The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-06-27
Duberlus is Now as Plain as Full
Moon, Clear Nights.
A Conclusion Arrived at by Men Who
Know Something.

| Franklin Z. Clark. and was as follows:
Mr. Welcome A. Greene, in his interroga-
tory and worry suggestive article published in
| the last number of The Register, has been, it
| seems, rummuging IN tho Charter OF Charles
H., ana discovered "A tsh not at all famlllar 10
modern pisCoculturists, nor even found among
| the recollections OF the oldest lnhabitant, not
! 20 speak Of traditionary and legendary lore.
| IL is IN answer TO his question, what Was
the Dubertusf' that now would contribute
| my mite toward the elucidation " this mys-
terry OF mysteries, hidden so long in tho
| almost fathomless depths of that historical
document, which most persons must as
suredly have heard of, but few, alasl have
| read. That such a creature as the dubertus,
] be it what 1t may, must have onoo existed in
| Colonial days and roved the waters adjacent
| 10 our State, is proved by the prominence
! which its namo has been givon in our char
| ter and which is sufficient to warrant an in
| vestigation OF its true character and proper
place In tho body polite.
Tho dubertus was undoubtedly fish, and
| a fish OF groat sizo-evidently a whale It's
| association with whales and other large fish,
in the charter, whore permission Is granted
| 20 the inhabitants OF the Colony OF Rhode
| Island TO pursue whales dubertus, or other
| great fish unto any part of that coast"
| plainly establishes its kinshIp with the fish
| family. This Is the only tact to be gained
| from the context. though much room Is left
| for conjecture.
But before continuing the discussion, 10 may
| be well for me 70 clear up the mystery rela-
| tive to the Devine Dubertus" whose poem
| has been quoted by Josselyn In his Two
| Voyages" The person in question (tor this is
no anagrammatic namo 20 puzzle the wits of
| antiquaTians) was a Fronoh poet who flour
| ished In the latter part - the Sevepteenth
| century. His real name was William bartas,
Or more o9mm9niy' DnsartseS; Of which which
| several poems, one OF which, entitled The
| First Week or The Creation" became so
| popular that IL went through thirty editions
| IL was translated into several languages,
| including the English. Sylvester, an English
| man, made a translation of il in 1921. The
| lines in question are taken from the fifth
4 book. Besides, CaptAhI John smith quotes
from the same poet. under his true name. In
| his history, as any one may see for himself.
| who will take the pains TO look.
| Dir. Greene. in his article. concludes that
| what is known as the Dubertus is nothing
| more or less than a corruption Of the word
| "jubartes, y a name for the hnback whale and
| he bases his conclusions on passage taken
| from the work of Captain John smith wherein
| is stated that he chased some whales TO no
| purpose, "they being kind OF Jubartes and
| not the whale that yields fins twhalebone) and
OIL as we expected"
| The evidence is conclusive enough that the
| jubartes, or dubertus-the two are Identical
| Is a species OF whale not SO much in request
| as Others, on account OF the small quantity OF
| baloen (whalebone) and oil which II yields.
| The description OF the animal known the
| Finbaok talles exactly with that given OF tho
| Jubartcs; while the silence respecting the
presence or absence Of dorsal fin is tho only
particular which would decide the question
| beyond doubt.
|
valuable. loses its force when alone employed
| TO prove the identity OF the two animals.
| For, Captain John Smith says elsewhere (Vol.
| III. page 20l), that in the year l622, at the
| summer Isles now the Bermudas-'a kind
| OF whale, or rather Jnbartg, was driven on
| shore in southampton tribo (distrlctD, from
| the west, over an Infinite number OF rocks, so
| bruised that tho water in the Bay whore she
| lay was all oily, anG the rocks about II all
bedasht with Parlnacitty, oongealed like ice.
| a quantity we gathered, with which we com
| monty cured any byle, hurt, bruise, some
| burn IL in their lamps, which blowing out the
very snuff will burn, SO long as there Is any
| oil remaining, for two or three days to-
gether." Captain Smith clearly means by
this the animal known rs the Sperm &C ii
| whale.
