s of opinion that he should have
secured fifty tons of oil, had the weather been tolerably moderate. 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. Tempests happen sometimes there, as in other seas, but let them
feel assured that there are in every month of the year many days in which
the whale fishery may be safely carried on. The evidence of the abundance
in which spermaceti whales are sometimes seen is incontrovertible: that
which speaks to their being 'not fish of passage' is at least respectable
and hitherto uncontradicted. The prospect merits attention--may it
stimulate to enterprise.

The two discoveries of Port Jervis and Matilda Bay (which are to be found
in the foregoing sheets) may yet be wanting in the maps of the coast.
My account of their geographic situation, except possibly in the exact
longitude of the latter (a point not very material) may be safely depended
upon. A knowledge of Oyster Bay, discovered and laid down by the 'Mercury'
store-ship, in the year 1789, would also be desirable. But this