At the time of which I write, there was but little division of labour in the Monkshaven whale fishery.

The same man might be the owner of six or seven ships, any one of which he himself was fitted by education and experience to command; the master of a score of apprentices, each of whom paid a pretty sufficient premium; and the proprietor of the melting-sheds into which his cargoes of blubber and whalebone were conveyed to be fitted for sale.

It was no wonder that large fortunes were acquired by these ship-owners, nor that their houses on the south side of the river Dee were stately mansions, full of handsome and substantial furniture.

It was also not surprising that the whole town had an amphibious appearance, to a degree unusual even in a seaport.

Every one depended on the whale fishery, and almost every male inhabitant had been, or hoped to be, a sailor.