EARLY HISTORY OF WHALING 115 



The Dutch Company (Noordsche Compagnie) 

 about this time enlarged its sphere of operations 

 considerably. 



It is estimated that in the reign of James I. 

 (1603-25) there were in existence from one thousand 

 two hundred to one thousand four hundred English 

 ships, of which eighteen were engaged in whaling 

 and discoveries in Arctic seas. Marsden's list 

 includes the following names of whalers : Desire, 

 Dragon, Elizabeth, George, Gods Speed, Hope-well, 

 Jacob, Mary Anne, Mary Margaret, Matthew, 

 Patience, Rainbow, Samaritan, Samuel, Sarah, 

 Tiger and Unity}- 



Towards the end of the reign of James I. the 

 merchants of Hull complained of the falling off of 

 their trade, and in evidence given by John Ramsden, 

 before the Trades Committee of the Privy Council, 

 it is stated " that the summer trade in fish being 

 ruined by the King of Denmark and the Ward- 

 house ... we did seek to revive again by searching 

 and finding out the land called Greenland, where 

 we were the first that found that country, and gave 

 the first hazard of any Englishman to kill the 

 whale, which we hoped would retrieve our fortune; 

 but the Russia Company of London do exceedingly 

 disturb us therein. Another special cause of decay 

 we humbly suppose to be the strict restraint thereof 

 by the Company of Merchant Adventurers and the 



1 For further details see R. G. Marsden, " English Ships in 

 the Reign of James I." Trans. Roy. Hist. Soc. t xix., pp. 310-55, 

 igos, and also Rendel Harris, " The Last of the Mayflower." 

 Manchester University Press, 1920. 



