A HARBINGER OF THE REVOLUTION 117 



crew of seven men, on an average. One-half that num- 

 ber were needed on shore for curing the fish. Three hun- 

 dred and fifty vessels were employed to carry the fish to 

 market, of a tonnage ranging from 70 or 80 to 170 or 

 180 each, carrying eight hands. There were, then, be- 

 tween nine and ten thousand men in New England directly 

 engaged either in the codfishery or in business depending 

 immediately upon such fisheries. 



The number of whale ships was 309, of which 122 were 

 from Nantucket. There was an extensive shore fishery 

 carried on at New England, the shad, herring and mack- 

 erel being important. Very little of the salt cod and salt 

 mackerel was consumed by the people there ; therefore they 

 were not necessary to the support of the people as far as 

 preventing starvation was concerned. About one-fourth 

 the inhabitants of the seaport towns of Massachusetts lived 

 on fresh fish. Shad and alewives were necessary in some 

 parts. The New England fishermen received higher wages 

 than those of Newfoundland; their fish were of a better 

 quality, and usually sold better than the product of the 

 British fishermen. 



The effect of the bill, the testimony continues, would be 

 to destroy the deep-sea fisheries of New England. The 

 people of Nantucket would be ruined. The trade with the 

 West Indies would be greatly interfered with, if not wholly 

 stopped. The merchants of New England would be unable 

 to pay the bills that they were owing in Great Britain. 

 But the people would not migrate to Halifax or other parts 

 of Canada for the purpose of carrying on their industry. 

 Neither would the measure necessarily "starve them into 

 submission/' as there was agriculture to which many of 

 the people could easily turn their hand for support. 



On the other hand it was shown that Newfoundland 

 could not carry on the fisheries as New England was doing. 

 The Newfoundland fisheries were carried on cheapest from 



