IO4 The Story of the New England Whalers 



sent for him, and they "had the old story over 

 again." Rotch told Hawksbury that a rumor 

 was current to the effect that France had agreed 

 to admit oil from Nantucket. 



" If there is any such contract sufficient to retain 

 us at Nantucket, neither you nor any other nation 

 shall have us," said he. "And if it is insufficient, 

 I will endeavor to enlarge it." 



"Ah, Quakers go to France?" said Hawks- 

 bury. 



"Yes, but with regret," replied the captain. 

 Thereupon he went to France. Hawksbury then 

 became suddenly anxious to secure the whalers 

 and wrote to Rotch, offering to give all the money 

 asked, and to allow the whalers to bring in forty 

 of their ships; but Rotch refused to have anything 

 more to do with him. In Paris Rotch found a 

 kindly reception. 



"I had a separate interview with all the ministers 

 of state necessary to the subject, five in number," 

 wrote Rotch (the quotations are from a Rotch 

 manuscript first published by Starbuck), "who 

 all agreed to and granted my demands. This 

 was effected in five hours." 



