BRITISH SOUTHERN WHALE FISHERY. [From the Sydney Morning Herald, June 25.] (Continued from our last.)

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 210, 4 August 1847, Page 4

BRITISH SOUTHERN WHALE FISHERY. [From the Sydney Morning Herald, June 25.] (Continued from our last.)

Mr.Endeiby then proceeds to vindicate British seamen and commanders from the charge of inferiority to American seamen and commanders ; and to contrast the cost of outfit of vessels from England or America, and the colonies, in these terms :—: — " A vessel of 350 tons, fitted for a four years' voyage (for that is the time which we most take), from England to America, with stores and p ovisions for a crew of thirty .bands for that period, may be estimated at a cost to sea (including insurance) of £26 per ton, say £9100. Of this, the sum of £2000 is for stores, provisions, &c, for the second, third, and fourth years, and is equal to £6 per ton on the tonnage of the vessel, which would otherwise cost but £20 per ton. " A colonial vessel of 250 tons, equipped only for one year, with stores and provisions for a crew of thirty hands, would cost, to sea,

at the rate of £20 per ton, say £5000. To equip this vessel for as long a period (four years) as the larger one, an additional outfit for three years would be necessary, which might probably amount to £1650, or an annual expenditure of £550. Thus, this vessel might be said to cost £6650, or £26 10s. per ton for a voyage of four years, or rather for four voyages of a year's duration each. As, however, a colonial vessel would make annual returns of produce^ which an English or American one would not, the same would more than suffice to meet these annual payments ; consequently, the original outlay of .£5OOO need not be exceeded. Admitting, on the oiffe hand, that oil, the produce of the fishery by a colonial vessel, would be subjected to a charge of £5 or £6 per ton for freightage to England or America, we must remember, on the other, that the larger ship brings home her own oil, and becomes in such case, nothing more than any other trading vessel ; with, however, this difference, namely, that she carries a double crew, or from fourteen to sixteen hands more than are requisite to navigate her. The time consumed in proceeding to England or America, and returning to the fishery, is not much less than one year : hence, the British and American whaling ships are employed, say, three years in fishing, and one year in making passages." The earnings of the vessels are then compared :—: — " To estimate the actual earnings of the vessels, we must take the average catch of whales whilst the vessels are on the fishery, that is, three years. Thus, a ship from England or America, out four years, obtains, in flic course of three years' fishing, say 150 tuns of sperm oil, or at the rate of fifty tuns per annum. Now, whilst the large vessel is employed in conveying the oil to England or America, and making her passage back to the fishery, the smaller one on the contrary (since she does not freight her oil) will have been the whole time fishing, and obtained fifty tuns of oil, worth in England, say £4000; or, in other words, she obtains fifty tuns more oil than the former, in the course of the four years. The colonial vessel having, however, 200 tuns of oil to send to England (as the produce of the four years' fishing) subject to a charge of £5 or £6 per ton for freight, must add £1000 or £1200 to its expenses for that period, or from £250 to £300 per annum. The larger vessel by becoming the carrier of its produce home, saves this charge only in ap] earance ; since obviously the freight is indirectly paid in the greater outlay incident to the outfit." We now pass over some pages of figures and come to the following summary :—: — "1. That a vessel of 350 tons, in the sperm whale fishery, fitted to sea from England or America, for a four years' voyage, at an outlay (including interest) of £10,920, yields a profit of about £580. "2. That a vessel of 250 tons, in the sperm whale fishery, fitted to sea from one or other of the colonies in the Pacific, for four voyages of a year's duration each, at an outlay (including interest) of £7260, yields a profit of about £5665. " 3. That a vessel of 250 tons, in the common whale fishery, fitted to sea from England or Ametica, for a two years' voyage, at an outlay (including interest) of £5500, yields a profit of about £720. "4. That a vessel of 250 tons, in the common whale fishery, fitted to sea from one or other of the colonies in the Pacific, for two voyages of a year's duration each, at an outlay (including interest) of £5500 yields a profit of about £3136." But Mr. Enderby subjoins to these calculations the following " grounds for adding to the profit shown :" "In the case of the last of the four ships specified in the tabulated statement, a considerable addition may be fairly made to the amount of profit shown, seeing that, as elsewhere remarked, common whale oil cannot be introduced into England for a continuance under £22 per tun ; whereas, the estimate adopts only the lowest price at which such oil can be introduced into the United States, yiz., £18 per tun. Indeed, there is ground lor the assumption, that even £22 is too low an estimate for the price of* common oil in England, and that, in effect, £24 or £25 per tun might not be beyond the reality. I have, however, preferred taking the very lowest estimate as the basis of calculation, for that suffices to show a considerable profit. A still further addition, too, may be made, in respect no less of the saving to be anticipated in the amount of outlay, assuming several ships to ' be fitted at one time, more especially if, as is proposed, they be uniform in size, so that there may be no variation in their stores and fittings, than of that which efficient means of supervision and control would be the means of effecting in the ship's disbursements, as well as wear and tear. " These latter observations apply equally to .ships equipped from the colonies for the sperm whale fishery ; in regard to which, like-

