I Asked Him Whether He Thought The Whales He Had Seen
Were Fish Of Passage.
"No" he answered, "they were going on every point
of the compass, and were evidently on feeding ground, which I saw no
reason to doubt that they frequent." Melville afterwards confirmed to me
this observation.
December 3rd, the 'Mary Anne' and 'Matilda' again
returned. The former had gone to the southward, and off Port Jervis
had fallen in with two shoals of whales, nine of which were killed, but
owing to bad weather, part of five only were got on board. As much,
the master computed, as would yield thirty barrels of oil. He said the
whales were the least shy of any he had ever seen, "not having been
cut up". The latter had gone to the northward, and had seen no whales
but a few fin-backs.
On the 5th of December, both these ships sailed again; and on the 16th
and 17th of the month (just before the author sailed for England) they
and the 'Britannia' and 'William and Anne' returned to Port Jackson
without success having experienced a continuation of the bad weather
and seen very few fish. They all said that their intention was to give
the coast one more trial, and if it miscarried to quit it and steer
to the northward in search of less tempestuous seas.
The only remark which I have to offer to adventurers on the above subject,
is not to suffer discouragement by concluding that bad weather only is
to be found on the coast of New South Wales, where the whales have
hitherto been seen.
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