NATIONALITY AND GENEEAL CHAEACTEEISTICS. 9 



papers as the New York Weekly, Saturday Night, Fireside Companion, New York Ledger, Harper's 

 Weekly, and Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper are bought weekly by the fishermen of Glouces- 

 ter. On their vessels a number of volumes may always be .found ; Dickens, Shakespeare, Byron, 

 and Abbott's Life of Napoleoif being among the most popular works. 



The food of the New England fishermen is usually of an excellent quality, and to this improve- 

 ment during the past quarter of a century may be attributed the increase in the longevity and 

 period of active service among these men ; this is so noteworthy as to attract the attention of all 

 observers. The cook is often better paid than the captain, and is, in fact, the most important 

 member of the crew. 



Diseases are comparatively rare, the most prevalent being dyspepsia and rheumatism. In the 

 larger ports, where there is much competition, cases of nervous exhaustion are by no means infre- 

 quent among the skipi)ers and the most ambitious fishermen. Vessels carry a plentiful supply of 

 medicines, and some of the skippers are quite expert in the application of certain simple remedies. 



Ports which, like Gloucester, engage in the whiter fisheries, have their fishing population 

 decimated every year or two by severe disasters, but the fishermen do not feel any hesitation in 

 going to sea, never admitting that the disasters which have befallen their comrades can affect 

 themselves. 



To describe the routine of life on board of a fishing vessel would be interestingj since it is 

 very unlike that of other men, even mariners of other classes. Three months or more spent on a 

 vessel anchored in its solitary berth on the banks, hundreds of miles from the land, is an experi- 

 ence which necessarily develops many peculiar habits among those who follow such a life. Prom 

 daybreak until dark they ply their lines from the deck or from little boats, arid half of the night 

 is often devoted to preserving the fish which have been caught during the day. Storms are con- 

 stantly occurring, and the dangers to which these men are exposed are numerous and severe. 



A system of mutual insurance, or rather provision for the welfare of their families, is practiced 

 by the fishermen of Gloucester by which a certain percentage of each man's earnings is set aside, 

 to be applied for the benefit of the wives and children of those who have been lost at sea. The 

 financial profits of the fishermen are extremely uncertain. A common fisherman may make $1,000 

 a year or may find himself at the end of twelve months deeply in debt for the supplies which have 

 been advanced to his family by the shopkeepers during his absence. In 1859 the average yield to 

 the fishermen of Marblehead was $50 each, and in other years the profits have been even less. In 

 some rare instances Gloucester skippers, who were owners of vessels, have made $10,000 to $15,000 

 a year. « 



One of the most interesting topics developed by the study of fishermen is that of their super- 

 stitions. The most common of these is that relating to " Jonahs." Certain articles of apparel, such 

 as a black traveling-bag or a pair of blue mittens or stockings are thought to be sure to bring ill 

 luck. Some fishermen think it " a Jonah " to leave a bucket half full of water on deck, to drive a 

 nail on Sunday, to keep the deck clean, or to break a looking-glass. Superstitious usages are very 

 little prevalent; the practice of wearing ear rings, so common among other mariners and believed 

 to be beneficial to the sight, is rarely met with. 



Certain curious customs might be referred to, but these are usually carried out in a joking 

 manner. The fisherman who nails a horseshoe on the end of his bowsprit has usually no more 

 faith in its supernatural power than the young lady who hangs it over the door of her parlor. 



