fisherman pulls directly on the back of the whale, and the "boatsteerer" forces the weapon through the blubber before the boat touches him. It is seldom that the "right whale" resists, or strikes with its tail, at the blow of the harpoon. His common resource is flight. Fatigue and want of air soon compel him to rise again. So long as the motion of the whale is too rapid to be followed by the boat, or too perpendicular to be checked, the line is suffered to "run out," the constant motion renders it necessary often to throw water on the place of friction to prevent fire, but the rate at which the whale runs seldom exceeds 8 or 9 miles the hour, and is commonly much less. It often happens that the whole of the line is taken from the boat, and in such cases it is cut before the end appears, to prevent danger to the men; for the tub that contains the line is in the stern of the boat. Harpoons, with square and triangular pieces of plank fastened to them by short ropes, and which are called "drugs," are frequently used in the capture of a powerful whale.

The whole line is often abandoned to the animal, and, in the language of the seamen, he is left "to fight line." The object is to exhaust the fish with its own struggles. We have given in. our extracts an evidence of the wonderful power of the animal when it chooses to exert it, but in most cases the boats are soon enabled to approach and commence their attacks with the "lance." As soon as a whale is harpooned, the captain, or mate, as the case may be," changes ends" with the boat-steerer. The latter assumes the duty his name would imply, by taking the "steering oar," and the officer who "heads the boat" wields the lance. Of course, the difficulty in killing a whale is in proportion to the disposition and power of the animal-more frequently of the former than of the latter. The capture seldom requires more than five or six hours, nor do a very large proportion of those that are struck escape; perhaps more are lost after they are killed, than get free after having been fairly harpooned. It sometimes occurs, when the whale has ceased to "go under," and continues swimming at an easy rate on the surface, that the boat is hauled up in "his wake," just so near as to escape the sweeping or sculling motion of his tail, by which he forces his body through the water. In this situation the "spade" is used to sever the sinews, and, if successfully, the animal is no longer dangerous; all the impetus of the whale being derived from this sculling motion of its horizontal tail. A few well directed blows from the lance soon destroy life. There is a vulgar notion among the seamen, that the whale, when dying in this way, spouts as much blood as its blubber will make oil. This must be ideal, because the thickness of the blubber depends on the condition of the animal, whereas the quantity of blood is usually the same, or differing but little. It

is a never failing sign of victory when the fish "spouts blood." His dying struggles are often violent in the extreme, and the boats prudently keep aloof at such moments. Instances have been known, when the whale was quiet, and thought to be dead, that a spasm or convulsion has proved fatal to his captors.

The labours of the whalers by no means end with the death of the fish. In a small boat, in the midst of the ocean, sometimes alone, and with seldom more than three such boats together-in a heavy sea-the prospects of a gale of wind-the ship far to lee-ward, and perhaps out of sight-the reader will not be surprised to learn that their game is often abandoned, even when dead. When, however, as generally happens, they proceed to secure the prize, his fins are lashed together, and the boats take him in tow, the ship at the same time plying to windward to join her fishermen. On getting to the ship, the fish is fastened to the starboard side of the vessel, and then commences the process of "cutting-in." Strips of the blubber, about eighteen inches or two feet in width, are cut with the "spades," and the lower block of an enormous purchase, made fast to it; the fall is brought to the windlass, and all of the crew, who are not on the whale, man the hand-spikes. With this prodigious power, aided by the rolling of the vessel, the blubber is torn spirally from the fish, which turns in the water, until it reaches the upper block at the head of the main-mast. It is then cut and lowered between decks, and a fresh piece fastened to the purchase. In this manner the whale is stript of its blubber, and the carcase is sent adrift.

The operation of tearing the bone from the head is one of great labour, and can only be done to advantage in good weather; it is by no means usual to preserve the bone of every fish that is taken. The reader will remember that whalebone is only taken from the "right whale." If the prize should be a "Spermaceti," the "head matter," much the most valuable part of the animal, is to be secured. In some cases, where the whale is small, the whole head, weighing perhaps eight or ten tons, is hoisted inboard. The head of the Spermaceti is to be laid open, and its contents bailed out with buckets. The matter undergoes a boiling in the try-pots, however, before it is committed to the casks; and is submitted to a chemical process at home to render it fit for use. It is from the "head matter" that by far the greatest proportion of the pure Spermaceti is produced.* The oil used for burning is what is left after purifying and extracting the Spermaceti from the crude article.

The average prices, in the present state of the markets, are, for whale oil, about thirty-five cents; for Spermaceti, including head matter, from eighty to ninety, and for head matter alone one dollar and a quarter.

The difficulty of "cutting in" is greatly increased by the ordinary swell of the sea; both the fish and vessel being in constant motion, and perhaps in opposition to each other. The whaler having effected the great object of securing his prize, makes his arrangments for extracting the oil. The blubber is cut into small pieces, the try-pots are filled, and a fire lighted. The ship would hardly hold wood enough to "try out" two thousand barrels of oil, and it is fortunate that the animal affords from itself the best of fuel for the purpose-after the first fire, which is of wood, the scraps of the blubber are used; these make the hottest fire of the two, and remedy the impossibility of using wood or coal. The cooking is, however, done with wood; for which purpose, and that of stowage, every Brazilman carries from twenty to thirty cords of sawed wood. Large vessels of copper, called "coolers," are lashed to the deck, to receive the oil from the "pots," and it is usual to "break up" most of the hold, and examine the casks anew, before the subtle fluid is entrusted to their keeping. In long voyages, this labour is gone through with casks that are filled. Leathern "hose" are used to send the oil down to the casks, when they are fitted to their proper births.

