ry high,
the cargoes of the forty vessels that arrived aggregated over four
millions of dollars. All was not always palmy, however. Forty-four of
the sixty-eight vessels that arrived home in 1858 made losing voyages,
causing a direct loss of a million of dollars. Other disasters of less
importance have never been uncommon.

It is estimated that between seven hundred and twenty-five and seven
hundred and fifty whaling vessels have been owned and sailed from New
Bedford. Of these at least two hundred and fifty are known to have been
lost. This means immense losses, for not only did the vessels cost from
fifteen to seventy-five thousand dollars each, but the outfittings and
catches were also partially or wholly lost. At the beginning of this
century it cost somewhere about twelve to fifteen thousand dollars to
fit out a vessel for a good voyage. In 1858 the cost had increased to
about sixty-five thousand dollars, voyages were of longer duration, and
catches had increased only about twofold in value. To-day a good outfit
falls but little, if any, below fifty thousand dollars. The cost of
fitting out the sixty-five vessels that sailed in 1858 was estimated at
one million, nine hundred and fifty thousand dollars.[3] The catch since
1800 is believed to have been at least a quarter of a million of sperm
whales and nearly as many more right whales, the total value being
approximately one hundred and fifty millions of dollars.

[3] This included, besides, $130,000 in advance wages, 13,650 barrels of
flour, 10,400 barrels of beef, 7,150 barrels of pork, 97,500 gallons of
molasses, 78,000 pounds of sugar, 39,000 pounds of rice, 39,000 pounds
of dried apples, 19,500 pounds of cheese, 16,300 pounds of ham, 32,500
pounds of codfish, 18,000 pounds of coffee, 450 whale-boats, 205,000
yards of canvas, etc.

Volumes might be told of the experiences of whalemen, of their contests
with the natives of many an island in the Pacific, of wrecks, of the
bravery with which masters have stood by one another in times of need or
trouble, of the great benefits whaling has been to commerce, of the
discoveries by masters in their searches for new grounds, of the fields
opened for the missionaries, of the men rescued from danger and bondage,
etc., etc.[4]

[4] The world will ever be grateful to whaling for having rescued from
penal servitude John Boyle O'Reilly, the gifted Irishman, who has given
to the world so many beautiful poem