THE BOUNTY SYSTEM 195 



The sides batter in to the top of the gunwales, this 

 making the vessel much broader at the water line 

 than the deck. Her bulwark was called pigsty 

 bulwark, i.e., every other plank out to allow the 

 water to run freely off the deck. The following 

 description appeared in her papers : " One deck, 

 three masts, length from main stem to stern post, 

 ninety-six feet; breadth at the broadest part above 

 the mainwales, twenty-seven feet half an inch ; depth 

 of hold sixteen feet two inches; square rigged, 

 standing bowsprit, square sterned, carvel built, no 

 galleries, no figure-head." 



The Truelove saw practically the whole of the 

 Hull fishery from beginning to end. 



By 1786 the industry was thoroughly well 

 established at Hull, twenty vessels being fitted out 

 for the fishery. Three of these met with extra- 

 ordinary success. Whales were abundant in those 

 days, since the Gibralter killed eleven whales, the 

 Manchester ten, and the 'Molly six in one day. 

 There are detailed statistics of the Hull whale 

 fisheries from 1772 to 1833 (see Appendix VI.). 

 One of the drawbacks to whaling at this time was the 

 importunities of the press gang, which used to wait 

 for the whalers on their return from the Arctic and 

 board them at sea. Instances of this occurred in 

 1794, 1797, and 1798, so that it became customary 

 to land some of the crew at Dunbar, leaving on 

 board barely sufficient men to navigate the vessel 

 back to the Humber. 



In 1798 most of the whalers were captured by 



