One thousand five hundred tons of common Whale Oil, shipped likewise to Great Britain, at sixteen Pounds per ton, makes £24,000.

Sixty tons of Whale Fins, shipped also to Great Britain, at three hundred Pounds per ton, makes £18,000.

Total produce of the Whale Fishery, £90,000.

Total produce of the New England Fisheries in the year 1764, amounts to £322,220 16s.

Then follows the number of tons of Shipping, and of Men employed in the New England Fisheries.

In the Cod Fishery.

Three hundred Cod Vessels, of fifty tons each, navigated by eight Men, makes 15,000 tons of Shipping, and 2,400 Men.

Two hundred and forty thousand and fifty-nine quintals of Cod Fish, taken by those vessels, require 13,225 tons of Shipping to carry them to market, each one hundred tons of which shipping being navigated by eight Men, require 1,050 Men to navigate them; thus the Cod Fishery then employed 28,225 tons of Shipping, and 3,450 Men.

Shipping and Men employed in the Whale Fishery.

One hundred and fifty Whale Sloops of seventy tons each, three-fourths navigated with thirteen Men, and the other fourth with seven, is 10,500 tons of Shipping, and 1,728 Men; 3,560 tons of Shipping to carry them to market, each one hundred tons, requiring eight Men to navigate them, makes 3,560 tons of Shipping, and 284 Men.

Hence the Whale Fishery employed in that year, 14,060 tons of Shipping, and 2,012 Men.

Shipping and Men employed in the Mackerel Fishery.

Ninety Vessels of forty tons each, navigated with six Men, makes 3,600 tons of Shipping, and 540 Men.

Thus the whole of New England Fishery, employed 45,880 tons of Shipping, and 6,002 Men, in 1764.

That is the whole state of the New England Fisheries.

Q. Whether he believes that the Fisheries have increased or decreased since 1764?

A. Believes they have increased very much.

Q. What markets are the Fish sent to?

A The Fish taken by the people of New England is in part sent to the Spanish and other European markets, and the rest to the West Indies.

Q. Has he ever received any remittance from Europe, for proceeds of Fish—I mean from Spain to Portugal?

A. I do yearly receive remittances from Spain for Fish shipped from North America, but not from the New England Fisheries. My trade is not carried on to those Provinces.

Q. What is his opinion of what will be the consequence of our not supplying the European markets for one season —whether it probably would not be the loss of that trade?

A. I can only give my opinon on this question. I conceive, that should the New England Fishery be stopped, the markets which have been supplied from thence, cannot be supplied from any other part.

Q. Whether he has known any person concerned in the Whale, Fishery on the Coast of North America from Great Britain?

A I shall speak freely on that subject. I was concerned in it myself in the year 1760, or 1761. A considerable sum pf money was subscribed to carry on the Whale Fishery in the River and Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and Straits of Bellisle, from Great Britain, which money was put into my hands in order to manage and direct the Fishery. Ships were to be fitted out from hence; and notwithstanding every precaution was taken, such was the event, that I believe three-fourths of the capital was sunk, and the Fishery given up.

Q. Whether he knows of any Rum of the manufacture of New England, sent to Quebec?

A. I have known 1,100 tons of British Brandy shipped from the Port of London in one year; and that trade is now supplanted by the Rum trade from New England.

Q. What return do the New England Merchants receive for the Rum sent to Quebec?

A. A great deal of Money, and a little Wheat.

Q. Whether the number of Men employed in the Cod and Whale Fishery were Sailors—I mean Navigators?

A. I believe there is no constraint by law to oblige people fitting out their Ships from New England, to employ any number of green men; and that none of them are navigators, strictly so called, though I believe them all very good Seamen. The reason why I think so is, that their Cod Fishery is fitted out on shares; their men have a share of what they take home; they take none but stout able-bodied men, who are accustomed to the Seas. The Whale Fisher can carry none but good Seamen; for those Vessels which carry thirteen men, do so, that they may man two Boats; the others, which carry seven men only, can man but one Boat; they must be expert rowers, and the few men left in the Vessel must know how to work her. As to the people employed in the Mackerel Fishery, I believe to be young people, by that means trained up for the other Fisheries.

Q. Whether the Mackerel and Cod Fisheries are carried on at the same time, or succeed one another?

A. The Cod Fishery is carried on from February to September, (or October, I believe,) the Mackerel Fishery can only last during the Summer months, June, July, and a small part of August.

Q. Whether there are eight Men to every hundred tons of Shipping actually employed to bring the produce of these Fisheries to market?

A. As a Merchant, I believe that such Vessels as are sent from New England to the Spanish and other European markets with Fish, are seldom navigated with less than eight Men to the one hundred tons. From this Kingdom, perhaps I should navigate them with seven; for our Seamen are better, and more used to square-rigged Ships than the Americans.

Q. What sort of Vessels are employed in bringing the Fish to the European market?

A. I believe the Vessels usually employed in carrying Fish from New England, are square-rigged, double-decked Vessels, burthen from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and sixty tons.

Q. How are they rigged?

A. When I said square-rigged Vessels, I did not mean Sloops and Schooners, but Ships, Snows, and Brigs.

Q. Whether Brigs and Snows are not chiefly employed in that navigation?

A. I can't say whether it is so or not.

Q. Whether Brigs and Snows do not require fewer Men to navigate them than Ships of the same burthen?

A. I believe a Ship of one hundred and sixty tons will not take more Men to navigate her in the Western Ocean, than a Snow or Brig of the same burthen.

Q. Whether Vessels of one hundred and sixty tons actually carry twelve Men?

A. I believe such as are bound to Europe from New-England with Fish, do not carry less.

Q. Whether he means that the twenty Shillings per quintal, is Currency or Sterling?

A. I meant Sterling money of Great Britain.

Q. Is the Fish dearer or cheaper now, than in 1764?

A. I believe cheaper.

Q. What is the price of New England Fish at present?

A. I can't say.

Q. Is the New England Fish better than what is taken by Ships fitted out from Great Britain?

A. A great deal better.

Q. What are the returns from Spain and Portugal in payment of the Fish?

A. Bills of Exchange returned to the Merchants of London, in payment for British Manufactures sent by them to North America, and some little part of the proceeds of the Fish is returned in Salt.

Q. Whether the Hooks, Lines, and small Cables, Nets, and other materials for carrying on this Fishery, is not exported from this country?

A. I believe every thing, except Salt, and the Timber of which the Vessels are built, is carried from this country.

Q. Is not the nett proceeds of the Fish remitted to this country?

A. I believe it is.

Q. Whether the circumstance of their catching their Fish cheaper has not been the cause of their success, and whether these Fisheries could not be carried on out of Newfoundland.