EARLY HISTORY OF WHALING 77 



moored since she became a wreck in the haven. 

 This episode was followed by petitions to the Privy 

 Council and a case before Dr Caesar, Judge of 

 the Admiralty. 1 Some of the oil was eventually 

 sold to a shoemaker at Haverfordwest. 



The manufacture of train oil in England cannot 

 at this time have been important, since in May, 

 1594, a licence was granted to Elizabeth Matthews, 

 widow, for twenty-one years on surrender of the 

 licence granted to her late husband, Richard 

 Matthews, yeoman of the poultry to have the 

 making of train oil of blubbers and fish livers for a 

 rent of twenty shillings. The shoemaker and 

 other inhabitants of Scarborough petitioned to the 

 Council against this grant of monopoly. 2 



Spitsbergen, the scene of the first extensive 

 whaling enterprises and even to-day visited prac- 

 tically every year by whalers, was discovered by 

 Willem Barendts (Barents). Barents' 3 log is still in 

 existence, as are also affidavits by Arent Martenssen 

 of Antwerp and Anthoine Classen Herman, ship's 

 captain, of Leyden, who took part in the expedition. 4 



In previous years, especially in 1594 and 1595, 

 expeditions were sent out from Holland, with 

 financial assistance from the Dutch Government, to 



1 State Papers, Eliz., Domestic, 1591-94, pp. 248-251. 



* Ibid., 1581-90, p. 709. 



' Extract uit het scheeps journal van Willem Barendsz, 

 betreffende de ontdekking van Spitsbergen. Printed by 

 Muller, N.C. 



4 Getuigenissen van twee reisgenooten, van Jan Cornelisz. 

 Rijp over de noordpoolreis van 1596-97. Printed by Muller, 

 N.C. 



