412 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND. 



Among the first places visited by American and English sealing vessels was the island of 

 South Georgia, in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is in about latitude 54 58' south, a few hundred 

 miles eastward of Cape Horu, and, with the adjacent Clerke's Rocks,* forms a group of desolate 

 uninhabited islands, fit only for the home of hardy seals. This island was discovered by Monsieur 

 La Roche in the year 1675, and was visited by a vessel called the Lyon in 1756, but was not brought 

 to public notice until Captain Cook in the Resolution explored the island in 1771, and in his offi- 

 cial report gave an account of the abundance of sea-elephants, or, as he termed them, "sea-lions," 

 and fur-seals found upon the shores. Vessels were soon equipped by enterprising merchants for 

 the purpose of taking these amphibious animals. 



In the spring of 1800 Captain Fanning sailed from New York i n the ship Aspasia, bound on 

 an exploring and sealing voyage to the south seas. The ship was commissioned as a letter of marque, 

 and was armed with twenty-two guns. After visiting the Tristan Islands without securing any 

 seals, the Aspasia sailed for South Georgia, and during the sealing season secured 57,000 fur- 

 seal skins. Owing to the severe gales of wind at these islands it was necessary to moor the 

 Aspasia with three anchors ahead and two astern. As was usual on these voyages a shallop was 

 built for cruising along shore among the islands while searching for seals. Captain Fanning 

 states that when the summer season set in, in November, " seventeen sail of sealing vessels, mostly 

 ships with their shallops, arrived at this island. We had rather the start, however, for our men 

 having been previously placed at the different stations, and aided as they were by the fast sailing 

 little vessel, were enabled, out of the 112,000 fur-seal skins taken .by the crews of all vessels dur- 

 ing the season, to secure 57,000 for our share." 



Captain Weddell, writing about South Georgia in 1825, says that '' since the year in which 

 seals were known to be so abundant not less than 20,000 tons of the sea-elephant oil has been 

 procured for the London market. A quantity of fur-seal skins were usually brought along with a 

 cargo of oil; but formerly the furriers in England had not the method of dressing them, on which 

 account they were of so little value as to be almost neglected. At the same time, however, the 

 Americans were carrying from Georgia cargoes of these skins to China, where they frequently 

 obtained a price of from $5 to $6 apiece. It is generally known that the English did not enjoy 

 the same privilege, by which means the Americans took entirely out of our hands this valuable 

 article of trade. The number of skins brought from off Georgia cannot be estimated at fewer than 

 1,200,000. I may here also remark that the island of Desolation, which Captain Cook likewise 

 visited, and first made known, has been a source of scarcely less profit than the island of Georgia. 

 Hence it may be presumed that during the time these two islands have been resorted to for the 

 purpose of trade more than 2,000 tons of shipping and from two to three hundred seamen have 

 been employed annually in this traffic. 



" Having thus given," continues Weddell, " an idea of the value of what has already been 

 discovered in the south seas, I shall say something of the island of Georgia, as to its extent and 

 peculiarities. The island is about 96 miles long, and its mean breadth about 10 miles. It is so 

 indented with bays that in several places, where they are on opposite sides, they are so deep as 

 to make the distance from one side to the other very small. Near the middle is an iceberg, which 

 seems to run from side to side. The tops of the mountains are lofty, and perpetually covered with 

 snow ; but in the valleys, during the summer season, vegetation is rather abundant. Almost the 



Named after Captain Clorke, second in command to Captain Cook. 



