678 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



the Piscataqua, to winch he gave the name of Maine; and to Mason the territory on the westerly side of that river, 

 which, in honor of the county in which he lived in England, he called 2?eu> Hampshire. 



" Mason was hred a merchant, but hecame an officer in the British navy, and in that capacity had resided at New- 

 foundland as one of the governors of that island, of the description spoken of in the second part of this report. He 

 was, therefore, personally acquainted with the management of a fishery. * 



" The history of industry upon the sea, for the century and a half that New Hampshire remained an English colony, 

 is brief and without events of particular interest. lu 1033 Mason wrote from London to his agent Gibbens, on the 

 Piscataqua, that 'the adventurers hero have been so discouraged by reason of John Gibb's ill dealing in his fishing 

 voyage, as also by the small returns sent. hither by Captain Neale, Mr. Herbert, or any of their factors, as that they 

 have no desire to proceed any further until Captain Neale come hither to confer with them, that, by conference with 

 him, they may settle things in better order.' Again, in the same letter he remarks that ' we desire to have our fish- 

 ermen increased, whereof we have written to Mr. Godfrey.' In July, 1633, Gibbens said, in a communication to 

 his employers, that ' for your fishing you complain of Mr. Gibbs. A Londoner is not for fishing, neither is there any 

 amity betwixt the west-countrymen ' and them. Bristol or Barnstable is very convenient for your fishing ships. It 

 is not enough to fit out our ships to fish, but they must be sure (God will) to be at their fishing place the beginning 

 of February, and not come to the land when other men have half their voyage.' The last letter is apparently a reply 

 to the first, and both show that, after ten years' experience, the fishery was managed without skill, and afforded no 

 profit, while the intimation of Gibbens, relative to the late arrival of his employer's ships, may be construed to mean 

 that English merchants sent tteir vessels to our coast in mid-winter. 



" The colony was indeed in an unpromising condition. For years afterwards there was but little change for the 

 better. The colonists neglected the soil, and the food necessary for their support was obtained in Virginia and 

 England. ' Puscataway,' said the noted John Underbill, Ms a desirable place, and lies in the heart of fishing;' and 

 such is the uniform account of the early chroniclers; but yet the capital invested there by the original patentees, and 

 by Gorges and Mason, was entirely lost. * * 



''The colony depended upon axes and saws, shallops and fishing-lines, until necessity compelled a resort to the 

 plow. Its first exports of corn were mid the desolations of the struggle that resulted in giving it the rank and 

 blessings of an independent State. * * * The trade of Portsmouth was of slow growth. The number of vessels 

 that entered the port in 1681 was forty-nine; but some were of the burden of 10 tons, or mere boats, and none were 

 larger than 150 tons; while the whole amount of impost or customs collected was less than 62." 



The following extract from the council records for 1682 shows of how little value the local fisheries were at 

 that time : 



" Importation by strangers is of little value ; ships commonly selling their cargoes in other governments, and if 

 they come here, usually come empty to fill with lumber; but if haply they are at any time loaded with fish it is 

 brought from other ports, there being none made in our province, nor likely to be, until His Majesty please to make 

 the south part of the Isles of Shoals part of this government, they not being at present under any." 



THE FISHERIES IN 1715 AND 1730. "In 1715," says Sabine, " Kittery, opposite to Portsmouth, in Maine, and the 

 seat of an extensive fishery, was made a port of entry in consequence of the improper duties and exactions (as was 

 alleged) which the government of New Hampshire demanded of the merchants and fishermen trading at the towns 

 on the Piscataqua. The difficulties which caused this measure seem to have occasioned much excitement. * 

 An answer was framed to inquiries of the Lords of Trade and Plantations, in 1730, which shows that the commerce 

 of Portsmouth was still small. The exports were stated to be ' fish and lumber;' the number of vessels was only five, 

 of about 500 tons in the aggregate ; and the tonnage of vessels trading there, owned elsewhere, even less. 'The prov- 

 ince,' it was said, 'makes use of all sorts of British manufactures, amounting to about 5,000 sterling annually, 

 which are had principally from Boston.' ' The trade to other plantations' was to the ' Carribbee Islands, whither we 

 send lumber and fish and receive in return rum, sugar, molasses, and cotton; and as to trade to Europe it is to Spain 

 or Portugal, from whence our vessels bring home salt.'" 



CONDITION OF THE FISHERIES IN 1791. 



THE COD FISHERY ON THE BANKS AND INSHORE. Belknap, in his history of New Hampshire, thus describes the 

 fisheries of the State in 1791 : ''The cod fishery is carried on either by boats or schooners. The boats, in the winter 

 season, go out in the morning and return at night; in the spring and summer they do not return till they are filled. 

 The schooners make three trips to the banks in a season. The first or spring fare produces large, thick fish, which, 

 after being properly salted and dried, is kept alternately above and under ground till it becomes so mellow as to be 

 denominated dumb-fish. This fish, when boiled, is red, and is eaten generally on Saturdays at the best tables in New 

 England. 



" The fish of the summer and fall fares is divided into two sorts, the one called merchantable and the other Jamaica 

 fish. These sorts are white, thin, and less firm. The Jamaica fish is the smallest, thinnest, and most broken. The 

 former is exported to Europe, the latter to the West India Islands. The places where the cod fishery is chiefly 

 attended to are the Isles of Shoals, New Castle, Rye, and Hampton; but all the towns adjoining the river are more or 

 less concerned in it. The boats employed in this fishery are of that light and swift kind called whale-boats. They 

 are rowed either with two or four oars and steered with another, and, being equally sharp at each end, move with the 

 utmost celerity on the surface of the ocean. Schooners are generally from 20 to 50 tons, and carry six or seven men 



1 \Vcst-coimtrymen of England. Nearly all the fishing vessels that came to America were from the west counties. 



