322 The Story of the New England Whalers 



While many outports had entered the trade, 

 the principal part of the growth of the fleet had 

 been in Buzzard's Bay. In 1822 Nantucket sent 

 40 whalers to sea; New Bedford sent 33. In the 

 next year Nantucket sent 19 and New Bedford 

 26, the sceptre had departed from Nantucket for- 

 ever. Though no people ever loved home better 

 than did the inhabitants of Nantucket, the incon- 

 veniences of a shallow harbor compelled them to 

 move. New Bedford was, at an early date, the 

 port of chief importance on the mainland, and 

 the refining business increased there with greater 

 rapidity than at Nantucket, because Nantucket 

 owners had found it convenient to carry their oil 

 to Buzzard's Bay, even while they fitted their 

 ships at their home port. Moreover, New Bed- 

 ford's whale fishery had been built up, as noted, 

 by men who, for various reasons, had emigrated 

 from Nantucket in the days before the shoal 

 water on Nantucket bar had become a crying 

 evil. 



Being a growing port, New Bedford naturally 

 benefited by the ups and downs of the fishery 

 at the outports. The merchants who made the 



