n 
D 
98 
l^he History of the Countries 
Book II. 
fhall endeavour to defcend to fuch Particulars, as - may 
fet this Matter in the clearefl Light polTiblei 
It is agreed by the Dutch Authors, who have written 
on Whale-fifliing, that the moft fortunate Seafon they 
ever had, was in the Year 1697. We will therefore con- 
fider the State of this Fiihery, for that Year, in order to 
fettle the Profits of it 5 and will afterwards compare it 
with Accounts received from Holland^ of the Fifhery for 
1744, communicated while this Sedtion was writing, that 
we may the better judge how things now ftand. In 
1697 there were one hundred and eighty-nine Veffels, of 
feveral Nations, employed in the Fiihery on the Coaft of 
Greenland \ of thefe the Dutch made one hundred and 
twenty-nine, but feven v/ere loit upon the Coaft. The 
Hamburghers had fifty-one, of which they loft four. The 
Swedes had two ; the Danes four-, the Bremeners twelve ; 
the Emhdeners two ; and the Lubeckers one. The Num- 
ber of Whales taken that Year amounted to one thoufand 
nine hundred and fixty-eight, which the Dutch^ and the 
Ships of other Nations before-mentioned, caught in the 
following Proportions, viz. 
Nations. 
The Dutch 
The Hamburghers 
The Swedes 
The Danes 
The Bremeners _ 
The Embdeners 
The Lubeckers 
of Whales. 
Cafks of Oil. 
1255 
449 ^ 
41344 
16414 
540 
52 
1710 
96 
3790 
2 
68 
r 
T 
17 
1968 
63883 
The Total Value of the Fiihery of 1697* 
The Calk of Blubber fold that Year for ^ 
thirty Florins; the whole Number > /. 1916490 
thereof came to ' 
The Fins, reckoning thofe of eachWhale"> 
at 2000 1 . and the Current Price be-f r oaQr,nr^ 
ing 50 /. a Quin6l ; the whole there- f ^ 
fore came^to J 
/• 37^4490 
In our Money /. 37^449 
The particular Account of the Dutch Fiihery ftated. 
Caiks. 
Their 41344 at 30/. Cafk, came to /. 1240320 
Their 25100 wt. at 50/. fer C. wt. came to /. 1255000 
/. 2495320 
In our Money /. 249532 
According to a Letter from Amfterdamt dated the 26th 
of July, the Whale-fiihery, for the .Year 1744, was 
pretty near over, and the Proportions ftood then as 
viz. 
Whales. 
The Dutch had caught 
662 
The Hamburghers 
45 
Thofe from Altena 
20 
The Bremeners 
18 
The Embdeners 
8 
In all 
153 , 
I have not been able to procure, hitherto, as clear and 
diftind an Account of the Whale-fiihery, for the two laft 
Years, as for that before given ; but I am very well in- 
formed, that the Whale-fiihery fcarce ever anfwered bet- 
ter than it did in this prefent Year 1746, more efpecially 
to the Dutch, who had more Ships, and better Luck with 
their Ships, than any other Nation. It is worth obferv- 
ing, that the wife Inhabitants of Holland have continually 
maintained and pradifed this Fiihery, as de IVitte ad- 
vifed them ; and have thereby added immenfe Sums to 
the Wealth of their People, as well as to the Strength of 
their State, confidered as a maritime Power. Wd will re- 
lied a little upon both thefe Points, that we may be the 
better fatisfied, as to the real Importance of the Whale- 
fiftiery. He judged it to be very beneficial to his Coun- 
try, becaufe of the Eafe and Expedition with which it 
was performed ; for in fix Day’s Time the Ships failed 
out of Harbour, and were, adually, if the Seafon was 
favourable, engaged in their Fiihery. The whole Time 
it continues, does not exceed four Months ; during which 
a great Number of Veifels are employed, in which abun- 
dance of hardy and experienced Seamen are bred, by 
whom alfo the whole Bufmefs is performed abroad, and, 
upon their Return, a much greater Number of People 
find work at home ; fo that there is no great Reafon to 
doubt, that de Witte‘s Calculation, of twelve thoufand 
Perfons maintained by this Trade only, is very agreeable 
to Truth, and not at all tindlured with Partiality towards 
his Country. He very juftly obferves, that what ren- 
ders this Trade ftill more valuable, is the Exportation of 
the greateft Part of its Produce ; and if we confider .this 
attentively, and make the neceffary Allowances in fuch 
kind of Calculations, we ftiall be able to form to oiir- 
felves a tolerable Notion of what the Dutch have got by 
the Greenland Fiihery, from that Time to this. 
It is now fourfcore Years fince de Witte framed his 
Computation, and we lhall certainly run no Hazard of 
over-valuing the Induftry of our Neighbours in this Par- 
ticular, if we fuppofe that the Whale-fifhing has brought 
them in, one Year with another, in Whale-Bone and 
Oil, two Millions of Florins, of which we may alfo allow 
that they have exported, at leaft, one Half ; fo that they 
have faved fourfcore Millions of Florins in what they 
have ufed themfelves in thefe Commodities, which they 
muft otherwife have purchafed, and have drawn befides, 
from other Countries, into their own, as much in ready 
Money, which amounts to eight Millions Sterling. A 
prodigious Sum indeed, and which ought to cover us 
with Shame, confidering that we have had, at leaft, as 
great Opportunities as they, of making a like Advan- 
tage of this Fiihery, of which, for many Years paft, 
however, we have not made one Shilling. Whence this 
arifes is very hard to fay, and the more fo as it is certain 
we were once the foie Proprietors of the Whale-filhing, 
wliich we pointed out as worthy other Peoples Concern, 
and have fince negledled ourfelves, though many of our 
bell Writers upon Commerce, have taken Pains to ex- 
pofe the grofs Abfurdity and inexcufabie Negligence of 
fuch a Condudl. At prefent, perhaps, an Opportunity 
might be gained of reviving this Fiihery, if the Govern- 
ment fhould think fit to erecft a Fprtrefs, and open a 
Port in the Orkneys, which might, in many refpedls, 
prove very beneficial ; but more efpecially in this, be- 
caufe it would give us, immediately, very great Ad- 
vantages over the Dutch, Hamburghers, and all other Na- 
tions that at prefent frequent the Greenland Seas, as we 
might have all kind of Utenlils neceffary, eredled in any 
of thefe Elands, which would enable us to make more, 
and better Oil, than any of our Neighbours, from the 
fame Quantity of Filh ; as it would alfo give us an Op- 
portunity of vifiting the Coafts of Greenland earlier, and 
remaining there later, than other People. There is no 
Doubt that, if any Attempt of this Sort was once made, 
at the Expence of Englijh Merchants, they would be very 
foon able to raife a prodigious Number of flout and able 
Seamen in thofe Parts, as capable and as enterprizing as 
thofe of any other Nation whatever. It might alfo prove 
the Caufe of opening to us fome other Branches of Com- 
merce hitherto not known, or which have been long dif- 
ufed ; and it might prove likewife a Means of renewing 
that Third; for Difcoveries, for which this Nation was 
formerly fo famous, and to which fhe certainly (lands 
indebted for the mod valuable Branches of her Com- 
merce. Thefe, I mean ’ the Orkney IJlands, are the 
Elands, Shetland excepted, the leaft known, but not the 
leaft valuable Part of the Britijh Dominions ; for befides 
this Greenland' Fifhery, for the eftabliftiing of which there 
is not in Europe a Place fo proper, and a confiderable 
Fifhery round them, they might be made a general Ma-' 
gazine for fuch Commodities as fell to Advantage to the 
North, 
