1908.] Allen, The North Atlantic Right Whale. 317 



Long Island, particularly at the eastern end of the island, being at first 

 pursued in open boats from the shore, as along the coast of New England. 

 Southold and East Hampton were for a time especially noted* for this enter- 

 prise. Hubbard, in his ' History of New England/ speaks of Southold 

 as the place "where the inhabitants of late [about 1680] have fallen upon 

 the killing of whales, that frequent the south side of the island in the latter 

 part of the winter, wherein they have a notable kind of dexterity; and the 

 trade that ariseth therefrom hath been very beneficial to all that end of the 

 island." Again he says: "Upon the south side of Long Island, in the 

 winter, lie store of whales and grampuses, which the inhabitants begin with 

 small boats to make a trade of catching, to their no small benefit." 1 



Somewhat earlier than this Samuel Mavericke, in a letter to Col. Richard 

 Niccolls, dated "New Yorke, July 5th 1669" wrote in relation to Whales, 

 as follows: "On y e East end of Long Island there were 12 or 13 whales 

 taken before y e end of March, and what since wee heare not: here are dayly 

 some seen in the very harbour, sometimes within Nutt Island. Out of the 

 Pinnace the other week they struck two, but lost both, the iron broke in one, 

 the other broke the warpe. The Governour hath encouraged some to follow 

 this designe. Two shallops made for itt, but as yett wee doe not heare oi 

 any they have gotten." 2 



Further respecting the capture of whales on Long Island we have the 

 following from Lord Cornbury's report to the Board of Trade, dated "New 

 York, July the 1st 1708": "We have all sorts of Trades here, and some of 

 every sort that work well ; . . . . The quantity of Train Oyl made in Long Island 

 is uncertain, some years they have much more fish than others, for example 

 last year they made four thousand Barrils of Oyl, and this last Season they 

 have not made above Six hundred; About the middle of October they begin 

 to look out for fish, the Season lasts all November, December, January, 

 February and part of March; a Yearling will make about forty Barrils of 

 Oyl, a Stunt or whale two years old will make sometimes fifty, sometimes 

 Sixty Barrils of Oyl, and the largest whale that I have heard of in these Parts, 

 Yielded one hundred and ten barrels of Oyl, and twelve hundred Weight of 

 Bone, . . . . " 3 



During subsequent years, down to as late as 1718, there were frequent 

 disputes between the captors of whales and the rights of the crown to a share 

 of the spoils, but there is no definite information as to the number of whales 

 taken, at which time Robert Hunter, in his report of date July 7 of that year 

 to the "Lords of Trade," stated, the "licences for Whale Fishing" "has not 



1 Hubbard's History of New England, in Massachusetts Hist. Coll., 2d ser., Vol. VI, 1815, 

 pp. 668, 669, 673. 



2 Doc. relative to Col. Hist. New York, Vol., Ill, p. 183. 

 * Ibid., Vol. V, pp. 59, 60. 



