179 



mcxdity of this country." The mackerel fishery at Cape Cod was held 

 by the government of the colony of Plymouth as public property, and 

 its profits were appropriated to public uses. The records show that it 

 was rented, from time to lime, to individuals, who paid stipulated sums, 

 ■and that a part of the fund to support the first free-school established, by 

 oiir Pilgrim fathers was derived from it. . ■ 



The proposition to found and endow a school of this description 

 vSeem« to have been made in 1663, but not to have been adopted until 

 seven years later; when the general court, "upon due and serious 

 consideration, did freely give and grant all such profits as might or 

 should annually accrue to the colony," from this and the bass and her- 

 ring fisheries, at tltfs same place. In 1689, the " rent of the Cape fishery 

 was added to the appropriation for magistrates' salary for that year." , 



Exact statements as to the progress and extent of the " mackerel 

 fishery previous to the Revolution, are hardly to be found; but it is still 

 certain that the people of Rhode Island and Connecticut, as well as 

 those «f Massachusetts, were "largely concerned in it," and that fleets 

 of sloops employed in it were often seen upon the coast and in the har- 

 bors. It is certain, alsolj that about the year 1770, the town of Scituale, 

 alone, owned upwards of thirty vessels that were annually fitted out 

 as "mackerel catchers;" and that the whole number of vessels in 

 Massachusetts was not less than one hundred. Soon after the peace of 

 1783, a writer in a Boston newspaper, in a series of articles on Ameri- 

 can commerce, said that the mackerel fishery "was of more value to 

 Massachusetts than would be the pearl fisheries of Ceylon." 



There is little of interest relating to this branch of industry for sev- 

 eral years after the period last mentioned. A highly respectable ship- 

 master, who is stiir living, entertains the opinion that the fishery in ves- 

 sels was commenced within fifty years; and that "he was personally 

 engaged in the frst regular mackerel voyage ever made in New Eng- 

 land." His account, as related to me by himself, would occupy too 

 much room. Its substance is, that, engaged in the coasting business 

 for some time between Massachusetts arid Maine, be commonly saw 

 and caught mackerel, during the summer months, in the vicinity of the 

 island of Mount Desert; that, believing that they might be taken in 

 quantities, he resolved, finally,, to fit out a vessel for the express pur- 

 pose ; that his success was even greater than he had expected, and 

 that others were induced to follow his example. The mistake of this 

 gpntleman probably is, that what he considers the migin of the vessel 

 tisbery was only a revival of it, since we can easily imagine that re- 

 peated losses and discouragements had caused a suspension of it. 



The accompanying- table of statistics will show the number of bar^ 

 Ejels inspected annually in Massachusetts since the year 1804, and also 

 the fluctuations and^ uncertainties of the fishery. It will be seen, that» 

 commencing with a catch of eight thousand barrels, the quantity was. 

 actually less in 1808, and during the three years of the war of 1818;: 

 that the inspection rose to two hundred and thirty-six thousand barre's 

 in 1820, and declined.more than half in the following year; that, again 

 increasing in 182-5, and again declining until 1829, there was a eonsid- 

 feKibie gain in 1830, and that the largest "catch" during the whole pe- 

 riod which it embraces was in 1831, when the quantity inspected was 



