116 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



Eastland Company of London, who abridge and 

 monopolise the whole trade of these countries into 

 their own hands, though many of them are of small 

 ability and hinder often those that are better able." 1 

 One of the best early descriptions of the whale 

 fisheries is that of Edge (see illustrations, pp. 64 and 

 80). First of all the ordinary species of whale is 

 described. " The whale is a fish or sea-beast of 

 a huge bignesse, about sixtie five foot long, and 

 thirtie five foot thicke, his head is a third part of all 

 his bodies quantitie, his spacious mouth contayn- 

 ing a very great tongue, and all his finnes, which 

 we call whale finnes. These finnes are rooted in 

 his upper chap, and spread over his tongue on both 

 sides his mouth, being in number about two 

 hundred and fiftie on one side, and as many on the 

 other side. The longest finnes are placed in the 

 midst of his mouth, and the rest doe shorten by 

 their proportionable degrees, backward and for- 

 wards, from ten or eleven foot long to foure inches 

 in length, his eyes are not much bigger than an 

 Oxes eyes, his body is in fashion almost round 

 forwards, growing on still narrower towards his 

 tayle from his bellie ; his tayle is about twentie foot 

 broad, and of a tough solid substance, which we use 

 for blockes to chop the blubber on (which yields 

 oyle), and of like nature are his two swimming 

 finnes (and they grow forward on him). This 



1 " Causes of the General Decay of Trade and Scarcity of 

 Money in the Town of Kingston-on-Hull, as laid before the 

 Privy Council by John Ramsden, Merchant," 1622 (from 

 Hartley's, Hull). 



