THE AMERICAN WHALE-FISHERY. 217 
outfit of a first-class whaler, would swell a list too lengthy to be mentioned here.* 
But instead of the small boats, pulling four oars each, as did those of the Beaver, 
the modern ship lowers four boats with five oars each to pull ; and two or three 
spare boats are taken on board as a reserve ; and instead of the old style windlass, 
which was "hove 'round" with handspikes, they now have the patent purchase. 
The try -works, which in former times smoked the whole ship's company when 
"boiling- out oil," are now so fitted with portable pipes, as to carry the smoke 
clear of the decks ; in fact, there is hardly a fixture, or an implement, pertaining 
to the "outfit," that has not been improved upon, which will be further described 
in subsequent pages. 
History is replete in portraying the toils and hazards of the whaleman ; but 
very little is said about the merchant who embarks his capital in this branch of 
industry, which to no little extent is a game -pursuit of chance; and the irksome 
detail of preparing a whale -ship for sea is only known to those who have had the 
trial of it. The success of this particular branch of our national commerce may be 
directly traced back to the persistent efforts of those sterling business gentlemen, 
who have been, or still are, the leading merchants of the chief whaling -ports of the 
United States. And first and pre-eminent among them were the Rotches of Nan- 
tucket^ and the Russells and Rodmans of New Bedford. Yet there are scores of 
* For a detailed list see Appendix. for London, the 1st of July, 1785, where they 
f A reminiscence of Mr. William Rotch, who arrived on the 24th of the same month. Among 
was the great leader in the early days of Amer- Mr. Eotch's influential friends in London was 
ican whaling commerce, may be interesting, as Robert Barclay, and this gentleman introduced 
relating to his business career both in England him to Henry Beaufoy, a member of Parliament, 
and France. After the Revolution, Mr. Rotch, and that dignitary presented him to the Chancel- 
found his losses to be very heavy on account of lor of the Exchequer, the great imperial William 
the war, and the Nantucket -men experiencing Pitt (then about twenty-seven years of age), 
great difficulty in prosecuting whaling to any Mr. Pitt received him with great politeness, and 
profit, owing to the vexatious restrictions of En- listened attentively to Mr. Rotch's remarks, which 
gland relative to the irnport of oil and whale- are reported to have been as follow : 
bone, induced the distinguished pioneer whaling "'When the war commenced, we declared 
merchant to visit England, hoping by direct per- against taking any part in it, and strenuously 
sonal communication with the British Government adhered to this determination, thus placing our- 
that some arrangement might be brought about to selves as a neutral island. Nevertheless, you 
lessen the burdens of himself and his compeers. have taken from us two hundred sail of vessels 
Accordingly, he, with his son Benjamin, fitted —valued at one million dollars — unjustly and 
out the ship Maria — which was commanded by illegally ! Had the war been founded on a gen- 
one of the favorite captains, William Mooers ; eral declaration against America, we should have 
and both father and son sailed from Nantucket, been included, but it was predicated on a rebel- 
Mabine Mammals. — 28. 
