THE SEAL AND WHALE FISHERY OF 1888. 128 
‘Earl of Mar and Kellie,’ which was not out last year, taking the 
place of the ‘ Arctic,’ which, as already stated, was lost in Davis 
Straits. The list of Peterhead vessels is increased to Six, against 
four the previous season, for although the ‘ Erick’ has entered 
the Hudson’s Bay service, the ‘ Windward,’ which had not been 
out since 1884, was put in her place for the sealing, and the return 
of the ‘Alert’ from Cumberland Gulf, where she had wintered, 
as also an irregular voyage, apparently undertaken for sporting 
purposes by the ‘Traveller,’ gave an apparent increase of numbers, 
which, however, was not real. 
Any slight advantage which was gained in the sealing was 
more than lost in the Whale Fishery; this was particularly the 
case at Davis Straits, the eight whales taken there being very 
small, and yielding only 43 ewt. of bone; the Right- Whale oil is 
not given separately, the returns under that head including the 
White-Whale oil also; but at the usual average of one ton of oil 
to every cwt. of bone, it will be seen that this branch of the fishery 
was far from remunerative. As in the past two seasons the ice 
has never cleared out of the Straits, its position remaining 
practically unaltered; and until this clearance takes place, I am 
informed, it is the opinion of practical men that there will be no 
fishing in Davis Straits, the whales having sufficient shelter to 
prevent the vessels getting within reach of them. I am told the 
spring fishing for this reason, although many whales were reported 
by the natives, was a complete failure, and that in the fall no 
whales were seen, that the eight whales secured were all caught 
in Lancaster Sound in J uly, and that even from this once-favoured 
locality the fish have either been killed off or have gone elsewhere, 
thirteen being the total number seen there during the past season. 
The ‘ Active’ returned clean. 
The reports from Greenland are not less unfavourable, not 
So much owing to the scarcity of whales as from continued bad 
Weather, and the extremely unfavourable condition of the ice; 
only four whales were brought home from Greenland, which 
although very small, yielding only 44 ewt. of bone and 52 tons of 
oil, must have been greatly superior to those from Davis Straits; 
two of these fell to Capt. D. Gray of the ‘ Eclipse,’ and two to his 
brother, Capt. J. Gray of the ‘ Hope.’ The ‘ Perseverance’ from 
Cumberland Gulf came back clean. I shall refer to the voyage 
of this vessel farther on. 
ba 