From this hasty statement of the labours of a whaling vessel, it is obvious that, while employed on the fishing ground, the work must be arduous and fatiguing. This is, however, in some measure compensated by the length of the passages, which commonly consume one third of the whole voyage. The opinion is prevalent among landsmen, that whaling voyages are far more dangerous than the ordinary passages of trading vessels. This is a mistake. With the single exception of the extra risk in capturing the whale, the danger is less in these ships, than in almost any other kind of navigation. To experienced and prudent men, injuries from the whale very seldom occur: for among three or four hundred vessels, on the Brazil Banks every year, not more than a dozen casualties happen from this cause. From shipwreck, there is much less to be apprehended to a whaler than to the common merchantmen: the vessel is better found in rigging and sails-her masts must be good and well secured her crew is double in number-and the business keeps them altogether clear of the land and its dangers, in the open ocean. It is no unusual thing for a Brazil whaler not to see land from the time she takes her "departure" until she makes a "land fall" at her homeward port. And the crew of a whaler can hardly be lost, as their boats are so easily lowered, are always kept ready, are so safe, and so many-and besides, as whaling ships are generally near them in every direction. We do not, it is obvious, allude bere to the northern fisheries, where

dangers of the ice and arduous navigation create abundant difficulties.

On every view of this interesting subject, we think it a ground of felicitation that our countrymen are so enterprising, and successful in their adventures in this business. It keeps up our breed of seamen, employs our capital, adds to our national wealth, and encourages the best kind of our manufactories: and we only hope that government will have the wisdom never to interfere, except to give the trade a proper protection against the contingencies of the unsettled state of the world.

We are sorry that the expense will probably prevent a republication of Mr. Scoresby's book in this country, and cheerfully lend our testimony in favour of its value. When we consider the pursuits in which their author has been reared, these volumes are extremely creditable to his acquirements. He appears to be an observant man, and an expert and scientific seaman. Although gain, probably from necessity, has been the object of all his voyages, he never seems to have lost sight of the claim which science has upon men in his situation.

We owe it to our scientific character to say distinctly, that we do not believe "a whale is a fish," and we would not have presumed thus openly to disobey a late decision of the learned against the use of the word, but that we have been obliged to adopt the "parlance" of seamen, and can only speak of marine affairs in the language they use.

7

ART. II. Specimens of Irish Eloquence, now first arranged and collected, with biographical notices and a preface, by CHARLES PHILLIPS, Esq. 8vo. pp. 356. New-York, W. Grattan, 1820.

THE Irish people have laid and established high claims to very powerful oratory, and its merits have undergone one-sided examinations from friends and foes. But, of all defenders, the collector before us is the weakest and the worst. He understands, in essentials, nothing of the excellence he praises, and though his general admiration is justly founded, yet, his reasonings and conclusions are either faulty or false.

From the earliest times, all writers who advert to the mental powers of the Irish people, have expressed surprise at their prompt and effective eloquence, speaking of it, not as the cultivated art of a few, but as an almost pervading and natural characteristic of the whole people. To account for this physically, would be a task at least difficult, perhaps impossible; but its polished improvement, and survivancy, notwithstanding those causes which depress and almost extinguish it in other countries, are facts to be morally accounted for. Eloquence may be defined, a fluent, vigorous, and animating development of thought; and as same results in science may

be obtained by varied operations, so, the effect stated may be produced by dissimilar, nay, opposite styles, both of which may be aptly termed, and readily admitted to be, eloquence. Keeping steadily in view this explanation, will be of more use than usually attaches to the necessary lameness and imperfection of general definitions: it explains to us, why Burke, Sheridan, Curran, Plunket, Bushe and Emmet, are styled eloquent, on the one hand, and Bacon, Locke, Mansfield and Grattan, on the other. It has another merit: it expounds to us clearly, why such poetical, antithetical, and unsubstantial talkers as Mr. Phillips, are not eloquent at all.

In the first place, partial education of a very invigorating and refined kind was, at an early period, introduced into Ireland :it was pursued with diligence, and success; classical taste struck deeply into the minds of her scholars, and literature was courted for herself alone. Learning there, never showed itself as a trade, divided and subdivided-no dictionaries were made, grammars arranged, learned commentaries written-no argute criticisms on doubtful passages, nor elaborate restorations of vitiated texts. Still the great work of intellectual improvement went silently and steadily forward, disregarded and unnoticed by foreign erudition. In no country was learning ever so ardently sought by men, ambitious of making it ancillary to the natural vigour of their minds: the nation being by "immemorial usage" hospitable, learning regulated, but did not repress hospitality; on the contrary, it encouraged convivial meetings of learned and literary men. There, every man of real, or fancied intellectual powers, ascertained his standard mint value; the man" wise in his own conceit," was taught by salutary collision with a master spirit, either to take a lower stand in his own opinion, or by increased diligence, to add fact to fancy;-the man of talents and modesty was encouraged, his opinions dexterously drawn out and kindly supported, or politely and candidly discussed and controverted. In those meetings every guest took his part in the subject under discussion at "the top of his bent," each person delivered his opinions uninterrupted, and the subject, thus thrown from hand to hand, was thoroughly debated with ingenuity, learning, liberality, and eloquence. Talent was the ready and recognized passport into the best literary society, and the obscure scholar there found, in his mental acquisitions, a solid substitute for wealth and pedigree. Thus when the literary customs of the people are explained, independent of all physical facts or traditions, their Colloquial dexterity, illustrative and argumentative powers, cease to surprise; for with such opportunities and encouragements, from such associations, great minds must have been formed, and great orators produced.