CHAPTER 7. 

 COMMERCE OF GLOUCESTER. 



While Gloucester at the present time is undoubtedly the largest 

 seat of the fisheries in the world, it has not always occupied that 

 leading position in the United States. Marblehead was for many 

 years her competitor and greatly her superior. Fifty or sixty years 

 ago the fisheries was not the leading pursuit of Gloucester. No 

 doubt, years before, the fisheries exceeded the foreign commerce in 

 importance, but from 1783 to 1845 the fishing business had declined 

 from its former importance, and the Bank fishery, once so important, 

 had almost faded out of existence, so much so that some years less 

 than half a dozen vessels were engaged in this fishery. 



But until 1860 Gloucester was largely engaged in foreign com- 

 merce. It had two or three large mercantile houses, and ships, 

 barques, brigs and schooners running to the East Indies, South 

 America, Europe, Dutch Guinea and the West Indies. The harbor 

 of Gloucester has seen the arrivals from every part of the globe, 

 and its wharves and storehouses have held the products of every 

 clime upon the earth. But its commercial interests aside from the 

 West Indies (a trade in which for many years it had a large share) 

 was from 1810 to 1860, a period of fifty years, mainly directed to 

 Paramaribo or Surinam in Dutch Guinea. In various portions of 

 this period it had nearly the whole American trade to that port. 

 Its importations of sugar, molasses and cocoa were some years near- 

 ly four hundred thousand dollars, and its exports two hundred thous- 

 and. About 1860 this trade was transferred to Boston, and since 

 that period the foreign commerce of Gloucester has declined. 



But two or three new branches of commerce arose to take the 

 place of this Surinam business. Among these are the Nova Scotia, 



