14 
HISTORY OF THE WHALE. 
beside it, and seldom remove till they have left noth- 
ing but the bones. 
The products of the sperm fishery are the sperm or 
lamp oil and spermaceti candles. The products of 
the right whale are common whale oil and whale- 
o 
bone. After the head-matter of this oil has been 
compressed, the residue is purified and refined, and 
then manufactured into those beautiful spermaceti 
candles, which contribute so much to the brilliancy 
of our halls and parlors. By a chemical process they 
can be tinned with any color, and wax-colored can- 
dies from Nantucket are often sold for pure wax. 
There are between fifty and sixty candle manu- 
factories, and the quantity annually made is about 
3,000,000 pounds. The common whale oil is mostly 
exported to the north of Europe. The whalebone is 
also mostly exported to Europe.' Some of it, how- 
exer, we see devoted to a thousand little purposes at 
home. We hold it over our heads in the umbrella — 
we feel it about our necks in the rigid stock — and the 
fairer portion of our race can give an account of the 
consumption of vast quantities more in the manufac- 
tures of stays, &c. 
There are about four hundred ships belonging to 
the United States employed in this fishery, which will 
average three hundreds tons each. They have gene- 
rally a crew of twenty-five men each, making an ag- 
gregate of 132,000 tons, and 10,000 men. Taking 
into the account those employed in carrying the oil, 
&c., to market, we find it takes about 840 vessels 
of various descriptions, measuring 170,000 tons, and 
