50 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



fishermen, as many as fifty or sixty anchoring in Canso harbor in April 

 of that year, a few of them bound for the former locality, but the 

 majority of them cruising in the vicinity of the Gulf of St. Lawrence 

 and Newfoundland.* Two whaling-sloops from Nantucket, one com- 

 manded by Coleman, and the other by Coffiu, were lost 



this season in the straits of Belle Isle, and the crews were saved by 

 Captain Hamilton, of the Merlin sloop of war, who also aided them in 

 saving the sails, rigging, and stores from the wrecks. The fishery in 

 those parts was quite unsuccessful, many vessels, up to the last of 

 August, having taken little or no oil.t 



In 1768 there sailed from Nantucket eighty sail of vessels of an 

 average burden of 75 tons, and probably fully as many more from other 

 ports — Cape Cod, Dartmouth, Boston, Providence, Newport, Warren, 

 Falmouth, (Cape Cod,) and perhaps other ports being represented, and 

 the voyages being undertaken to Davis Straits, Straits of Belle Isle, 

 Grand Banks, Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Western Islands. Early in 

 the season the Western Island fleet appears to have done little, but by 

 the middle of September they had obtained an average of about 165 bar- 

 rels. The northern fleet probably did nearly as well, as numerous in- 

 stances occur of vessels spoken late in the summer and in the early fall 

 with from 100 to 150 and even as high as 200 barrels. Assuming, then, 

 that 140 vessels returned J with an average produce of 150 barrels (which 



*From a log-book kept by Isaiah Eldredge, of the sloop Tryall, of Dartmouth, which 

 sailed April 25, 1768, for the straits of Belle Isle. She cleared from Nantucket, as 

 Dartmouth was not then a port of entry. On Friday, April 29, she was at anchor in 

 Causo Harbor, with 50 or 60 other whalemen. Saturday, May 7, left Crow Harbor and 

 at night anchored in Man-of-War Cove, Canso Gut, " with about 60 sail of wailmen." 

 The vessels were coutinually beset with ice, aud on the 23d of May they cleared their 

 decks of snow, which was " almost over shoes deep." They killed their first whale on 

 the 22d of July. The larger number of vessels were spoken in pairs, which was the 

 usual manner of cruisitg. The sloop returned to Dartmouth on the 5th of November. 

 This log runs to 1775, and commences again in 1785, ending in 1797, with occasional 

 breaks where leaves are cut out. 



tin October, 1767, a whaling-sloop, belonging to Nantucket, arrived at the bar off 

 that port, on hoard of which were four Indians, who had had some dispute at sea aud 

 agreed to settle it on their return. As the vessel lay at auchor the officers and crew — 

 except three white men aud these Indians — went ashore. The whites being asleep in 

 the cabiu,the Indians went on deck, divided into two parties, aud, arming themselves 

 with whaling-lances, commenced the affray. The two on one side were killed imme- 

 diately, the other two were unhurt. The white men, hearing the affray, rushed upon 

 deck, and, seeing what was done, secured the murderers. In November of the same 

 year some Newburyport fishermen were astounded at perceiving their vessel hurried 

 through the water at an alarming rate without the aid of sails. Upon investigating 

 .the cause, it was found that the auchor was fast to a whale (or vice versa), aud the 

 cable was cut, relieving them of their unsolicited propelling power. — (Boston News- 

 Letter.) 



t Of the 80 vessels sailing from Nantucket but 70 returned, the other 10 being either 

 captured by the French or lost at sea. The same ratio is assumed for the remainder 

 of the fleet. ■ In 1769 a Marbleh* ad brig, the Pitt Packet, Capt. Thos. Power, was 

 boarded by the Rose man-of-war, for the sake of impressing men. Four of the crew, 

 arming themselves with harpoons, retreated to the fore-peak, resolved to resist to the 



