198 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



year 1787, twenty-five ships; in 1788, twenty-three 

 ships; in 1789, nineteen ships; in 1790, eighteen 

 ships, and in the year 1791, seventeen ships. At 

 this time the ships engaged in the Dutch whale 

 fisheries were about one hundred and twelve feet 

 long, twenty-eight and a half feet wide, with a depth 

 in the hold of twelve and a half feet, between decks 

 even and a quarter feet ; the burden being one 

 10 two hundred lasts or three hundred and sixty to 

 f our hundred tons. 



The expense of an Arctic voyage was about nine 

 thousand eight hundred florins, made up of ordinary 

 outfit and victualling, two thousand nine hundred 

 florins, wages advances, one thousand three 

 1 jndred florins, and further wages, five thousand 

 six hundred florins. It will be noted that there is 

 no account of the cost of repairs, insurance, and 

 other expenses. Details of the wages paid to the 

 crew, who work on shares, are given, but as 

 hey follow similar lines to those already given 

 >y Zorgdrager there is no need to recapitulate 



them. 



At this period the whale fishery was subsidised by 

 the Dutch Government; a ship that returns empty 

 biing allowed five thousand florins compensation, 

 or alternatively fifty florins for every cask of blubber 

 snort of a hundred, so that a ship that returns with 

 but fifty casks of blubber receives two thousand five 

 hundred florins. Exact notes of the quantity of 

 whalebone were unobtainable. A full-sized fish is 

 estimated to yield one thousand five hundred 



