60 WHALING AND FISHING. 



of the happy days they had there enjoyed, and 

 of their present prospects, and hopes of some day 

 being able to settle down in comfort there, with 

 the fruits of their hard labors. 



A great many Western Island Portuguese find 

 employment in American whalemen; almost every 

 vessel sailing from New Bedford carrying more 01 

 less of them. They are a quiet, peaceful, in ;>ffen- 

 eive people, sober and industrious, penurious, al- 

 most to a fault, and I believe, invariably excellent 

 whalemen. They are held in great esteem by 

 ship owners and captains, but are often despised 

 by their shipmates in the forecastle, who seeing 

 them of such different habits to their own, choose 

 to decry them as sneaks, and tale-bearers. 



1 found them quite the reverse ; and with one or 

 two exceptions, those with us were the only indi- 

 viduals of the crew with whom I could associate 

 with any degree of pleasure. Brought up in the 

 most abject poverty, it is natural that they should 

 be saving and refuse to waste their hard earned 

 money for trifles or in dissipation, as is the fashion 

 with sailors in general. 



They have moreover an object in life, which is 

 never lost sight of in all their wanderings and 

 toils It is their hope some day to be able to set- 

 tle down on their native islands, among their 

 friends and ki idred, and with the savings of yeais 

 of hard labor, to spend their latter years in peace- 

 ful retirement. Yery many, I have been inform- 

 ed, have lived to realize this day-dream, and 



