150 THE FISHERIKS. 



were taken iu nets, Avliich were placeil between llie shore and 

 some islaml m- roek iit uu great distance. In their luigratorv 

 movements, in tlie early part ot" winter, tlie seals move south 

 along the shore ; and hy means of nets, in these narrow pas- 

 sages, a certain niunljer were captured. The next step was 

 shooting them IVmii large boats, amid the ice-Hoes. These Ijoats 

 sailed aliout the middle of Api-il, after the ice liail broken up ; 

 and, as at that date tiie yonng seals had left their icy cradles and 

 taken to tlie water, only a few could be reached by the gnns ot" 

 the huntei-s. As late as 1795 the Mhole catch of seals only 

 amounted to OjOOO per annum. 



SKALING SCHOONEKS. 



At length an im[iortant step in advance was taken liy fitting 



. out small schooners of from thirty to fifty tons, and cavryiiig 

 from twehe to eighteen men, the outfit of each ^'essel costing 

 about three Inindivd dollars. The vessels were strongly built 



, and had apjilianees for encountering ice. At first they did not 

 leave i»nrt till after the 21st of March, in order to avoid the 



.equinoctial gales, or '' St. Patrick's brush,'"' as they were called. 

 Soon, however, tliev learneil by experience the advantage of 

 making an earlier start, in order to reach the young harps before 

 the\ had taken to the watei'. The first of March at length be- 



.came the usual time for starting on the seal hunt. In tlu'se 

 little schooners the men speedily acquired hardihood and daring 

 and became ex})erl in Ijattling with the floes. The people oi 



.^Conception Bay led the way in this new enterprise, and Car- 

 bonear, Harlior (irace, Bay Roberts, Cupi<ls and Brigus became 

 the centres of the sealing industry. The skippers of these seal- 

 ing vessels, some of which wei-e one hundred tons, became 

 "mighty hunters'' of seals, and many of them ac(ptired con- 

 siderable wealth. St. John's, the capital, followed, ami had soon 

 one hundre<l vessels engaged in taking seals. In those days seals 

 M'ere murh more iiumeronsand ^\•ere taken neaiei- tlie shore than 

 at the ])resent time. So remunei'ative was the new industry 

 iound to lie tliat its growth was wonderfully i"i]iid. In 1805 



