52 WHALES AND WHALERS. [PART I. 



and which is nearly related to the Myxine glutinosa 

 of our latitudes. 



There are the following whaling establishments 

 on the coast of New Zealand : 



Te-awa-iti, Entry Island, 



Cloudy Bay, Evans's Island, 



Parurua, Taranaki, 



Banks's Peninsula, Table Cape. 

 The number of whales annually captured by these 

 establishments is about 120. Each whale, on an 

 average, yields six imperial tuns of oil, making, in 

 the aggregate, 720 tuns, which, before the esta- 

 blishment of the settlements of the New Zealand 

 Company, was sold on the spot to small vessels, or 

 sent to Sydney, when the whaling was carried on 

 at the expense of Sydney merchants. Those who 

 were at the head of the establishments in New Zea- 

 land were paid at the nominal price of 10/. per tun; 

 I say nominal, because the payment was made in 

 dear and bad slops, whaling-gear, and, most of all, 

 in adulterated spirits. The same oil sells in the 

 London market for 27/. per tun. The value of the 

 oil of these shore stations is, therefore, at the high- 

 est, 20,000/.: to this sum must be added 3000/. for 

 the whalebone, or baleen, for which the whalers 

 receive 78/. a ton, but which sells in London for 

 from 122/. to 130/. A large whale yields about 

 five cwt. of baleen. 



I must observe here, that the sort of shore-whal- 

 ing which I have just described is very detrimental 



