.B., 

 "shipper of casks of Oil by the 



"British ship for London. That the same 



"was bona fide the produce of fish, of creatures living 

 "in the soa actually caught and taken whollv by ilis 

 "Majesty s subjects, carrying on the Fishery froni hero 

 "and actually residing in tliis Colony. (//. T. Gazette, 

 "August 13th, 1825). ' 



Tho discrimination was even greater with Whalebone, 

 on which foreign shij)s paid a duty of £95, tompaied to 

 our ships £1, its value at this date being £160 -£190 per 

 tun. 



By this year (1825) the "Derwent Whaling Club" had 

 been formed, its members being: — ■ 

 Jamea Kelly, Esq. 

 William Wilson, Esq. 

 W. Angus Bethune, Esq. 

 C. Ross Nairne, Esq. 



A prize of 8 dollai^s was given to the first person giving 

 information as to a whale being in the River. Profits 

 were divided into 7 shares, 4 to tho Members, 1 to Chari- 

 table purposes, and 1 to the Native youth who displayed 

 the greatest expert ness as a headsman. 



In the (Jazette, August 13th, 1825, appears the follow- 

 ing, which seems to show that the quantity of the train 

 oil from V.D.L. did not compare too favourably with that 

 from other sources : — ■ 



"The Southern Whale and Sea horse oil imported from 

 "V.D.L. is generallv foimd to be of dark colour and of less 



