NOTICE TO WHALEMEN.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 606, 4 February 1852, Page 2

NOTICE TO WHALEMEN.

Captain Daniel M'Kenzie, of New Bedford, and George Manning, of Naw York, have been enp.igcd for a year in piocunng- for thia office information from whalers and otheis concerning- navigation and its industrial pursuits of the sea. The log-books containing this information have been used hern by Lieutenants Herndon, Leigh, and Vleming 1, of the navy, in making" a chart to show when and v* here our whalemen have searched for whales; when and where they have found them ; with what abundance ; and whether in shoals or alone. Tins chait divides the ocean into districts of 5° latitude by o ° longitude, peipendiculaily through each of which districts aro twelve columns for tho twelve months; and horizontally thiough each of which distnets are thice lines; one to show the number of days that have been spent in each month in eveiy district, and the two others to show the number of days in which whales, speim or right have been seen. Thus: — [Extract from the Whale Chart.] 85 Q \V. A. 80° W.

The above is an extract from the chart, which, not being; leady for publication, nevertheless affords information that I have thought might prove of some value to the gioat national inteiest which attaches to the American whaling business. It will appear from the above sample that I have examined the log-books of whaleis, who, altogether, have sprat 1124 days in the district (j\) between the equator and 5° N. 80 ° , and 85 ° W., without ever having seen a whale, either sperm or light, within it; whereas, in the district (M) that joins it on the south, sperm whales have been seen in every month of the year, except January, February, and March, and right whale never; and it appears that the district (T) which joins this one immediately on the south, is frequented by the sperm whale all the year round, but never by the right. If the information afforded by the great number of vessels whose logs have chanced to be examined for these districts be si fair sample of what the whole would show, as it is supposed to be, then it would appear altogether useless to look here for right whales ; or m the fiist-mentioned district (N) either for light or sperm. In the sample marked B, off the west coast of South America, between 40 and 50 ° S., 75 and 80 ° W., it appears that the upper district (Q.) is not much frequented by the whalers in May, June, and July, nor by • the whales in January, Febiuary, and March, except sperm, which are most abundant in March, April, and August. Whether it be a place of much resort for either kind in May, June, and July, we have not found log-books enough to show. It is almost of aa much importance for whalemen to know where whales are not to be found as to know where they are ; for this is a case in which negative information is almost as valuable as that which is positive. I have, therefore, selected from the whale chart those districts of the ocean in which most whales have been found in ioimer years ; whether they have changed their places of resort, my information does not enable me to say. But, according to the chart which is constructed for the whole ocean in the manner already explained, these aie the places in which most whales have been found, ' and which it may be supposed now afford the best whaling grounds.

5- N Days of Search . . 'Dec Fan. Feb. Mar. 1-24 11 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 lApill 72 N iMay 90 No of days sperm] Whales seen light' 0 0 0 0 I Days of scaich .. No of days speim . . Equator ~84~G7 25 0 0 0 , I 102] 179 0 0 0 0 39 5-i l'J 17 0 0 " 138 at 0 97 13 Whales seen right 0 6- S — I [Days of scai eh .. No of days sperm I'lßi 9b! 5 b 0 0 2.J 7 I 5 3 - P Iwiinlpn =sppii right! i 1i 1 010 1 1 3 8.)VV A. — Continued JuKi Augj 141) 175 0 0 010 1 0 _dOj [OoTi J _vy. Nov. iJunel ISejr 5- N Days of search . . No of days sperm j Whales seen right li)b 133 108 94 0 0 0 0 ol I ol I 0 ...Eq [iiator Days of seai ch . . No of days sperm Whales seen right 157 30 173' 181 35| 40 0 0 0 26 167 40 118 40 75 6 0 0 0 0 !>• S.! 1 Days of search . . No of days sperm Whales scpn ri^hr 8 116 14 222 255 26 21J 11 0 0 3 10 0 10- S. lJ I 0 o! 80° M. li. 7d° W. Dec.l )an. Veb. I Ala 1. 1 jApil May I 40- S. Days of search . . No of days bperm 14b 96 S 39 51 16 2.5 5 2 0 i Q 2 0 0 Whales been right 27 7 0 45- S. Days af search . . 48 5b 16 8 3 0 R No of days sperm Whalos snen rishi 6 a 0 0 0 0 0 50- Sj 1 I Ol UL> - leJuly 8 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 OTtTI Nov. IJum iWi [Sept I 40- S Days o.f seaich . . [No of days sperm Whales seen right 20 7 116 41 222 7C 255 105 105 45- S, 41 76 — Days of search . . No of days sperm Whales seen Tight| 0 5' 0 4\ 0 0 22 1 0 0 50» S, I 0 10