116 



HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



report was made. One brig from Boston, while off the coast of Sierra Leone, sent a boat ashore 

 with six men to procure water. The boat was seized and the crew all massacred by the natives. 

 lu the spring of the following year a sloop owned by Gideon Almy, of Tivertou, -and another belong- 

 ing to Boston, were seized, while watering at Hispaniola, by a French frigate, carried into Port an 

 Prince and there condemned.* 



" In 1774 a report came by the way of Fayal that a small American whaling brig was lying in 

 the harbor of Rio Janeiro with only her captain and three men on board. It appears that, putting 

 in there for refreshments,! in the summer of 1773, a portion of her crew were, ' by fair or foul 

 means,' induced to ship on a Portuguese snow f for a three months' whaling voyage. The snow 

 was provided with harpoons and other whaling craft, made after the English models, and was 

 cruising for sperm whales, a business altogether new to the Portuguese, who had been hitherto 

 ignorant of any but the right whale, and had never ventured even in the pursuit of them out of 

 sight of land. The brig still lay there in October, 1773, waiting the return of her men. " 



CONDITION OF THE FISHERY AT OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. "In 1774 the 

 whale fishery in the colonies must have been in the full tide of success. There were probably fitted 

 out annually at this time no less than 360 vessels of various kinds, with an aggregate burden of 

 nearly 33,000 tons, and employing directly about 4,700 men, and indirectly an immensely greater 

 number. Despite the depredations of French and Spanish privateers the fishery continued to 

 flourish. The annual production from 1771 to 1775 was probably at least 45,000 barrels of sperma- 

 ceti oil and 8,500 barrels of right-whale oil, and of bone nearly or quite 75,000 pounds.|| In the 



" * Boston News-Letter." 



" t Some vessels never dropped anchor in a port from the day they sailed until their return ; but scurvy was very 

 apt to manifest itself where a c.rew was so long deprived of fresh provisions." 



" t 'A snow is a vessel equipped with two masts resembling the main and foremasts of a ship, and a third email 

 mast, abaft the mainmast, carrying a trysail. These vessels were much used in the merchant service at the time of 

 the Revolution.' (Lossing's Field Book, ii, p. 846, note.) " 



" Boston News-Letter." 



" || State of the wliale fishery in Massachusetts, 1771 to 1775. 



" These statistics arc, IVom .Tetlerson's report, am! were gathered for him h.v governor of Massachusetts. 

 "According to Pitkin, among the exports of the colonies, including Newfbnmlland, l.ii>h:ut::is, and Mennu.las, were, 

 for the year 1770 : 



"Value, sterling: Sperm candles, 23,688 4s. 6J. ; whale oil, 83,012 15g. 9d.;.bone, 19,121 7g. A." 



