SOUTH SEA FISHERY. 177 



the perseverance of Holland, nor the dexterous and 

 firm sagacity of English enterprise, ever carried this 

 most perilous mode of hardy industry to the extent 

 to which it has heen pursued by this recent people ; 

 a people who are still in the gristle, and not har- 

 dened into manhood." 



Within the last few years the colony of New 

 South "Wales has heen busily employed in this 

 branch of commerce, and with great benefit to those 

 engaged in it. The colonists are situated so much 

 nearer the fishing grounds, that neither the time 

 nor the expense of outfit can be compared with 

 that of the ships equipped from Britain. Of sperm 

 oil there was exported in 1835, two thousand nine 

 hundred and eighty-nine tons, valued at £.151,738 ; 

 and of black oil, fourteen hundred and seventy-seven 

 tons, valued at £.19,357- 



We annex, from Mr. Beale's work, a very con- 

 densed enumeration of the various stations in which 

 this whale has been seen in gi-eatest number : — New 

 Guinea, New Iceland, New Britain, King's Mill 

 Group, Byron's Island, equinoctial line from longi- 

 tude 168*^ to 175° east; EUis Group ; off the east 

 coast of New Holland ; off New Zealand and the 

 Navigators' Islands, coast of California, Chili, and 

 Peru; the Gallapagos; the Molluccas; Straits of 

 Timor ; the Mozambique Channel ; off Japan and 

 the China seas ; Loochar Islands, &c. &c. 



These localities, it will be observed, are all in the 

 southern hemisphere ; but it must not thence be 

 inferred that Sperm Whales are confined to its seaa, 



VOL. VI. Q 



