[7] XOTES ON THE WHALE FISHERY. 211 



amoug the ministry ; aud thus the matter ended. When the French 

 revolution broke out the Eotchs accepted certain terms from the English 

 Government, and went to Milford Haven with part of their ships. 

 After the revolution in France the Eotch's had two fleets of whalers^ 

 one sailing from England, the other from France, and this continued 

 until the death of Mr. Benjamin Eotch in London in 1839. The French 

 fleet continued in existence until the death of Mr. William E. Eodmauy 

 a grandson of Mr. Eotch, which event occurred in 1855, the business 

 thus remaining in the family for seventy years, and passing from grand- 

 father to grandson. 



While in France Mr. Eotch appeared in the French assembly with a. 

 petition for a modification of the conscription and Maniago laws, which 

 should favor the Friends or Quakers, many of whom had emigrated 

 from Nantucket with their families to France. He was listened to with 

 marked attention by all who were in the assembly. Mirabeau was 

 chosen to reply to him, and it was a masterly effort. Edward Bveretfc 

 is quoted as saying that it was the best speech he ever made. 



During the war of 1812 Nantucket was attacked at home and abroad. 

 England kept her Scorpions, Mmrods, and Bulldogs hovering around the 

 island, capturing everything inward or outward bound. At times the 

 inhabitants were in extreme distress for want of the bare necessaries of 

 life. When peace was declared in February, 1815, there was an un- 

 usual demonstration and great rejoicing among the people. The ocean 

 was once more open and free to their ships, and they were not long in 

 sending to sea a new and extensive fleet. We soon had a large num- 

 ber upon Chili, Peru, and what was known as the "off-shore" whaling 

 ground, which extended from near the equator as far west as the Society 

 and Navigator's group of islands. But whales had become scarce, and 

 the oily monstors must be sought after in new seas. In 1820, the ships 

 Maro aud Eambler, of Nantucket, commanded, respectively, by Oapts. 

 Joseph Allen and Benjamin Worth, in company with the Syren, of Lon- 

 don, belonging to Samuel Enderly, Capt. Fred. K, Coffin; Cyrus, Capt. 

 Elisha Folger, jr., and Balena, Capt. Edmund Gardner, of New Bed- 

 ford, rendezvoused at the Sandwich Islands. Here they met Captain 

 Winship, of the ship O'Cane, a veteran northwest coast merchantman^ 

 who informed them that while crossing on his many voyages from the 

 Sandwich Islands to Canton, China, he observed a great number of 

 sperm whales on what was called the Coast of Japan, in latitude 25^ 

 north, longitude 165° east, even up to the Japan Islands. Convinced 

 that the enthusiastic statements of Captain Winship could be relied upon 

 as facts, the several captains hurriedly recruited their ships and sailed 

 into these unfrequented seas. Two of the fleet arriving off the coast 

 of Japan, in the spring of 1820, on the 10th day of May Captain Coffin 

 in the Syren saw and struck his first sperm whale; Captain Allen, in the 

 ship Maro, of Nantucket, struck the next whale June 1, and both ships 

 were filled with sperm oil in three months after leaving the Sandwich 

 Islands, each ship taking upwards of 1,800 barrels. 



