APPENDIX. 
213 
pooners of the ship ; I distinctly declared that the object of 
my voyage to Greenland was solely a desire to benefit the 
fishery ; and all I required was a fair trial of my several 
instruments to determine their merits. 
For this purpose, Captain Scoresby appointed to the 
boat intended for the service, a harpooner Avho was making 
his first voyage in that capacity, as one best calculated for 
a new practice in the fishery ; but most unfortunately he 
was soon after violently attacked by illness. From con- 
versation with the other harpooners, my suspicions were 
established of an inveterate jealousy existing against any 
novel practice, and particularly with regard to the appli- 
cation of a gun-harpoon ; I was indeed assured in confidence 
by one of the crew, on whose veracity I could rely, that the 
following declaration had been made, that if the gun suc- 
ceeded it might lead to its more general use, and that enery 
man therij who coidd point a gun, could act as a harpooner 
and further that the minds of most of the crew had been 
influenced to express a wish for its failure. After this, 
water was actually poured into one of my guns by some 
miscreant ; no doubt with the object of defeating the 
success of the invention. 
From these circumstances, I considered the harpooner 
not sufficiently unprejudiced to sit in judgment on its 
utility, and determined to await until the man was restored 
to health, who had been appointed to the service of the 
gun-boat ; and in the mean time I resolved to make myself 
master of the process of fishing, by accompanying expedi- 
tions, and minutely observing every transaction in taking 
fish by the hand-harpoon. 
The following is an extract from the journal of Captain 
Scoresby, describing my implements, &c., with which he 
favoured me. 
