The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-21 00:00:00

DAVIS' STRAITS FISHERY.

The intelligent Esquimaux, whom Captain Penny of
the Neptune has brought from Davis Straits this sea•
son, has disclosed some geographical information which
promises to exercise a most important influence on the
future prospects of the Davis' Straits whale fishery.
Under present circumstances, the fishery may be said to
be at an end. But no one who is in the smallest degree
acquainted with its past history, and can in any way ap
preciate its vast advantages, will hesitate for a moment
to aid in the carrying out of any measures which shall
seem calculated to restore it, if not to its original im-
portance, at least to a degree of prosperity which would
be of immense benefit to the nation.
In 1836, we published, on the suggestion of an intel-
ligent shipowner, " a plan for rendering the whale-
fishery more profitable, safe, and agreeable." The plan
was simply " to establish a settlement of active and
enterprising whale-fishers on some favourable spot in the
vicinity of Davis' Straits, and to employ only so many
large vessels as may be necessary to carry out provisions
to the colony, and fetch home the oil, blubber, whale-
bone, and other articles which may be thought worth
importing." The practibility of this plan we also de-
monstrated from the work of Captain Scoresby, the
writings of Parry, Fisher, and Ross. The greatest
difficulty was to find out the most eligible position for
the settlement. After the fullest investigation, we came
to the conclusion that Ponds Bay, or somewhere be-
tween that and Lancaster Sound, on the west coast of
Baffin's Bay, would answer all the purposes contem-
plated. We objected to Prince Regent's Bay on the
ground that, of late years, the whales have been most
plentiful towards the west coast. This remark applies
more particularly to the fishings of 1838-9 ; and Cap-
tain Penny states, that when he got as far west as Cape
Serle, the whales, though plentiful, became exceedingly
wild, and darted up Cumberland Straits with a uni-
formity of direction which led him to think that there
must be some place of common resort in that quarter.
When lying at Durban Harbour, by Cape Serle, in
lat. 67. L, long. 62. 20., he discovered that the Esqui-
maux he has now on board possessed very extensive
knowledge of the geography of the country, and from
the willingness he showed to communicate whatever in-
formation was asked, the following facts were elicited.
1. That there is a bay which opens from the east side
of Cumberland Straits, about 60 miles round Cape
Easterly, in lat. 64. 55., and extends to the N.E. for
about 140 miles, opening up to a breadth, in some
places of sixty miles, and terminating in a point on the
north-west side. This frith is bounded on the north by
an extensive range of mountains ; on the south-west by
a flat level country ; and on the north-east by bold and
jutting headlands. An arm of the bay penetrates a
long way into the land from the north-east extremity,
and is separated from Kangrana, an arm of the ocean
on the other side, near Cape Serle, by an isthmus of
about thirty miles in length. This isthmus contains
several lakes, in which are abundance of excellent sal-
mon. There is a good deal of floating ice in the bay ;
but the tides are easy, and in June and July the ice
breaks up and goes out to sea. The bay contains
abundance of whales of all kinds, and on the west
side there are four bights or inlets, measuring about
fifteen miles into the mainland, by five or six miles
broad. These are full of whales, one of them mostly of
white whales.

2. Thousands of Esquimaux are located on the
south-west side, in separate tribes, whose chief subsis-
tence is on whales. They are particularly fond of
young whales, and generally manage to secure as man)'
in the breeding season as possible. They kill, or rather
catch, the whales during June, July, and August, and
generally provide themselves with a good supply for
the winter months. They are exceedingly agreeable
with each other, and not at all of a quarrelsome dispo-
sition.

3. The climate appears to be more mild than it is in
any other district on the west side ; and no danger is
ever apprehended from floods occasioned by the melting
of the snow on the mountains in the warm season.
4. During all the time this Esquimaux. or " Bobbie,"
as he is familarly called, residing among these tribes, he
never sawn vessel in the bay, and is decidedly of opinion
that there never were any British or foreign fishing
vessels in that quarter. Some of the tribes go down
the Cumberland Straits and traffic with the Hudson
Bay Company, but it does not appear that any of the
agents of that company have ever traced out the bay in
question. Several tribes have now found the way across
by the isthmus, already noticed, to Cape Serle. In this
way Bobbie came over in 1837, and fell in with several
of the Straits' vessels.

From these facts, then, it is plain that a British settle-
ment might be advantagously established at Davis' S traits,
and we think enough has already been elicited from this
Esquimaux to render his education a matter of great
importance. Captain Penny has sketched out a chart
of the new fishing-ground, and it is impossible to observe
the Esquimanx going over it along with the captain, and
not feel convinced that his acquaintance with the country
is most extensive and minute, 'and that his information
may be strictly relied on.—Aberdeen Journal.

ENGLISH PRISONERS IN FRANCE.-There
are at this moment in the debtors' prison in the Rue de
Clichy, several Englishmen confined for ten years for
debts of a few thousand francs, who for ten years pre-
viously, perhaps, had spent in the capital fifty tines the
amount for which they are now incarcerated. in One
else the prisoner had for fifteen years spent nearly
800/. per annum ; and the bank in England in which
his property was invested failing, he was unable to pay
a debt of about 6,000 francs, for which he is excluded
from society for ten years, although a friend came for-
ward and offered to pay half the amount, the debtor
promising to pay
the other half by instalments within a
space of three years. The most atrocious cruelties are
perpetrated under this law, and yet the brawlers for
liberty do not think it worth their while to bestir them-
selves for a reform of the commercial code, either on
the ground of expediency or equity.—Letter front Paris.
VAN,AMBURGII.—Great fears are entertained
in Paris that the leg wounded by the lion will have to
undergo amputation. He was on Sunday in a very
precarious state.

SUN.--Some uneasiness was experienced among tl e
commercial classes in the City this afternoon, by the cur-
rency given to rumours of failures, which were ascer-
tained late in the day to be partially correct. The re-
cent high rate of interest payable for discounts, added to
the heavy demand for goods for the export trade, have,
it is known, pressed severely in many quarters. The two
failures which have taken place today are not of leading
importance, and it is hoped that they will not, be fol-
lowed by others of a more serious nature. Business 7
' ,
extremely dull in almost all branches of commerce ti,i
afternoon. The tea market continues to he an s
exec,
tion to this remark, as business is still active, r-
There was no marked alteration in the value
of Con.
cols this afternoon, the closing prices both for
next,e tbheeinghe 9eOv!
and Time, now nearly one and the same thing, Money
settlement takes place on Wednesday
to 90i. Exchequer Bills, Bank Stock, as the
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tsia,empc
eansinisnutl
there indeed any bargttoofo69le least moment.
hare morning.
SFpiraenipsherCcoennsotsls., realised
13-razil Stock, Roads, nor were
.1 ; Portuguese New
72i ; Colombian,