160 DESCRIPTION OF SHIPPING. 



bad fallen from her high estate and was employed as 

 a blubber-hunter. But with far greater claims to pre- 

 tension, although possessing a much more homely 

 exterior, the old Prince Eegent pursued her course 

 in the same humble pursuit ; she had been built as a 

 yacht for George IV., the profligate, who for years 

 was prince regent of the British empire. Unlike her 

 royal master, she still survives with sound timbers, 

 and is a staunch sea-worthy ship, though of a rather 

 outre model. Two of the Hobartown whalers were 

 clippers, built in Baltimore; on one of them, the 

 Isabel, I saw the American coat of arms in full 

 emblazon. These clippers, if they were only built 

 stronger, would be excellent sperm whalers — being 

 small, light, good sailers, and easy to work. 



Several of the barques on the ground were built 

 in Hobartown, from the Hobartown model ; they had 

 long heads on them, but their sterns, and run aft, 

 were of a fashion of fifty years since, and, although 

 so recently built, our old barkey would sail away 

 from them as fast as the}' could come on. 



From this time, until the middle of May, we 

 remained in the same locality, experiencing a suc- 

 cession of tremendous gales, from the north-east and 

 south-west, attended by heavy squalls that made the 

 old ship ring again. In the interval between their 

 recurrence, we saw sperm whales two or three times ; 

 on one occasion getting to them just in time to see 

 tlie barque Runimede's boats lying by the side of a 

 dead whale. On another, we lowered away and 

 arrived at the scene of operation in season to see the 

 Sapphire's boats capture four. Our mate fastened to 

 a whale some distance from any of her boats, but it 



