128 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



the oil, fill it into casks, and roll them down to the 

 water. Others again were on the ships to bring 

 the casks alongside, hoist them aloft with a pulley, 

 and lade them into the ship. 



At this time (1623) there came yearly a small 

 fleet of ships from Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Hoorn, 

 and other places, which were arranged in a row 

 along the flat of Smeerenburg, each by its own 

 cookery. Thus there were Amsterdam, Hoorn, 

 Rotterdam, and other oil cookeries with their ware- 

 houses and cooperies, wherein a quantity of Green- 

 land implements were stored, casks made, bound 

 and taken away, many things kept ready for future 

 use, and stored away, when the ships sailed home. 



According to Miiller, 1 the Danes left Smeeren- 

 burg in 1623, their place being taken by the Hoorn, 

 Enkhuisen and Flushing men from 1625 onwards. 

 This place lay to the west of the Amsterdam " tents." 

 The Danes protested, but without effect. 



In 1626 there were five big Dutch tents at 

 Smeerenburg. In 1633 all the chambers of the 

 Noordsche Compagnie had tents there. 2 Amster- 

 dam alone, had two large tents, the other towns, 

 such as Middleburg, Veere, Flushing, Enkhuisen, 

 Delft, and Hoorn, one each. 



All these cookeries and warehouses (Zorgdrager, 

 p. 191) along the flat of Smeerenburg resembled 

 the neighbourhood of a small town, which conse- 

 quently was named Blubbertown, after the industry. 



->'-^: 



" Geschiednis der Noordsehe Compagnie," p. 143. 

 3 Ibid., p. 144. 



