THE SEAL AND WHALE FISHERY OF 1890. 123 



of the voyage, it will be seen, resulted in a very serious loss, 

 which was not retrieved — at least so far as the British vessels 

 were concerned— by the Eight Whale and Bottle-nose fishery in 

 the same waters which followed. 



The total produce of the Newfoundland and Greenland old 

 and young sealing was 54,686 Seals, yielding 647 tons of oil 

 (against 91,365 Seals and 1062 tons of oil in the previous 

 season) ; these at £21 per ton of 252 gallons, and, say, 6s. per 

 skin, would probably realise about £29,993, against a similar 

 estimate of £59,000 in 1889, but of course the great bulk of this 

 was earned by the Newfoundland vessels. 



The total number of vessels which left Dundee for the Seal 

 or Whale Fishery was ten, the same ships as in the previous 

 year; from Peterhead there were seven -the 'Eclipse,' 'Hope,' 

 and 'Perseverance,' screw steamers, and the 'Traveller,' 'Baltic,' 

 'Alert,' and 'Perseverance,' sailing vessels ; the 'Baltic' went to 

 the Bottle-nose fishery, and returned " clean," and the two latter 

 returned from Cumberland Gulf. 



The Davis Straits fishery has again been a fairly successful 

 voyage, five vessels returning with 18 Bight and 806 White 

 Whales, yielding 387 tons of oil (about 124 tons of which would 

 be white whale oil), worth £22 per ton, and 13J tons of bone. 

 The late Capt. Adams, whose sad death I shall have to mention 

 further on, was exceptionally successful, killing six Whales, which 

 produced 100 tons of oil and 117 cwt. of bone ; these, I believe, 

 were procured in the middle ice about the end of June. By the 

 beginning of July the ice had all cleared away, and later on not 

 a particle of ice was to be seen in Davis Straits. I am informed 

 that the vessels fishing in Prince Begent's Inlet got four Black 

 Whales and 806 White Whales before mentioned, and that the 

 three vessels remaining out till the fall got five Whales amongst 

 them, all fine fish ; also that there were plenty of Whales seen, 

 but owing to the absence of ice and the boisterous weather which 

 an open season produces, the Whales would not lie, and the boats 

 could not get a fair chance. 



The following extract from the ' Dundee Advertiser ' of the 

 17th Nov. 1890, will serve to show the character of the Davis 

 Straits voyage of the past season : — 



"The steamer ' Polynia,' belonging to the Dundee Seal and Whale 

 tishiug Company, arrived at Dundee on Saturday afternoon from a 



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