WHALE-FISHERY. This subject being so intimately connected with our manufactures, we insert the following account of it. In the Greenland fishery Europeans, every ship is provided with six boats, to each of which belong six men, for rowing the boat, and a harpooner, whose business is to Bugle the whale with his harpoon. Two of these boats are kept constantly on the weld at some distance from the ship, fastened to pieces of ice, and are released by others every four bone. As soon as a whale is perceived, both the boast out in pursuit of it, and if either of them can come up before the whale fait descends,—which is known by his throwingup his tail,—the harpooner dischars his harpoon at him. As soon as the whale is struck, the men set up one of their oars in the middle of the boat, as a signal to those in the ship • upon which all the others set out to the assistance of the first. The whale, finding him)t wounded, swims off with prodigious velocity. Sometimes he descends perpen dicularly, and sometimes he goes off horizontally, at a small depth below the surface. The rope which is fastened to the harpoon is about 200 fathoms long, and properly coiled up, that it may be freely given out as there is a demand for it. At first, the velocity with which this rope runs over the side of the boat ism great, that it is wetted to prevent its taking fire : but in a short time the strength of the whale begins to fail, and the fishermen, instead of letting out more rope, strive as much as possible to pull back what has been given already, though they always find themselves necessitated toyield at last to the efforts of the animal, to prevent his sinking their boat. If he runs out the 200 fathoms of line contained in one boat, that belonging to another is immediately fastened to the end of the first, and so on • and there have been instances where all the rope belonging to the six boats has been necessary, though half that quantity n seldom required. The whale cannot stay long below water, but again comes up to blow ; and, being now much fatigued and wounded, stays longer above water than usual. This gives another boat time to come up with him, and be is again struck with a harpoon He again descends, but with leas force tins before • and when he comes up again, is generally incapable of descending, but silken himself to be wounded and killed with long lances which the men are provided with for that purpose. He is known to be near death when he
spouts up the water, deeply tinged with blood. The whale, when dead, is lobed alongside the ship. They then lay it on one aide, and put two ropes, one at the head and the other at the place of the tail, which, together with the fins, is Wiwi off, es soon as he is taken, to keep those extremities above water. On the offside of the whale are two boats, to receive the pieces of fat, utensils, and men, that might otherwise fall into the water OD that side. These precautions being taken, three men with irons at their feet, to prevent slipping, get on the whale, and begin to cut out pieces of about three feet thick and eight loBE which are hauled up at the capstan or windlass. When the fat is all got os, they cut off the whalebone of the upper jaw with an axe. Before they cut, they are all lashed to keep them firm ; which also facilitates the cutting, and prevents them from falling into the sea; when on board, five or six of them are bundled together and properly stowed, and after all is got off, the carcase is turned adrift, and devoured by the white bears, who are very fond of it. In proportion as the large pieces of fat are cut off the rest of the crew are employed in slicing them smaller, and picking out all the lean. When this is prepared, they stow it in under the deck, where it lies till the fat of all the whales taken during the fishery is on board ; then cutting it still smaller, they put it up in tubs in the hold. At the end of the season they return home, where the tat is boiled and pressed, to give out the oiL (See a press for this rpurpose, under the Article OIL.) Among the Kurile islands, which are situated near the southern extremity of the peninsula of Kamtschatka, the whales are most abundant about the be gintung of autumn. At that time the inhabitant, embark in their canoes, and search for them in places where they generally find them asleep on the surface of the water. When they are so fortunate as to find one in this situation, they approach with the least possible noise, and when they have come within the proper distance, theypierce him with poiaoned arrows ; and although these wounds seem extremely slight, they are said in a short time to occasion great pain. The whale thus wounded, moves about furiously, blows with great violence, and soon dies.