276 THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS OF THE FISHERIES, ETC. 



A gentleman sent to China on an agricultural mission by the French 

 Government, M. Eugene Simon, has made a valuable report on the 

 fish and fisheries of that country, and ha3 also despatched specimens of 

 several kinds which he thinks capable of being bred in Europe. He 

 speaks ol these in the highest terms, and says that it would not be 

 difficult to select 40 or 50 species worthy of observation. Amongst 

 others he reports is the Loin or king of fish, classed as Crenilabrus by 

 Dr. Bridgman, measuring sometimes six or seven feet in length, weigh- 

 ing from 50lbs. to 2001bs., or more, and said to be equal to the famous 

 salmon of the Rhine. Then come the Lein-in-wang and the Ean-in, 

 almost as good and even larger than the other ; the Lin-in, finer than 

 any carp in Europe, and weighing sometimes 30lbs. ; and the Kin-in, 

 or Tsi-in, which does not weigh more than from lOlbs. to 12lbs., and is 

 the finest and most delicate of all in flavour, partaking at once of the 

 characteristics of the trout and sole. 



Whale-fishing in the Indian Ocean constitutes a large and profitable 

 trade. In this pursuit, however, Great Britain has no share. From Java 

 Head to Cape Leeuwin the distance is about 1 ,600 miles. Far and wide 

 along this whole line of sea, ships of the United States are constantly 

 cruising about in search of whales, and occasionally meet with immense 

 prizes, even within sight of the colony which Great Britain has planted 

 on the Western coast of the Australian continent. England in her own 

 waters is, in this respect, England no longer, and while ships of foreign 

 nations making light of a voyage of 13,000 miles, traverse the ocean 

 to fish on British coasts, carrying away annual prizes of industry to the 

 value of 1,000,000/. sterling, Great Britain looks on unheedingly. 



An American whaler is usually about 450 tons burthen, and it ia 

 supposed that, in all parts of the Indian Ocean, there are not less than 

 eighty always cruising about at one time. This gives an aggregate ton- 

 nage of 36,000 tons. Dutch and French whalers are also occasionally 

 to be met with in this region ; and although, in point of number, they 

 perhaps do not constitute above a tenth of the number of American 

 vessels, yet the quantities of oil which they, too, succeed in taking, 

 sometimes in British waters, illustrate still further the apathy of the 

 English in regard to this source of wealth. 



In 1838, American and French whalers cruising in the vicinity of 

 Cape Leeuwin captured, at one onslaught, a school of whales which 

 yielded about 10,000 barrels of oil estimated in value at 25,000/. ; not a 

 single British or colonial craft being present to share in the gains. In 

 February, 1845, several American vessels encountered and captured a 

 considerable number of wdiales at Champion Bay in the 27th degree of 

 S. lat,, about ten miles from the shore — their operations being distinctly 

 seen by some colonists from land. The yield of oil was on this occasion 

 upwards of 6,000 barrels, estimated in value at about 16,000/. 



In October, 1857, American, Dutch, and French whalers cruising 

 off King George's Sound took prizes of oil amounting to 12,000 barrels — 

 in value about 28,000/. These various captures were exclusive of extensive 



