76 A History of the American Whale Fishery. 
that it has become too hazardous, and its results too un- 
certain to continue it, when capital is promised a safer 
employment, and surer rewards in enterprises on the 
land, and in our own city where the products of two large 
cotton mills equal very nearly the aggregate value of the 
imports of the fishery yearly.’”’ In that year alone the 
records show that no less than twenty vessels were sold 
out of the whaling fleet because the business no longer 
warranted the continuance of the investment. The mills 
at home, however, meant a sure income. But it is not 
altogether unfitting that out of the decline of the great 
whaling interests of New Bedford should grow the indus- 
try, which, above all others, was destined to save the 
city from the fate of being a deserted fishing Ga oeag 
rise of the cotton mills. 
As great and potent as were all these factors, however, 
the most important has yet to be mentioned—the intro- 
duction of the new illuminant, kerosene. For many de- 
cades previous to 1860 oil had been the most valuable 
product of the fishery, and one of its chief uses had been 
as an illuminant, both in sperm candles and in the 
“whale oil” lamps. Much of the export trade had been 
to supply the European demand for oil for lighting pur- 
poses. Its use as an illuminant, however, had been di- 
minished early in the last century by the introduction of 
gas distilled from coal. Coal gas seems to have been 
more generally adopted in spite of Scoresby’s statement” 
that where coal was not cheap gas could be manufactured 
from whale oil at about the same expense; and that hav- 
ing many advantages over the former, it was preferred. 
As early as 1819 Ipswich, Norwich and other towns in 
England lighted their streets with gas made from oil. 
In this country there does not appear to have been any 
very severe encroachment on the uses of whale products 
as illuminants until after the discovery of petroleum in 
2 Scoresby, p. 428. 
