08 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



dated the importance of this industry, were practically disregarded.* 

 It is difficult to calculate bow much the American whale-fishery was 

 affected by this failure to act on this suggestion of Mr. Adams. Many 

 of these captains and men, and others captured at other times during 

 the war, had at its close sailed so long from British ports that the extra- 

 ordinary inducements held out by the English, and the depression in 

 their business in the United States, immediateb^ succeeding the close of 

 the war, operated to transfer to that country their skill and, measurably? 

 their capital. 



In the years 1778-'79 the English navy made several forays upon the 

 sea-coast towns of New England, destroying much property at Warren, 

 E.. I., Dartmouth, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket in Massachusetts.t 

 Indeed, these predatory raids were frequent throughout the war, and 

 liable to occur at any time, consequently the unfortunate inhabitants 

 were kept in a continual ferment. During the same time the govern- 

 ment of France was continually intriguing for the exclusive i^ossession 

 of the North American fisheries. On the Gth of February, 1778, a treaty 

 of amity and commerce was arranged between France and the United 

 States. Upon this point each side was to retain the exclusive right to 

 its own. The Americans conceded to the French the rights reserved by 

 the treaties of Utrecht | and Paris, § even to the French interpretation 

 of them, which were the right to fish upon the Banks, and the exclusive 

 use of one-half the shores of Newfoundland upon which to dry their 



* Au exception to the general apathy in thia respect occurred late in the fall or early 

 in the winter of 1776, when boats from the Alfred, man-of-war, were sent ashore at 

 Canso and destroyed the whaling interest there, burning all the materials for that in- 

 dustry, together with all the oil stores with their contents. 



t " Return of vessels and stores destroyed on Acushuet River the 5th of September, 

 1773 : 8 sail of large vessels, from 200 to 300 tons, most of them prizes ; G armed ves- 

 sels, carrying from LO to 16 guns ; a number of sloov)s and schooners of inferior size, 

 amounting in all to 70, besides whale-boats and others; amongst the prizes were three 

 taken by Count D'Estaign's fleet ; 26 store-houses at Bedford, several at McPhersou's 

 Wharf, Crans Mills, and Fairhaven; these wore filled with very great quautiaes of 

 rum, sugar, melasses, coffee, tobacco, cotton, tea, medicines, gunpowder, sail-cloth, 

 cordage, &c. ; two large rope- walks. 



"At Falmouth, in the Vineyard Sound, the 10th of Septembe •, 1778: 2 sloops and a 

 schooner taken by the galleys, 1 loaded with staves ; 1 sloop burnt. 



" In Old Town harbour, Martha's Vineyard : 1 brig of 150 tons burden, burnt by the 

 Scorpion ; 1 schooner of 70 tons burden, burnt by ditto; 23 whale-boats taken or de- 

 stroyed ; a quantity of plank taken. 



"At Holmes's Hole, Martha's Vineyard : 4 vessels, with several boats, taken or de- 

 stroyed; a salt-work destroyed, and a considerable quantity of salt taken." — (Ricket- 

 sou's New Bedford, p. 282.) 



At Sag Harbor, L. I., property was taken or destroyed to a large amount ; Newport 

 Buffered greatly ; Nantucket lost twelve or fourteen vessels, oil, stores, &c., to tho 

 value of £4,000 sterling. Warren, R. I., sufl'ered during the war to the extent of 1,090 

 tons of shipping, among them two vessels loaded with oil, and a large amount of other 

 property. Sag Harbor also lost one or more vessels by capture. 



t April 11, 1713. 



§ February 10, 1763. 



