TRANSACTIONS OP THE SECTIONS. 1Q9 



SiatisHes relative to the Northern Whale Fisheries from 1772 to 1852. 



Bi/ Henry Mukroe, M.£>., M.R.C.S., L.S.A.^c. 

 The first attempt by the English to capture the whale was in 1594. The Hull 

 merchants fitted out ships for the whale fishery as early as 1598, and at a very early 

 period discovered Jan Mayen or Trinity Island. The British legislature, to encourage 

 the prosecution of the whale fisheries, enacted in 1749 that the original bounty of 

 20s. per ton should be increased to 40s. per ton. In the year 1785, ^€94,558 were 

 paid in bounties. From 1796 to 1821, a period of 25 years, the number of vessels 

 sent out increased to 64, the largest number ever sent. From 1821 to 1833 the 

 number of vessels sent out began to decline, owing probably to the year 1821 being 

 a disastrous one, 10 vessels having been lost. The year 1833 is the most prosperous 

 recorded, 27 ships bringing home the great amount of 5024 tons of oil, being on the 

 average of 186 tons per ship, whilst the average return per ship for the last 80 

 years was only 88 tons. During the last 80 years 194 ships have been fitted out 

 for the fisheries. Out of this number 80 have been lost, and six more taken in war- 

 time. Some of the ships have been as often as 58 voyages to the fisheries. For 10 

 years between 2000 and 3000 sailors were annually sent in the whaling ships ; for 

 40 years above 1000 were sent at the average of 44 men per ship. During the period 

 of 80 years the Hull whaling ships have taken 85,644 men ; on an average of 1070 

 per year. During the period of 80 years the returns of oil per year have varied from 

 5 tons to 7976 tons of oil. The largest cargo of oil brought home was 285 tons. 

 During the last 80 years the gross amount of oil broughthome was 171,907 tons. The 

 highest price obtained for oil was in 1813, when it was sold as high as ^55 per ton, 

 and the lowest about 1805, when it was sold for ^20 per ton, being on the average 

 of ,if 30 per ton for the last 80 years. The greatest amount of money realized in 

 one year by oil and bone was ^318,880. For 12 years the amount returned was 

 above .£200,000 per year, and for 16 years above ^100,000. The gross value of oil 

 and bone brought home from the whale fisheries for the last 80 years amounts to 

 ^6,847,580, being on the average of ^85,594 per year. The average success of 

 each ship for the last 80 years was ^3,513 per annum. 



An Analytical View of Railway Accidents in this country and on the Con- 

 tinent of Europe in the twelve years from 1 840 to 1 852. By F. G. P. Neison. 

 The paper was illustrated by a series of elaborate tables, showing the average fare 

 per mile for each class, the number of passengers who have travelled by each class, 

 the moneys received from passengers by each class, the total mileage of each, the 

 average distance travelled by passengers in each class, the average distance 

 travelled by all classes of passengers, and the total number of miles travelled 

 by all the passengers collectively in each year. For fiist-class passengers the 

 minimum scale of fares was charged in the year 1846, but for the second and 

 third class passengers the minimum charges were made in the year 1847. Under 

 these dates the scale of charges gradually and pretty uniformly decreased, but since 

 then they have fluctuated at a somewhat higher price, and are recently showing a 

 tendency to increase. The average distance travelled by the passengers was shown 

 by the tables to be yearly becoming less and less. This is particularly observable in the 

 second, third, and parliamentary classes since the year 1844. In the period of 1844-4/ 

 the distance travelled by all classes was 17"7 ; in 1848-51 it was 16'3 ; and in 1852 it 

 had diminished to 15'8 miles. A most important feature shows itself in connexion 

 with the operation of cheap fares, not only on the average distance travelled by each 

 passenger, but also on the number of passengers. In the parliamentary class the 

 average distance exceeds that for either the third or second classes, and the number 

 of such passengers since 1847 (the period within which the parliamentary trains may 

 be said to be in regular operation) exceeds that of all the other classes with the 

 exception of the second class, and in the year 1852 very nearly equalled the number 

 of the second class ; while in the last year the mileage of the parliamentary class 

 actually exceeded that of the second class by 13,500,000 miles. In the period of 

 1840-51 the number of railway passengers was 478,488,607, of whom 237 were 

 killed and 1,416 injured, showing a ratio of I killed in 2,018,939. and one injured 

 in 337,916. Of engine-drivers, stokers, and guards, the number killed was 275, 

 and the injured 274, out of 40,486, showing a ratio of 1 killed in \77> and 1 injured 



