318 The Story of the New England Whalers 



as is now known, the nitrate of potash would be 

 formed by bacterial processes. 



In 1750 an Englishman, named Benjamin 

 Crabb, obtained from the Massachusetts authori- 

 ties a monopoly for making sperm candles during 

 a period of fourteen years. The Crabb monopoly 

 failed. No capitalistic monopoly of the early 

 days ever succeeded, though backed by legal 

 enactment, as have the monopolies of modern 

 days which have, in some cases, been maintained 

 contrary to statute. 



The extent of the whaling business in the years 

 before the Revolution has been set forth in figures. 

 Large as was the business then done by Nantucket, 

 the extent of the fishery at other ports was of 

 small moment. After the American seamen, by 

 good fighting afloat during the War of 1812, had 

 secured the right to cross all seas unmolested 

 by foreigners, the business spread to other ports 

 rapidly. Thus in 1815 the total number of 

 whalers that went to sea after peace was restored 

 was: from Nantucket, 50; from New Bedford, 

 10; from Sag Harbor, Long Island, 3; from 

 Fairhaven, Massachusetts, 2; from Hudson, New 



