FAMILY BALJENID^. 127 



In 1835, $6,168,997 00 



In 1836, 5,689,814 00 



In 1837, 7,357,553 00 



Inl838, 6,156,038 00 



In this State, the whale fishery has been successfully pursued. From returns obligingly 

 conamunicated to me by the Collector of the Port of New- York, it appears that within the past 

 year (1838) sixteen vessels of 5538 tons and 320 men, were employed from that port in the 

 whale fishery. The produce was, 



Sperm oil, .. 177,346 galls. Value, $181,42100 



Whale oil, .. 605,497 galls. " 209,438 00 



Whalebone, . 186,448 lbs. " 32,124 00 



Total value, $422,983 00 



From the Collector at Sag-Harbor for the same period, I have received the following state- 

 ment : 



Sperm oil, .. 125,240 galls. Value, $125,240 00 



Whale oil, .. 959,295 galls. " 319,760 00 



Whalebone, . 236,000 lbs. " 42,480 00 



Total value, $487,485 00 



From another source, we gather the following information connected with the whale fishery 

 from one district alone in this State. It is the district which comprises the three counties of 

 Kings, Queens and Suffolk, on Long Island. 



During the year ending December 31, 1840, there arrived within that district, between the 

 . second of May and the twelfth of October, nineteen vessels, with the following gross amount : 



Sperm oil, 109,588 galls. 



Whale oil, 937,234 galls. 



Whalebone, 232,182 lbs., 



valued at something over half a million of dollars. 



During the year 1840, between June 16 and December 20, there sailed from the same dis- 

 trict twenty vessels. Their destinations were, fourteen for the South Atlantic Ocean ; two 

 for the Indian Ocean ; and for New-Holland, New-Zealand, Crozett Islands and the North- 

 west Coast, one each. On the first of January, 1841, there were still absent, in addition to 

 the foregoing, nineteen vessels, all on voyages to the Indian Ocean and New-Zealand. These 

 had departed between the twelfth of June, 1838, and the twenty-sixth of August, 1839. Se- 

 veral of them, however, arrived within the present year. The average duration of those 

 whalers which returned in 1840, was short of sixteen months. 



Those vessels employed in the right whale fishery, are absent on an average twelve months. 

 In pursuit of the spermaceti whale, the duration of the voyage often extends to three years. 



