wed in the pursuit. It
was prosecuted by the Norwegians so early as the ninth century, and by
the Icelanders about the eleventh. It was not till the seventeenth
century however, that the whale fishery was engaged in by the maritime
nations of Europe as an important branch of commerce.

The crew of a whale ship usually consists of forty to fifty men,
comprising several classes of officers, such as harpooners,
boat-steerers, line-managers, &c. together with fore-mastmen, landmen
and apprentices. As a stimulus to the crew in the fishery, every
individual, from the master down to the boys, besides his monthly pay,
receives either a gratuity for every size fish caught during the
voyage, or a certain sum for every ton of oil which the cargo
produces. Masters and harpooners receive a small sum before sailing,
in place of monthly wages; and if they procure no cargo whatever,
they receive nothing more for their voyage; but in the event of a
successful fishing, their advantages are considerable.

The crow's nest is an apparatus placed on the main-top-mast, or
top-gallant-mast head, as a watch tower for the officer on the
lookout. It is closely defended from the wind and cold, and is
furnished with a speaking trumpet, a telescope and rifle. The most
favorable opportunity for prosecuting the fishery in the Greenland
seas, commonly occurs with north, north-west or west winds. At such
times the sea is smooth, and the atmosphere, though cloudy and dark,
is generally free from fog and snow. The fishers prefer a cloudy to a
clear sky; because in very bright weather, the sea becomes
illuminated, and the shadows of the whale-boats are so deeply
impressed in the water by the beams of the sun that the whales are apt
to take the alarm. Fogs are only so far unfavorable as being liable to
endanger the boats by shutting out the sight of the ship.--A well
constructed whale-boat floats lightly and safely on the water,--is
capable of being rowed with great speed, and readily turned round,--it
is of such capacity that it carries six or seven men, seven or eight
hundred weight of whale-lines, and various other materials, and yet
retains the necessary properties of safety and speed. Whale-boats
being very liable to receive damage, both from whales and ice, are
always carver-built,--a structure which is easily repaired. The
instruments of general use in the capture of the whale, are the
harpoon and lance. There is, moreover, a kind of harpoon which