Memorials of the Sea

Greenock Whale-

as the means of eliciting, in respect to several gentlemen with whom I had intercourse, a strong disposition to embark in this, to them, new department of commercial enterprise. My Father, at this very time, being on the point of

h my Father, each holding equal, or one-fourth shares, constituted the new firm of "The Greenock Whale-fishing Company." Of this association, my Father was appointed the m

d purchased two ships, only one of which, however, the J

partial; and, in purchasing the John, though she proved more expensive than was expected (having cost 12,700l. to sea), he was not, as to this peculiar and important qual

ext succeeding my Father's last command of the Resolution; and the result, as to its successfulness, well satisfied the sanguine h

son, brought into port. In the last voyage of the series, that of 1814, thirty-four whales, yielding 249 tuns of oil, were taken; being, as to quantity, the best of all my Father's adventures. The cargo of the preceding year, howeve

, who, within this limited and particular period, equalled or even outrun him in the race. The only accurate comparison which I am here enabled to make, is with respect to the successes of the Hull fishermen. And here I find two,-Captain Joseph Sadler, of the Gilder, and Captain Harrison, of the Walker,-who

emorials, we have an incident to notice, which, however trifling in itself, may, it is ho

Cum au greim

e of becoming a more distinguished character, than another of vastly superior acquirements in learning, who does not possess the faculty of application. Thus one, like the skilful mechanician, may be able out of small variety of materials to construct apparatus of indefinite extent of usefulness, or, like the expert and talented smith, may be able to construct out of one material every species of instrument (to u

of mind. Whatever knowledge he might gain he was apt in applying, and so applying,

cially useful. But in it we find developed an order of mind which, if it possess but one fact of a particul

Gaelic speaking population of the district. Some of their phrases had struck him as being curious and forcible, especially in relation to the economics of worldly policy. Among these, one

Argyle. The wind not availing for convenient progress on the destined course, they took shelter in Tobermory, near the head of the Sound of Mull. This port, as a site for commercial enterprise, was brought into consideration (undue consideration as the trial has proved) by the "Board of Trustees for the Encouragement of the Fisheries," a little

ixt the landlord and his wife (who mutually contributed to his requirements) but the Gaelic. And on two or three occasions, especially on a discussion, as he fancied, of the important matter of the reckoning, there seemed to be a considerable difference of opinion betwixt the partie

he maxim above spoken of was elicited, gave a new and som

ith the article it happened that the parents of the boy, who had just finished one of their Gaelic discussions, were both in the room, and were observant of his delivering the carbonate, and, along with it, twopence, the amount of the change. This, my Father declined receiving; but the boy, not thoroughly assured of the intention, turned

the so felicitous an application of a national phrase in the peculiar circumstances of the case, seemed absolutely to overwhelm them with consternation. For they naturally inferred that their guest must be familiar with a language which he had thus idiomatically employed, and therefore that he must have understood the discussions, designed to be most private, which had been held in his h

equent and conclu

his son-in-law, Captain Thomas Jackson. Having previously, during a period of three years, held a command in the transport service, besides having been associated with my Father in his vo

ase in a condition of entire idleness, he undertook, for a couple of voyages, to sail out of Whitby (without engagement of property in the adventure) in charge of the Mars, a new ship of 343 tons, belonging to his old and steady friends, Messrs. Fishburn and Brodrick. The cargoes, in this ins

ime was not spent, as before, without any professional object; my Father, in the autumn of 1817, having purchased, solely on hi

ertain, because of the knowledge of the fact,-that it was in consequence of information communicated by myself to the President of the Royal Society, Sir Joseph Banks, that the attention of the Council of the Royal Society and the Government had been directe

e national disadvantage, as we could have accomplished one of those enterprises (the Polar research of 1818) at one-tenth of the cost of the a

The requisite preparations however, were completed, whilst there was yet time for the adventure, and the ship, for the first attempt, being put under my command, sailed fr

t instance, she had resorted, both inconvenient and unsafe, her port was again changed for Hull, to which, with but a moderate cargo, she returned. The next voyage, that of 1820, was, for the somewhat unfavourabl

anchorage for the completion of her crew with boatmen, when the catastrophe, which summarily frustrated the undertaking, brought my Father's Arctic adventures at the same time to a sudden termination; for after so long a pursuance of his arduous ent

f the three-and-twenty years of all but continuous successes. For though the cargoes obtained in his six last voyages

