HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN WHALE FISHERY. 95 



the fleet, capturing- oneNantucket vessel, and driving away theremaiuder. 

 In this dilemma a town-meeting was assembled and a petition prepared 

 and forwarded to Congress representing the situation there, and praying 

 that some arrangement might be entered into " whereby the fisheries 

 may be prosecuted, without being subject to losses by war."* But no 

 adequate relief was afforded, and the people found the history of their 

 sufferings during the Revolution repeating itself Avith a distressing per- 

 tinacity and fidelity, and they bade fair to perish of starvation and cold. 

 They eventually succeeded in obtaining permission to import provisions, 

 but attempts to get leave to sail on whaling voyages, coupled with im- 

 munity from capture, were unsuccessful. 



The return of peace effected for them the protection that all negotia- 

 tions had failed to secure. Early in February, 1815, news came to Nan- 

 tucket that the war was over, and immediately all was hurry and bustle. 

 The wharves, lately so deserted, teemed with life ; the ships, lately dis- 

 mantled, put on their new dress ; the faces of the people, lately so dis- 

 consolate, were radiant with hope. In May two ships fitted and sailed 

 on their voyages ; by the last of June this number was increased to 

 nine ; by the 1st of August eighteen had gone, and by the 31st of 

 December over thirty ships, brigs, schooners, and sloops were pursuing 

 the leviathans in the North and South Atlantic, the Indian and Pacific 

 Oceans. On the 9th of July, 1815, the first returning whaling-vessel 

 arrived at Nantucket ; in all probability this was the first arrival at 

 any port in the United States after the war. This vessel was the sloop 

 Mason's Daughter, which, after a six weeks' voyage, returned with 100 

 barrels of oil. 



From this period the business rapidly increased in extent. Nantucket, 

 which, during the war of 1812, had had its fleet of whale-ships reduced 

 from forty-six to twenty-three, by the last of December, 1820, possessed 

 seventy-two whale-ships, (with an aggregate of 20,449 tons,) besides 

 several brigs, schooners, and sloops.t The same success which had 



* November 26, 1813. Macy, 177. lu an official report Captain Porter gives tbo fol- 

 lowing list of his captures, chiefly vessels, as ho says, engaged in the British sperm- 



■whale fishery : 



Tons. Men. Guns. 



Montezuma 270 21 2 



Policy 175 26 10 



Georgiana 2H0 25 G 



Greenwich 388 25 10 



Atlantic 3.55 24 8 



Rose 220 21 8 



Hector 270 25 11 



Catharine 270 29 8 



Seringapatam 357 31 14 



Charlton 274 21 10 



New Zealander 259 23 8 



Sir A. Hammond 301 31 12 



t Journal of Obed Macy. See also Degrand's report. Degraud said : "When we 

 consider the numerous other vessels engaged in the coasting and other commercial 



