76 



sterns ; and two hundred and twenty fathoms of hne are necessary in 

 each boat, with spare harpoons and lances. The men row towards 

 the whale, and when they are very near, use paddles, w ch make 

 less noise than oars. 



" Whales are sometimes taken fifteen minutes after they are struck 

 with the harpoon. The Gaspe fishermen never go in quest of them 

 until some of the small ones, which enter the bay about the beginning 

 of June, appear; these swim too fast to be easily harpooned, and are 

 not, besides, worth the trouble. The large whales are taken oft^ the 

 entrance of Gaspe bay, on each side of the island of Anticosti, and up 

 the river St. Lawrence as far as Bique." 



In Gaspe basin — I ascertain from another source — the whale fishery 

 is one of the chief means of support. Yet the number of inhabitants 

 is small. Four or five schooners of the size mentioned by Macgregor 

 are employed, and probably two hundred men. The produce is about 

 20,000 gallons annually. The basin is safe, commodious, and easy of 

 access. The whales are taken at and near its entrance in the spring, 

 and around the island of Anticosti and on the north shore of the St. 

 Lawrence in the summer. 



The fisheries of Canada, other than those of the Magdalene islands. 

 Bay of Chaleurs, and Gulf of St. Lawrence generally, are too incon- 

 siderable to require attention. While Canada was a possession of 

 France, the seas were neglected. Twenty years after the conquest the 

 exports of fish were small. From Canada proper there has been no 

 increase, as will be seen. 



Exports from Canada, (proper.) 



Eayports from Quebec, Gaspe, and New Carlisle, presumed to he of the pro- 

 duce of the Bay of Chaleurs fisheries. 