harass and attacks to which they had been subjected, that the positions, wherein the opportunity for making a successful voyage used to be constantly afforded, were now almost entirely deserted. Hence the enterprise and skill, enabling the fisherman to take the lead in penetrating the ice, which had been wont to be eminently rewarded, had now become of little avail. No one could calculate on the positions in which fish might be found. In places apparently most likely, not a fish, perhaps, was to be seen; whilst in circumstances least expected success might be met with. And although a few active, enterprising, and clever men, were

of absolute leisure and the deprivation of ordinary stimulus. It is, indeed, a well-ascertained characteristic of the human system, strikingly indicative of the wisdom and goodness of the Creator, to derive temporary energy from the very stimulus of the demands for energy. Thus strength, beyond all previous imagination, is often yielded for special occasions, whilst the capability of action is wonderfully maintained for the

of my Father's health, during the six years of his life succeeding the time of his retirement from the sea, it is imp

sults of his entire Wh

eneral comparisons and results, in which we shall again find them to be great and pre-eminent. The materials for t

LATE W. SCORESBY, ESQ., IN HIS ADVE

ar. Ship commande

. Tuns

nrietta.

2 " 1

93 "

94 "

5 " 2

96 "

7 " 1

Dundee.

9 " 1

800

01 "

02 "

Resoluti

04 "

05 "

06 "

07 "

08 "

09 "

10 "

1 John

12 "

13 "

14 "

[on sho

6 Mars

817

[on sho

9 Fame

20 "

21 "

822

whales,-"a greater number," says his friend Mr. Drew, "than has fallen to the share of any other individual in Europe,"-with that of many thousands of seals, some hundreds of walruses, very many nar

tuns of oil per voyage; or, omitting the first voyage, which, for reasons stated in Chapter II., oug

y for our guidance, which, from the large number of ships regularly engaged therein, will, it is believed, afford a fair estimate. And this section of the fishery, we find, comprised, betwixt the years 1791 and 1822 inclusive

mined; but, from the variety of information now before me, as to the marketable value of Greenland produce during a considerable majority of the years correspondin

everance therein,-then, the residue of his catch above that average may, mainly, be considered as clear profit; for, in such estimate, we set off the additional expenses incurred where there is superior success against the actual remunerating profits in the in

ed, in the shape of profits, among the owners embarked in the general enterprise! On another ground of calculation, guided by the proportion of exp

enterprises; but, in such cases, there are generally many instruments and a large capital employed in the business. But here, under the one individual direction, there was but one ship employed, involving an investment of capital of from

usual Capture

introduced, in conclusion of the general series of my Father's Northern

that of a huge seal; but the head is peculiar, approaching the nearest, but only in rude and diminutive resemblance, to that of the elephant, as being somewhat square-faced, with a hard and massive skull, scarcely pervious to a musket-ball, and with two large external tusks pointing downward. The fore p

mens elsewhere found on the coasts of some Arctic countries, are represented as extending to twenty feet in length. The Spitzbergen animal, full grown, is about the

in any considerable number together, and their capture, consequently, has very rarely exceeded half-a-dozen in a voyage. No summary mode of killing them, indeed, had been prevalent or understood by which due advantage might be taken of any extraordinary opportunity. If met with in the water, where they might be attacked with muskets or lances, the chance of capture was but small, as the wounded

emarkable, not only because of the unusual number captured, but because of the

ets with which this remarkable region abounds, Magdalena Bay, where an extraordinary sight on the beach attracted his attention. Hundreds, if not thousands, of animals, which on their

ing alarmed, would doubtless hurry into the sea, before the discharged arms could be reloaded, and harpoons could be of no avail. Lances and whale-knives, however, promised a better instrumentality, and especially one kind of the latter, the tail-knife, which in reality proved the most effective of all. This instrument, designed for making perforations in

the affair, I am enabled to offer such description of the plan and proceedings as may ser

the boats set out on the adventure, spreading themselves, whilst at a d

ough the walrus, ordinarily, appears singularly fearless,-it might be said, stupidly fearless,-yet the whole herd, in this case, was soon put into a state of commotion and alarm. The principal attack on the flanks having arrested several of the

ccess in captures, boldly threw themselves betwixt the affrighted walruses and the sea, so as, to the extent their means of destruction might enable them, to cut off their retreat. And now it was that the tail-knife was found to be a most admirab

spoil rewarded the adventure. One hundred and thirty of these animals remained as trophies of the sailors' victory, yielding, besides the corresponding quantity

TNO

ay satisfy himself, I believe, of the reality by reference to an article in the "Edinburgh Philosophical Journal,

be still maintained, on the ground of the price of provisions and the high rates of seame