412 
F I S H 
the fame period of time, never amounted to fix hundred. 
Mr. Whately alfo mentions his having been prefent at 
Baltimore, in the weft of Ireland, when fifteen hundred 
hake were taken at a haul! Reafoning on the information 
which thefe fails contain, furely we may be juftified in 
aficrting that our markets rnay be much more abundantly 
fupplied with fifii than they are at prefent; and that our 
fifheries ought to be encouraged by bounties, and by the 
remifiion of the falt-duties. 
Whale Fishery. —The principal foreign fifheries in 
which Great Britain is engaged, are the whale fifinery of 
Greenland and Spitsbergen; and the cod fifhery on the 
banks of Newfoundland. The Englifh having been very 
early accuflomed to navigate the northern feas, in repeated 
trials for finding out a north-weft and north-eaft pafiage 
to and from China, in 1598 commenced their fifhery for 
whales at or near Spitsbergen, where thofe animals re¬ 
fort in greater numbers than anywhere elfe. But the firft 
Englifh voyage for the l'pecial purpofe of killing whales, 
was undertaken by the Ruffia-company of London, in 
2611, who fent two fhips thither, with fix Bifcayners 
expert in the bufinefs. The fhips were'loft, though their 
men and boats were faved by a fhip of Hull, then at 
Spitsbergen in a fimilar purfuit. In 1618, the Eaft-India 
adventurers joined flock with the Ruffia company for 
purfuing the whale-fifhery, and fitted out thirteen (hips; 
but the voyage proved unfuccefsful. The Englifli, hav¬ 
ing been the firft in that fifhery, kept poffieffion of the heft 
bays ; the Hollanders, coming later, were obliged to find 
bays farther to the north; the Danes, who came-later 
into this trade than the Dutch, got in between the Englifh 
and Dutch ; the Hamburghers came after the Danes, and 
after them came the French, and alfo the Bifcayners, the 
mod ancient whale-filhers in Europe, except the Norwe¬ 
gians. This competitorfhip rather difcouraged our Eng¬ 
lifh adventurers who traded in a company ; fo that in 
16x9 they relinquifhed the filhery. Some private adven¬ 
turers profecuted the trade with various fuccefs in 1621, 
1622, and 1623, when they were molefted by the Dutch, 
who were fuperior in number of fliips, and had the prince 
of Orange’s commillion ; for, in 1622, the Dutch, for pre¬ 
venting of difturbance in their whale-fifhery, had eredied 
an exclufive company, who, by their own power, might 
protect it: however, the fifiiery was laid open, in 1643, 
to all the inhabitants of the feven provinces. As to the 
claims which different European nations alleged in favour 
of a monopoly of the whale-fifhery at Spitsbergen, it has 
been urged, by the Englifh, that they were the firft dif- 
coverers, by fir Hugh Willoughby, in 1553 ; by the Dutch, 
who deny his having been fo far north as Spitsbergen, and 
maintain their having firft difcovered it in 1596; by the 
Danes, that Spitsbergen is a part of Old Greenland, pof- 
feffied in early times by them. But all nations have now 
wifely given up their exclufive pretenfions, and that part 
of the world remains alike free to all Countries for this 
fifiiery. In 1636, Charles I. confirmed, by his procla¬ 
mation, the Greenland whale-fifhery folely to the Ruffia 
company, who fcon relinquifhed it. In 1C72, an attempt 
was made for reviving this fifhery, when an act was paffed 
for the encouragement of it; and this adt was continued 
in 1690, but without any great eft'edt. A corporation was 
eitabliflied by adt of parliament, in 1693, for carrying on 
fifhery, called the Greenland Company. 
In 1-725, the Englifh South-fea company revived this 
trade; but di ('continued it in 1733. At this time a bounty 
of 20s. per ton was granted by parliament to Britifii fliips 
of two hundred tons and upwards, fitted out for tire whale- 
fifiiery, which bounty was not only continued in 1740, but 
an additional bounty of 10s. per ton was granted during 
the war with Spain, in which we were then engaged ; and, 
in 1749, a farther bounty or allowance of 20s. over and 
above that of 1733, was granted to all Britifii whale-fifh- 
ing (hips, and extended to fliips of the Britifii American 
colonies; and, in 1755, this bounty was extended to (hips 
under two hundred tons burthen; and, a$ a farther encou- 
E R. Y. 
ragement to this fifhery, foreign proteftants ferving three 
years in it were naturalized on certain conditions. 
