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From Tasman To Marsden.

The First Whaling Trade, 1801 to 1806

The First Whaling Trade, 1801 to 1806.

The first whaling trade in these waters took its rise as far back as 1791, when a fleet of ten transports, many of which were whalers destined for the west coast of America, laden with convicts and stores, reached Sydney from England and their captains reported that they had passed through immense schools of sperm whales. The most experienced whaling master in the fleet stated that in one day he saw more spermaceti whales on the Australian coast than he had seen on the coast of Brazil in six years.

Hastily getting their cargoes discharged, five whalers put to sea to ascertain what were the prospects of success in Australian waters. They were absent only a month when they returned and reported that, although there were plenty of whales, the bad weather prevented them obtaining oil. There was a difference of opinion whether a sufficiently exhaustive trial had been given the fishing, so it was decided to make another attempt, and, in case of non-success, to proceed to the coast of Peru and load up with oil on the better known whaling grounds there.

In December some of the whalers returned, having given up all hope of the Australian “grounds."

Among the vessels which sailed in October and returned to make another trial was the William and Ann, commanded by Eb. Bunker. On 22nd November she sailed from Sydney, and on 19th December from Norfolk Island, from which place, as we have seen (page 79), she visited Doubtless Bay to try and secure Natives to carry out King's scheme of teaching flax-dressing to the inhabitants of Norfolk Island. This is the first whaler known to have been “fishing" at New Zealand, and there is little doubt that the reason of her non-return to page 96 Sydney was that Captain Bunker had not been satisfied with the prospects, and had followed the example of the others and made for the South American whaling grounds.

The next move in the whaling world was the introduction of legislation permitting whalers to round the Cape of Good Hope into the Southern Indian Ocean and whale as far east as 51°, and as far north as the Equator, subject to permits to be granted by the East India Company. The limits round Cape Horn were as far west as the 180th meridian. This excluded the eastern portion of the Indian Ocean and the Australian waters. Two years later the whaling merchants pointed out that owing to the war then raging they were prevented recruiting their ships at any Pacific ports and were also prevented whaling over a vast stretch of ocean which included the coasts of Australia and New Zealand, and they petitioned the Board of Trade to have the existing restrictions removed. This proposal the Board approved of, and invited the Court of Directors of the East India Company to favourably consider the same.

In this disadvantageous position whaling remained until July 1798, when a whaler called the Cornwall arrived at Sydney and reported to the Governor that some Spanish cruisers having appeared off Cape Horn the Southern whalers were directed to pass into these seas during the war. The Cornwall was followed by the Eliza, and later on by the Sally. The arrival of these vessels gave the colonists confidence that at last whaling would be effectually tried and a correct geographical knowledge of the seas and coastlines of Australasia obtained.

The following year—1799—on 29th June, the Albion arrived at Port Jackson, after a passage of only three months and fifteen days from England—the shortest passage made up to that time. Mr. Eb. Bunker, who had been out before in charge of the William and Ann when she tried the whaling grounds in 1791 and 1792, was in command, and the vessel was specially fitted out by the Messrs. Champions to give the whaling grounds in these waters a complete and fair trial.

page 97

With this the whaling trade may be said to have commenced, and, although we have no proof that every vessel actually called at New Zealand, we have evidence that the whaling grounds extended from the Australian coast to the waters off the north end of New Zealand, and as time passed, the whalers called in more and more at the Bay of Islands for supplies.