THE SPERM WHALE FISHERY. 
151 
After the return of the “Syren” the Japan fishery 
was speedily established, and remains to this day the 
principal one of both Pacifies ; and although it has been 
so much resorted to by ships of different nations ever 
since, which have carried off immense quantities of sperm 
oil, yet such is the boundless space of ocean throughout 
which it exists, that the whales scarcely appear to be re- 
duced in number. But they are much more difficult to 
get near than they were some years back, on account of 
the frequent harassing they have met with from boats 
and ships; so that they have now become well aware 
of the reckless nature of their pursuers, and they evince 
great caution and instinctive cunning in avoiding them* 
Notwithstanding the great success which had attended 
the single-handed yet important efforts of Mr. Enderby, 
in having been the means of establishing two great 
fisheries, by which numbers of persons were employed 
on shore, as well as those who were engaged on ship- 
board, his enterprising mind still continued to be 
prompted by the laudable ambition of discovering others 
in a far different portion of the globe to either of the 
preceding. With this view he fitted out the “ Swan/' 
of 150 tons burthen, commanded by Captain McClain, 
which sailed on the 3d of June, 1823, to under- 
take a voyage to the “ Seychelle Islands/’ for the pur- 
pose of searching for the sperm whale ; directing the 
captain at the same time to prosecute the fishery if pos- 
sible at the entrance of the “ Red Sea’*’ and “ Persian 
Gulf;” but although this third experimental expedition 
did not prove so beneficial to the crew and owner as the 
