THE WHALE TISHERY. 77 



service to the Colony. Shortly afterwards the Governor sent 

 for Melville and promised his assistance in despatching him 

 to the fishery. The " Britannia " was accordingly the first 

 ship ready for sea. 



The secret of the whales, however, could not be kept from 

 the other crews in port. It leaked out through the sailors, 

 and all the vessels that could, viz., the "Mary Ann," the 

 "Matilda," the "William and Anne," the "Salamander," 

 and the "Britannia," embarked in the enterj^rise. The 

 " Britannia " went to sea in company with the "William and 

 Anne " on the eleventh day after arrival, and fell in with a 

 great number of sperm whales ; they were seen at sunrise all 

 around the horizon. AVest, in his history of Tasmania, 

 describes this as the discovery of the whale fishery in 

 Australian waters. About the 10th November the "Britannia" 

 and the "William and Anne " returned to port. The two 

 vessels had killed, the day after their departure, seven sperm 

 whales, but owing to l)ad weather succeeded only in securing 

 two. 



Erom the whale which fell to the share of the " Britannia," 

 thirteen barrels of oil were obtained, mainly head matter 

 (spermaceti). The master reported that he had seen, in ten 

 days after his departure, fifteen thousand whales, the greater 

 number of which were observed off Port Jackson. The report 

 of the " Mary Ann" was not so encouraging. She had been 

 as far south as 45° without seeing a whale, and in a gale of 

 wind had shipped a sea that stove in two boats and washed 

 down the brickwork-cased vessels intended for trvino* out the 

 oil. The " Matilda " arrived in port a few days afterwards, 

 having seen many whales, but was prevented by bad weather 

 from killing any. Tlie "William and Anne" returned a 

 few days later, confirming the report of the great number of 

 whales and the difficulty of getting at them. She had killed 

 only one fish, and came in to repair and shorten her main- 

 mast. 



A difference of opinion prevailed amongst tlie masters of 

 the ships respecting the possibility of establishing a whale 

 fishery on this coast. In one particular, however, they were 

 all agreed, which was that the coast abounded with fish ; but 

 the majority of the masters thought the currents and bad 

 weather would prevent any of the ships from meeting with 

 the success that was anticipated. However they determined 