Now wo naturally conclude, that II in the
| first instance jubartes was applied TO tho fin
| back whale 10 would be In the last. But this
| cannot be, because the finbaclI docs not yield
spermaceti at all: SO that If the first iuhartes
| is a fnback. Captain Smith has In some way
| or other confounded it with the sperm whale.
| The only reason which can be given for this
| mistake Is, that he was deceived by the dorsal
| fin which both animals possess, though 10 is
only rudimontary in tho latter animal, and
| placed further forward than in the hnback.
| Hence we have as yet arrived at no settled
| opinion, and are still at a loss 20 know which
| OF the two whales can lay claim to the name
| OF dubertus.
Which then was the DubertusT think had
| Mr.. Greene, met with the second account Of
| Captain smiths that he would have found
| himself in tho same quandary as |. So in
| order to clear Confusion 10 Is necessary to look
| further.
There were but two dictionaries in which /
| subject, both OF which were in the French
languase' In one, that n Littre, under under
our fnback whale are identical. In an old
| French Encyclopedia, under the date of l71S.
was found a long description of the Finback
| under the French name for H. which gave
| "jubarta" and jubartes as synonyms.
Thus it Is clearly shown that the 'jubartes'
| Of smith and our corrupt form of IL refer 70
| one and the same animal so long sought for,
| namely, the tinback whale. Captain Smith
| must have confounded the two whales from
| the fact that both possess dorsal humps, or
| fins, as we have remarked before.
| As Is further proof of this no less author
| ity than Cuviur may be given. In his AMI
| nal Kingdom he gives all these words as
| above mentioned names OF tho tnback. though
| most prominence 20 the word "jdbartes," A" tho
name employed by tho earlier naturalists 20
| characterize tins species. Aftor tho time OF
| Lnnaeus We no longer meet with this word,
| except in works Of reference. whore 10 Is used
merely 70 identify an old species; a. for OK.
ample, the lcOnogruphic Encyclopedia, This
IL the probable reason why ~ is not found in
any English dictionary, it having become OBJ
solete before tho days Of dictionaries Even
IN the French it Is not accepted by the
| Academy.
Cuvior satisfactorily explains the meaning
OF the word IN notcs appended 20 his great
| work on natural history. tLondOn, leZ1, Vol.
| ". D. $50 fOll.l THE namo Of Jubarta seems
only 20 bo a corruption of tho name Gibbar
| moro ludlcrou@ corruption has glVOn rise TO
tho namo Of Jupiter ish, FIRST usod by some
northern whalors.' Tho two names given
above by Cuvior are one and the same name
for the hnhack whale among tho Basquos an
ancient people of Spain, who are said 60 have
| boon tho first known nation 20 engage in the
| whalo fishery. Could the philology, then, OF
! the word be- known still moro information on
the subject might DO learned.
Now, after determining that tho dubcrtus
or rather the iubarta, j. a fnback whale, 10
NAV b1 worth our whilo 10 show with which
| species % may be at present identified. as
there are several whales which have dorsal
fms. Liunacus, who was the first nomcncla-
tor IN natural science grouped these animals
| variOusly, counting four species with dorsal
fms. Two of thcso were particularly tubacks.
| though tho other two possessed dorsal fins
also. Tho two kinds. with which we have 20
DO. were named by him u. Physalus and IS.
Boops Somc years after Laccpodc. "a lrvnch
naturalist. ohangod the specific names ~ Vib.
nar and iubarfes, nud named the Rouus fin
| whales ifai1pn0ptcra.b Cuvlor accepted this
| change iu generic name, adopted tho first
suocirs but retained the Linnaean name for
| the other.
The chief difference between these two
Epoclos. " not the =amo in namc-as was no.
ucod above D., that the iuDartes is the ror-
quai o. the Nurwcviaps. has folds. and hence
| The unnlo "rurqualis.' a. one or two species arc
! called today. Hence the finhnck with which