■ The whale-fifhery begins in May, and continues all 
June and July; but whether the fhips have good or bad 
fuccefs, they are obliged to come away, and get clear of 
the ice by the end of Auguft ; fo that in the month of 
September at fartheft they may be expected borne ; but 
a fhip that meets with a fortunate and early fifhery in May, 
may. return in June or July. The manner of taking the 
whale is as follows.: Every fhip is provided with fix boats, 
to each of which beiong fix men for rowing the boat, 
and an harpooner, whofe bufinefs is to (trike the whale 
with his harpoon. Two of thefe boats are kept conftantly 
on the watch at fome diftance from the (hip, fattened to 
pieces of ice, and are relieved by others every four hours. 
As foon as a whale is perceived, both the boats fet out 
in purfuit of it, and if either of them can come up before 
the whale finally defeends, which is known by his throw¬ 
ing up his tail, the harpooner difeharges his harpoon at 
him. There is no difficulty in choofing the place where 
the whale is to be (truck, as fome have affierted; for thefe 
.creatures only come up to the furface in order to fpout 
up tliewater, or blow as the fifhermen term it, and there¬ 
fore always keep the foft and vulnerable parts of their 
bodies above water. In 1731, an improvement was made 
in the method of difeharging the harpoon; namely, by 
(hooting it out of a kind of fwivel-gun, or mufquetoon : 
but it does not appear, that fince this improvement was 
made, (though properly fpeaking it was only the revival 
of a method ufed in the time of Albertus,) the whale- 
fifliing fliips have had better fuccefs than before. As 
foon as the whale is (truck, the men fet up one of their 
oars in the middle of the boat as a (ignal to thofe in the 
fhip. On perceiving this, the watchman alarms all the 
reft with the cry of falll falll upon which all the other 
boats are immediately fent out to the affifiance of the firft. 
The whale, finding himfelf wounded, runs off with pro¬ 
digious violence. Sometimes lie defeends perpendicularly; 
at others he goes off horizontally, at a fmall depth below 
the furface. The rope which is faftened to the harpoon 
is about 200 fathoms long, and properly coiled up, that 
it may freely be given out as there is a demand for it. At 
firft, the velocity with which this line runs over the fide 
of the boat is fo great, that it is wetted to prevent its 
taking fire : but in a ftiort time the firength of the whale 
begins to fail, and the fifhermen, inftead of letting out 
more rope, drive as much as poflibie to pull back what 
is given out already, though they always find themfeives 
neceftitated to yield at laft to the efforts of the animal, to 
prevefit his (inking their boat. If he runs out the 200 
fathoms of line contained in one boat, that belonging to 
another is immediately faftened to the end of the firft, and 
fo on ; and there have been inftances, where all the rope 
belonging to the fix boats has been neceffaty, though half 
that quantity is feldom required. The whale cannot ftay 
long below water, but again comes up to blow ; and, being 
now much fatigued and wounded, (lays longer above wa¬ 
ter than ufual. 'This gives another boat time to come up 
with him, and he is again ftruck with an harpoon. He 
again defeends, but with lefs force than before; and when 
he comes up again, is generally incapable of uefeending, 
but fuffers himfelf to be wounded and killed wilii long 
lances which the men are provided with for the purpofe. 
He is known to be. near death when he fpouts up the 
water deeply tinged witli blood. 
The whale, being dead, is laftied along-fide the fhip. 
They then lay it on one fide, and put two ropes, one at 
the head, and the other in the place of the tail, which, 
together with the fins, is ftruck off'as foon as he is taken, 
to keep thefe extremities above water. On the off-fide 
of the whale are two boats, to receive the pieces of fat, 
utenfils, and men, that might otherwife fall into the wa¬ 
ter on that (ide. Thefe precautions being taken, three 
or four men, with irons at their feet to prevent flipping, 
get on the whale, and begin to cut out pieces of about 
three 
