/ 
Captain Scoresby on the Size of the Greenland Whale. 87 
if large, and taken at a seasonable time.’’ Now, the large whales 
here mentioned, -as yielding ^0 tons of oil each, are similar in 
produce to those esteemed full grown animals, which yet occur 
in the neighbourhood of Spitzbcrgen and in Davis’ Straits ; such 
as whales of 50 to 60 feet in length, and 11 to 12 or 13 feet 
whalebone. 
In a letter by Captain William Heley, one of the Russia 
Company’s whale-fishers, dated 1617, preserved by Purchas, 
we read, that 150 whales had been killed that season, from 
whence 1 800 tons of oil had been extracted, besides some blub- 
ber left behind for want of casks. We may consider here the 
average per fish as somewhat more than 12 tons of toil. Ano- 
ther letter, dated 1619, published likewise by Purchas, men- 
tions eight fish having been caught, which made 111| tons of oil, 
or 14 tons per fish nearly ; and two very large fish” (not then 
boiled) expected to produce 36 to 40 tons, or near 20 tons each; 
which is but just equal to a large fish at the present, and is a 
quantity indeed that is often exceeded. It is needless to multi- 
ply authorities of this description, else I could bring forward 
the testimonies of Martins, the author of the interesting Voyage 
to Spitzbergen, of Captains Edge, Salmon, Goodlard and 
Fanne, employed in the Russia Company’s service, and of many 
others, all of which furnish the same conclusions. 
But in none of the authorities ^^et quoted, is there any direct 
j’eference to the length of the w'^hales ; the evidence, which is de- 
cidedly the most satisfactory, therefore, remains to be consider- 
ed. 
In Purchas’s “ Pilgrimes,” published in the year 1625, w e have 
a description of the whale by Captain Edge, one of the Russia 
Company’s chief fishers, w^ho had been ten voyages to Spitzber- 
gen, in which he calls it a sea beaste of huge bigness, about 
65 foot long and 35 foot thick,” having whalebone 10 or 11 feet 
long, (a common size at present), and yielding about ICO hogs- 
heads of oil. Jenkinson, in his voyage to Russia, performed in 
1557, saw a number of whales, some of which, by estimation., 
were 60 feet long, and are described as being very monstrous.” 
And at the margin of a descriptive plate, accompanying Captain 
Edge’s paper on the Fishery, is a drawing of a whale, with this 
remark subjoined, — A whale is ordinarily about 60 foot long.” 
