138 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



not only to keep the ships safely in port, but because 

 the men were required for the navy. 



The " Greenland " warehouses in Amsterdam are 

 described by Filips von Zesen. 1 They belonged to 

 the Greenland (Noordsche) Company, and were 

 situated in the Keisers-gracht. The Greenland 

 Company originally boiled down their oil at 

 Spitsbergen, but other traders, not members of the 

 Company, at this time brought the blubber home 

 to boil it down. The land in the Keisers-gracht 

 was bought by the Company in 1620, and it is 

 probable that the warehouses were erected soon 

 after, when the Company was at the height of its 

 prosperity. 



The warehouses were spacious and well suited for 

 the accommodation of the requisites of the fishery 

 and the general merchandise of the Company. 

 There were great stone cisterns 2 in the cellars for 

 the storage of train oil, which was better preserved 

 there, and less subject to leakage than in vats. 

 These warehouses are illustrated in Conway's "No 



redenen den Walvisch-vanghst voor het jaer 1653, g-eschorst 

 wordt, 25 Maart, 1653. Gr. PLac.-boek., ii., 506. 



1 Beschriebung- der stadt Amsterdam, darinnen von derselben 

 ersten ursprunge bis auf g-egrenwartigen Zustand, ihr unter- 

 schiedlicher anwachs, herliche vorrechte, und in mehr als 70 

 Kupferstiikken entworfene fiihrnemhste Gebeue, zusamst ihrem 

 Stahtswesen, Kaufhandel und ansehnlicher macht zur See, wie 

 auch was sich in und mit Derselben markwiirdiges zugetrag~en 

 vor augen gestellet werden Zu Amsterdam, Gedrukt und verlegt 

 durch Joachim Noschen. Im Jahr, 1664. See also Muller, 

 Noordsche Compagnie," p. 121. 



3 " Gemetzelde Bakken." See Le Moine de VEs-pine and 

 Isaac de Long. De Koophandel van Amsterdam, Rotterdam, 

 1780, Vol. ii., p. i g8. 



