FIS 



I 



When the whale is struck, the other long 

 boats row before, and observe which way 

 the line stands, and sometimes pull it ; if 

 they feel it stiff, it is a sign the whale 

 still pulls in strength, but if ii hangs loose, 

 and the boat lies equally high before and 

 behind upon the water, they pull it in 

 gently, but take care to coil it so that 

 the whale may have it again easily, if he 

 recovers strength : they take care, how- 

 ever, not to give him too much line, be- 

 cause he sometimes entangles it about a 

 rock, and pulls out the harpoon. The 

 fat whales do not sink as soon as dead, 

 but the lean ones do, and come up some 

 days afterwards. As long as they see 

 whales, they lose no time in cutting up 

 what they have taken, but keep fishing 

 for others : when they see no more, or 

 have taken enough, they begin with tak- 

 ing off the fat and whiskers in the fol- 

 lowing manner : the whale being lashed 

 along side, they lay it on one side, and 

 put two ropes, one at the head and the 

 other in the place of the tail, which, to- 

 gether with the fins is struck off as soon 

 as he is taken, to keep those extremities 

 above water. On the off side of the 

 whale are two boats, to receive the pieces 

 of fat, utensils, and men, that might other- 

 wise fall into the water on that side. 

 These precautions being taken, three or 

 four men, with irons at their feet to pre- 

 vent slipping, get on the whale, and be- 

 gin to cut out pieces of about three feet 

 thick and eight long, which are hauled up 

 at the capstan or windlass. When the 

 fat is all got off, they cut off the whiskers 

 of the upper jaw with an axe. Before 

 they cut they are all lashed, to keep them 

 firm, which also facilitates the cutting, 

 and prevents them from falling into the 

 sea ; when on board, five or six of them 

 are bundled together, and properly stow- 

 ed, and after all is got off, the carcase is 

 turned adrift, and devoured by the bears, 

 who are very fond of it. In proportion as 

 the large pieces of fat are cut off, the 

 rest of the crew are employed in slicing 

 them smaller, and picking out all the 

 lean. When this is prepared they stow 

 it under tiie deck, where it lies till the fat 

 of all the whales is on board ; then cut- 

 ting it still smaller, they put it up in 

 tubs in the hold, cramming them very 

 full and close. Nothing now remains 

 but to sail homewards, where the fat is 

 to be boiled, and melted down into train 

 oil. 



It were in vain to speak in this place of 



the advantages that may be derived to 

 Great Britain from the whale fishery. We 

 shall only remark, that the legislature 

 thinks that trade of so great importance 

 as to grant a very considerable bounty 

 for the encouragement of it ; for every 

 British vessel of 200 tons or upwards, 

 bound to the Greenland Seas on the 

 whale fishery, if found to be duly qualifi- 

 ed according to the act, obtains a license 

 from the commissioners of the customs to 

 proceed on such voyage : and on the 

 ship's return, the master and mate mak- 

 ing oath that they proceeded on such 

 voyage and no other, and used all their 

 endeavours to take whales, &c. and that 

 all the whale-fins, blubber, oil, &c. im- 

 ported in their ship, were taken by their 

 crew in those seas, there shall be allowed 

 40s. for every ton, according to the ad- 

 measurement of the ship. 



Besides these fisheries, there are seve- 

 ral others, both on the coasts of Great 

 Britain and in the North Seas, which, al- 

 though not much the subject of mer- 

 chandize, nevertheless employ great num- 

 bers both of ships and men ; as, 1. The 

 oyster fishing at Colchester, Feversham, 

 the Isle of Wight, in the Swales of the 

 Medway, and in all the creeks between 

 Southampton and Chichester,from whence 

 they are carried to be fed in pits about 

 Wevenhoe and other places. See Ors- 

 TER. 



2. The lobster fishing all along the 

 British channel, the firth of Edinburgh, 

 on the coast of Northumberland, and on 

 the coast of Norway, from whence great 

 quantities are brought to London. And, 

 lastly, the fishing of the pot-fish, fin-fish, 

 sea-unicorn, sea-horse, and the seal, or 

 dog-fish, all which are found in the same 

 seas with the whales, and yield blubber 

 in a certain degree ; besides, the horn of 

 the unicorn is as estimable as ivory, and 

 the skins of the seals are particularly use- 

 ful to trunk-makers. 



FISHING, in general, the art of catch- 

 ing fish, whether by means of nets, or of 

 spears, lines, rods, and hooks. See ANG- 

 LING}. 



FISTULA, in the ancient music, an in- 

 strument of the wind kind, resembling 

 our flute, or flageolet. See FLUTE. 



FISTULA, in surgery, a deep, narrow, 

 and callous ulcer, generally arising from 

 abscesses. Fistulas differ from sinuses 

 in this, that the former are callous, the 

 latter not. See SURGERY. 



FISTULA lachrymaliS) a disease which 



