68 



English codjisheyy , Nevfoundland — Continued. 



English hejTing fishery, Newfoundland. 



Year. 



BaiTels pickled 

 exported. 



Value. 



1838 

 1839 

 1840 

 1841 

 1842 

 1843 

 1844 

 1845 

 1847 



15, 276 

 20, 806 

 14, 686 



9,965 

 13, 839 



9,649 

 13,410 

 20, 903 



9,907 



$53, 615 

 69, 200 

 45,180 

 31,805 

 35, 595 

 22,850 

 33,325 

 56, 170 

 25,555 



THE NEWFOUNDLAND SEAL FISHERY, SO CALLED. 



This business is of recent origin. The first account of it is in 1795, 

 but it was not prosecuted to any extent until the general peace, in 1814. 



Seals frequent the coasts of Newfoundland in the spring. They go 

 upon the ice in the polar seas to bring forth their young, and are swept 

 along by the currents to milder regions, where, still upon the ice, hun- 

 dreds of thousands of them are annually killed. During the passage 

 from the remote north, they apparently live without much food, but yet 

 are quite fat when seen by those who adventure in pursuit of them. 



The vessels engaged in catching seals are from fiti:y to two hundred 

 tons, and cnrryfrom fifteen to forty men each. They leave Newfitund- 

 land in March, and proceed to sea until they meet the ice, and on falling 

 in with it, are forced into it as far as possible, by implements which are 



