HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN WHALE FISHERY. 31 



Fourthly If any Improvement can be made of it for Exportation, it will 

 not only be of great advantage to Boston, but to many of ye Inhabitants 

 of 'New England." (This is signed by Simon, Nath'^ Coffin, John Jones.) 



To this is appended a postscript, stipulating that said Houghton em- 

 ploy the inhabitants of the whaling-towns as much as possible for his 

 work; that he shall give the public the benefit of his discovery, if 

 made, at the end of the ten years; and that he shall pay each whale-man 

 " one shilling in money acknowledgment for their several shares in the 

 Lean of the whale fishes that they shall take for the space of ten years." 

 The i^ostcript is signed " Sam^^ Treat sen"^, David Mc. * * * * *^ 

 Jou^ sparrow, Sam" Knowles, Sam" freeman jr, Eichard * * * * ^ 

 Eichard Godfree." 



The council granted the patent with the somewhat novel proviso: 

 "That within the space of Four years he shew forth to the Satisfjiction 

 of the Govern'' Council & Assembly That his Projection will take effect, 

 for the rayseing of Salt Petre to supply the province. ^^ 



During the years 1724 and 1725, in the prosecution of the wars 

 between the Indians and the colonists, some of the friendly Indians 

 from Cape Cod were enlisted, with the express understanding that they 

 were to be discharged in time to take part in the fall and winter whale- 

 fishery. Accordingly, in 1724 Lieutenant-Governor Dummer, of the 

 Massachusetts Bay, writes to Colonel Westbrook: "Upon Sight hereof 

 you must forthwith dismiss Cpt. Bournes Comp^ of Indians & send 

 them hither in one of the Sloops, That so they may lose no Time for 

 Following the Whale Fishery, w''^ is agreeable to my Promise made to 

 them at Enlisting."* In a postscript he adds: "Let Capt Bourne 

 come with them to see them safe return'd." And again, in 1725, the 

 secretary writes : " His Hon'^ Having promised the Indians enlisted by 

 Cpt. Bourne (being all those of the County of Barnstable) to dismiss 

 them in the Fall that so they attend their Whale Fishing; directs that 

 you as soon as you have opportunity to send them up to Boston, in 

 Order to their Eeturn Home, & let none of them be detained on any 

 Pretense whatsoever."! 



Under date of March 20, 1727, the Boston News Letter says : " We 

 hear from the Towns on the Cape that the Whale Fishery among them has 

 failed much this Winter, as it has done for several Winters past, but 

 having found out the way of going to Sea Upon that Business, and hav- 

 ing had much Success in it, they are now fitting out several Vessels to 

 sail with all Expedition upon that dangerous Design this Spring, more 

 (its tho't) than have ever been sent out from among them." 



The same paper, in its issue of February 12, 1730,f contains the fol- 



*Mass. Col. MSS., Letters, ii, 52. 



tMass. Col. MSS., Letters, ii, 297. 



XOn the 13th of January, 1728, says the News-Letter of February 1, there was a 

 very severe storm at Provincetown. Several vessels were driven ashore ; three or four 

 ■whale boats were also destroyed, one being carried by the force of the wind up a 

 "pretty large steep hill," and thrown upon the roof of a house on top of the hill. 



