HISTORY OF TIIE AMERICAN WHALE FISHERY. 75 



some will retreat to the Continent & set down in the Western Govern- 

 ments; and the most active in the Fishery will most probably go to dis- 

 tant Countries, where they can have every encouragement, by Nations 

 wbo are eagerly wishing to embrace so favourable an opportunity to ac- 

 complish their desires; which will be a great loss to the Continent in 

 general, but more to this Government in particular. 



"We beg leave to impress the consideration of this important subject, 

 not as the judgment of an insignificant few, but of a Town which a few 

 Years since stood the Third in Rank (if we mistake not) in bearing the 

 Burthens of Government; It was then populous and abounded with 

 plenty, it is yet populous but is covered with poverty. Your Memorial- 

 ists have made choice of Samuel Starbuck, Josiah Barker, William 

 Botch, Stephen Hussey and Timothy Folger, as their Committee who 

 can speak more fully to the several matters contain'd in this Memorial, 

 or any other thing that may concern this County, to whom we desire to 

 refer you. 



"Signed in behalf of the Town by — 



"FBEDEBICK FOLGEE, 



"Town Cleric^ 



This memorial was referred to a committee consisting of George 

 Cabot, esq., on behalf of the Senate, and General Ward and Colonel 

 McCobb on the part of the House, which committee on the 29th of 

 October made the following report: " That altho' the Facts set forth in 

 said Memorial are true and the Memorialists deserve Belief in the 

 premises, yet as no adequate Belief can be given them but by the United 

 States in Congress assembled, therefore it is the opinion of the Commit- 

 tee that the said Memorial be referr'd to the consideration of Congress, 

 and the Delegates of this Commonwealth be required to use their En- 

 deavours to impress Congress with just Ideas of the high worth & Im- 

 portance of the Whale fishery to the United States in general, & this 

 State in particular."* This report was accepted, and it was ordered 



*Mass. Col. MSS., Petitions, i, pp. 124-5-6-7-8-9. A memorandum accompanies this, 

 which various circumstances seem to indicate is the work of Mr. Rotch, and which says : 

 " Perhaps some of those reports may have originated from this — a Committee of our 

 Island in the fore part of the year 1781 applied to some of the Members of the General 

 Court and spread before them the peculiar circumstances wherein the Island was in- 

 volved, one whereof was that our Vessels whenever they passed in or out were per- 

 fectly under the controul of the Britons and it was therefore necessary that permits 

 should be obtained from them for our Vessels to proceed on the Whale fishery — since 

 which time some of them have been taken by the American Privateers for having such 

 Permits — and we are thereby reduced to this difficulty that if we carry our Vessels 

 over the bar without permits from the British Admiral they are made prize to the 

 Britons — if they have such permits they are taken by our own Countrymen — and oiu 

 harbour is therefore compleatly shut up — and all our prospects terminate in poverty and 

 distress — what gives us great concern is that our people who understand the Whale 

 fishery will be driven to foreign neutral Countries and many years must pass away 

 before we shall again be enabled to pursue a branch of business which hath been in 

 times past our support and hath yielded such large aids to the Commerce of this 

 Country." 