wise, the actual profit must be considered to have been much under-stated ; because (as previously shown) colonial ships in that fishery obtained, in 1845, at the rate of 71 barrels of sperm oil per month, or 88 tuns per annum ; whilst, in effect, the quantity of produce adopted as the basis of the calculation is merely that of the British ships, namely, 40 barrels per month, or 50 tuns per annum* In this, however, as in the former case, I have preferred taking the very lowest estimate, in order to avoid the possibility of exaggeration. " A summary of the results which precede, shows the following to be about the amount of profit which would in reality accrue from the produce of a ship employed two years in the common whale fishery from the colonies, and prosecuting the sperm whale-fishery only incidentally, as occasion offered, viz. : — Profit agreeably to the estimate £3136 Additional for difference between estimated and probable value of produce, viz. : — 340 tuns of common oil, at £4 extra per tun £1360 30 tuns of sperm oil at £10 extra per tun 300 14 tons of whalebone, at £20 extra per ton 280 1940 Saving of at least 10 per cent on cost and outfit, ship's disbursements, &c, &c 500 £5576

" Taking, however, only half of this amount, the actual profit realised will still be upwards of 50 per cent. ; or say at least 25 per cent, per annum, after deducting the.probable cost of the home and local establishments." In justification of the decided preference which Mr. En derby gives to the plan of a colonial whaling station and moderately sized vessels, -he enumerates and discusses the following advantages to be thereby secured :—: — "1. Diminished costs of outfits, equipments, and repairs. "2. Saving in the disbursements of the vessels and their wear and tear. "3. Cessation of trading by the masters on their own account, and its attendant evils. "4. Acquisition of an efficient and superior class of masters and seamen, and gradual formation of a valuable naval school. " 5. Increased security against dishonesty on the part of agents. " 6. Greater control over the operations of the vessels. " 7. Considerable diminution of leakage. " 8. Saving in the interest on outlay, and in insurance. " 9. Increased profits. "10. Annual returns of produce, thereby insuring a regular and sufficient supply of oil, and greater steadiness in prices." Next follow the requirements for a station. " In the selection of a site for a whaling station, the following appear to me to be the essential points to be attended to. " First, the climate should be temperate, and rather approaching to cold. The oil may then be discharged from the vessel, coopered, and placed in store for shipment to England, without serious loss from leakage. " Secondly, the station should not be so extensive, or so situated, as to permit of the stores being plundered with impunity, in consequence of the offenders being able to make their escape to other settlements. " Thirdly, it should possess safe, commodious harbours, and have a plentiful supply of water and wood. " Fourthly, it should have a soil capable of producing vegetables, and of feeding cattle ; a supply of vegetables and fresh meat being indispensable. " Fifthly, it should lie to the south of the line in the Pacific Ocean, for two reasons : first, because the whaling ship proceeding to the common whale fishery, on the coast of California, would have to pass twice over the sperm whaling grounds, and on an average of voyages would obtain fifteen tuns of sperm oil ; secondly, because the vessels carrying the oil on freight to Europe, would have a shorter voyage ; and, consequently the oil, after being coopered, would have to pass but once under a tropical sun. " Sixthly, the station should also lie in the vicinity of places where vessels might be readily taken up to carry out to it stores and piovisions from thence, and others chartered to freight the oil to England ; also, where seamen might be procured when needed." (To be continued.)