58 



English codfishery, Newfoundland — Continued. 



English herring fishery, Newfoundland. 



THE NEWFOUNDLAND SEAL FISHERY, SO CALLED. 



This business is of recent origin. The first account of it is in 1795, 

 but it was not prosecuted to any extent until the general peacq, in 1814. 



Seals frequent the coasts of Newfoundland in the spring. They go 

 upon the ice in the polar seas to bring forth their young, and are swept 

 along by the currents to milder regions, where, still upon the ice, hun- 

 dreds of thousands of them are annually killed. During the passage 

 from the remote north, they apparently live without much food, but yet 

 are quite fat when seen by those who adventure in pursuit of them. 



The vessels engaged in catching seals are from fifty to two hundred 

 tons, and carry from fifteen to forty men each. They leave Newfound- 

 land in March, and proceed to sea until they meet the ice, and on falling 

 in with it, are forced into it as far as possible, by implements which are 



