380 Scientific Intelligence — Botany. 



Attended the exertions of the whale-fishers of the United States, to 

 which Capt. W. Baillie Hamilton called my attention last summer, 

 has naturally roused the energies of many persons in this country, 

 in the hope that the whales which have repaired to the farthest 

 Arctic seas, to live there undisturbed, may yet be reached by the 

 harpoons of our sailors. 



A document communicated to the United States 1 Senate by the 

 Secretary of the Navy, on the 5th of April 1852, explains clearly 

 the very extraordinary and successful efforts, which were only 

 commenced in the year 1848, by the whale-ship " Superior," 

 commanded by Capt. Roys, penetrating through Behring Strait 

 into the Arctic Ocean. The success of this intrepid sailor, who 

 filled his vessel with oil in a few weeks, gave rise to many imitators, 

 and in 1849 he was followed by no less than 154 sail of American 

 whale-ships, nearly the same number going out in each of the two 

 succeeding years. When it is estimated that the value of the ships 

 and cargoes during two of these years amounted to no less a sum than 

 17,412,453 dollars, we cannot be surprised that so lucrative a trade 

 should excite much emulation among British speculators. As 

 geographers, indeed, we must now be anxious to have this important 

 question finally set at rest — i.e., whether (as I think, in common 

 with Old Barentz, Capt. W. B. Hamilton, and others) there may 

 not exist a practicable passage to the Arctic Ocean to the east of 

 Spitzbergen ; in which case our ships might reach profitable 

 whaling grounds without the risk of a long voyage to Behring 

 Strait and the difficult navigation of these seas. 



Let us still hope that our own Government will endeavour to 

 determine this point, so ably urged by Mr Petermann, who has 

 shewn at how little cost and in how short a time the query could 

 be answered, and who has also given many valid reasons to induce 

 us to confide in the prospect of success. — {Sir Roderick MurchisorCs 

 Address to the Royal Geographical Society, vol. xxiii., p. lxxxi.) 



30. Cod-Fishing of the Lofodden Islands. — The cod-fishing of 

 the Lofodden Islands is celebrated all over the north. Here, chiefly 

 in the inclement months of February and March, fishing-boats, from 

 an extent of coast of several hundreds of miles, are concentrated to the 

 number, it is said, of 3000, manned by 16,000 hardy fishermen, 

 who catch in the season not less than 3,000,000 cod-fish,* which 

 are conveyed about midsummer to Bergen in yachts, packed in the 

 manner already described. — (Forbes on Norway, p. 62.) 



* These fish are chiefly dried without salt, in the sun and wind, a process 

 peculiar to the clear dry climate of Nordland and Finraarken. 



