219 



The following letter from a very respectable mercliant, con- 

 cerned himself in the fisheries, contains further interesting de- 

 tails — 



Boston, May 20ih, 1815. 



** Dear sir : Argeeably to your request to me, I have endeavour- 

 ed to obtain every information in my power relative to our fisheries 

 in this and the neighbouring States, with their tonnage, number of 

 men employed, quantity of lish caught, quantity of salt used, 

 and the probable price they averaged at foreign markets. As 1 

 was not acquainted with this business before our revolutionary war, 

 I shall endeavour to give you a statement from the year 1790 to 

 1810 ; to some my account may appear large or much exaggerated; 

 but I have conversed with several gentlemen who have been large- 

 1}^ concerned in the business, and two of them took much pains 

 to ascertain the number, etc. some time since ; and I find they go 

 far beyond me ; but I shall endeavour to give you as correct a state- 

 ment as I can, and wish it may prove satisfactory to you. 



" Your humble servant." 



" My calculation is, that there were employed in the Bank, La- 

 brador, and Bay fisheries, the years above mentioned, 1232 vessels 

 yearly, viz'. &84 to the Banks, and 648 to the Bay and Labrador. 1 

 think the 584 Bankers may be put down 3(3,540 tons, navigated by 

 4,627 men and boys, (each vessel carrying one boy,) they take and 

 cure, annually, 510,700 quintals offish ; they average about three 

 fares a year, consume, annually, 81,170 hhds. salt, the average cost 

 of these vessels is about g 2,000 each ; the average price of these 

 fish at foreign markets is g 6 per quintal ; these vessels also make 

 from their fish, annually, 17,520 barrels of oil, which commands 

 about % 10 per barrel, their equipments cost about % 900, annually, 

 exclusive of salt. 



" The 648 vessels that fish at the Labrador and Bay, I put down 

 48,600 tons, navigated by 5,832 men and boys ; they take and cure, 

 annually, 648,000 quintals of fish ; they go but one fare a year ; 

 consume, annually, 97,200 hhds. of salt. The average cost of these 

 vessels is about g ltK)0 ; the cost of their equipments, provisions, 

 etc. is 1050 dollars : those descriptions of vessels are not so valu- 

 able as the bankers, more particularly those that go from the Dis- 

 trict of Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode-Island, as they are mostly 

 sloops of no very great value ; most of these vessels cure a part 

 of their fish where they catch them, on the beach, rocks, etc. and 

 the rest after they'return home ; several cargoes of dry fish bio. 

 shipped yearly from the Labrador direct for Europe. The usun^ 

 markets for those fish are in the Mediterranean, say Alicant, Leg- 

 horn, Naples, Marseilles, etc. as those markets prefer small fish, 

 and the greatest part of the fish caught up the bay and Labrador 

 are rerj/ small. The average price of these fish at the marker 

 they are disposed of is $ 5 ; these vessels also make from their fish 



