One of the subjects Daniel Coxe was particularly interested in was the whaling industry. This interest may have been sparked twenty-two years before he became governor.<\/p>\n
Back when Coxe was attending sessions of the Royal Society and doing his own experiments, a paper was presented to the Society entitled \u201a\u00c4\u00faA Further Relation of the Whale-fishing about the Bermudas, and on the Coast of New-England and New-Netherland.\u201a\u00c4\u00f91<\/a><\/sup> In it the author concluded that sperm whales could be \u201a\u00c4\u00famet with between the Coast of New-England and New Netherland, where they might be caught eight or nine months in the year, whereas those about the Bermudas are to be found there only in the Months of February, March and April.\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 The author of this piece is not known; perhaps it was Coxe himself.<\/p>\n \u201a\u00c4\u00faI have at the Expence of above Three thousand pounds settled a Towne and Established a ffishing for Whales which are very numerous about Cape may both within the Bay and without all along the sea coast which I am assured if well managed will bring in above 4000\u00ac\u00a3 per Annum all charges Defrayed.\u201a\u00c4\u00f9<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In a paper written four years later, in 1692, Coxe stated:<\/p>\n \u201a\u00c4\u00faTen of [my] proprieties are extended a Long ye sea without ye Bay towards Egg harbour and forty or fifty miles wthin ye Bay towards Cohanzey amounting unto Two hundred Thousand acres Plantable Land besides greate allowances for Wasts, Barrans, Roads &c. This secures to mee the Whale ffishing wthin & wthout ye Bay. In order to ye Establishmt whereof I have Expended betweene two thousand & Three thousand pounds Sterling mony and whereunto I am solely entitle and doubt not to make thereof five hundred pounds per annum clear of all Charges.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Coxe had gotten a taste of reality in those four years and revised down his estimate of profits obtainable from the fishery, from \u00ac\u00a34000 to \u00ac\u00a3500 per year. But that did not mean the fishery was not successful. On the contrary, as seen in this description written in 1698 by Gabriel Thomas:<\/p>\n The Commodities of Capmay-County are Oyl and Whale-Bone, of which they make prodigious, nay vast quantities every Year, having mightily advanc\u201a\u00c4\u00f4d that great Fishery, taking great numbers of Whales yearly.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Daniel Coxe was also interested in the fish stocks available in the Delaware Bay. He wrote:<\/p>\n \u201a\u00c4\u00faUpon diverse greate Bancks within the Great Bay which is 60 Miles deep 30 Miles Broad at certaine Seasons resort infinite numbers of Excellent cod ffish, Basse, and other sorts and prodigious numbers of Sturgeons with which diverse shipps might bee yearly ffreighted for the Islands of Barbadoes, Jamaica, &c. and for a Trade with the Streights, Spaine and Portugal.\u201a\u00c4\u00f9<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This was an ambitious plan. But one thing was lacking: salt. Coxe was ready with a solution.<\/p>\n \u201a\u00c4\u00faBecause the only thing which hath hindred our setting up this ffishery was want of salt wee have lately sent over diverse ffrenchmen skillfull in making salt by the sun in pitts or pans whoe assure us there are many convenient places upon the Coast over against the places of ffishing where millions of Bushells may bee made at the Expense of 4 pence per Bushell.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Coxe went on to describe the excellent timber that was available for making ships\u201a\u00c4\u00f4 masts and other products, like spars, clapboards, and pikestaves. In fact, he had been approached by<\/p>\n \u201a\u00c4\u00fathe undertakers for the building of St. Paul\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 to provide \u201a\u00c4\u00faCeeder Trees for the roof & inword work where wood is Imployed. By unanimous relacon of divers who have Examined these Trees there cannot bee found better in America, I might add, the world for both purposes.\u201a\u00c4\u00f9<\/p><\/blockquote>\n According to Coxe, New Jersey had plenty of pine for making pitch and tar, and hemp could easily be grown for cordage, along with flax for linseed oil. He noted there were abundant wild grapes growing in New Jersey, and from that concluded that wineries would be successful there.<\/p>\n \u201a\u00c4\u00faIt is believed by judicious p\u201a\u00c4\u00f4sons ffrench vignerons & others yt some sorts of them [the wild grapes] improved by cultivating would p\u201a\u00c4\u00f4duce as good wine as any in ye world.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That proved to be unrealistic.<\/p>\n Another of Coxe\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s money-making ventures was the pottery business. Coxe seemed to think that Burlington was the perfect place to establish this industry. A pottery he had built there produced \u201a\u00c4\u00fawhite and Chine ware\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 which was exported to neighboring colonies and produced an income of \u00ac\u00a31200 by 1688, although Coxe had expended \u00ac\u00a32000. The pottery was even used in the Barbados and in Jamaica. Coxe wrote that he had \u201a\u00c4\u00fatwo houses and kilns with all necessary implements, divers workmen and other servts.\u201a\u00c4\u00f92<\/a><\/sup> According to John D. McCormick, the potteries were built at the suggestion of John Tatham. The white ware resembled stoneware from Staffordshire, and the \u201a\u00c4\u00faChiney ware,\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 according to McCormick, was similar to crouch ware made in Burslem, England. It was made from red clay and \u201a\u00c4\u00f2grit-stone\u201a\u00c4\u00f4 and then salt-glazed. Since it appears that this type of pottery began to be made at Burslem in 1690, it seems that Coxe or Tatham was very up-to-date on pottery techniques.3<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n The pottery produced was probably a pretty durable stoneware, but it could have been semi-transparent, and therefore, much finer, if Tatham had used a \u201a\u00c4\u00faharder fire.\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 Apparently, it was Tatham who was in charge of the potteries, \u201a\u00c4\u00fawho had some knowledge of the advantages resulting from the combination of clays.\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 According to McCormick, Coxe\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s potteries were the first in North America. At least one of them was located \u201a\u00c4\u00fanear Mahlon Stacey’s mill, on the Assanpink, in Trenton,\u201a\u00c4\u00f9 and was the precursor of the pottery industry in Trenton in the 19th century. I wonder about McCormick\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s claim as to the location of the pottery. Coxe seemed pretty clear that the location was the town of Burlington. The deed of Gov. Daniel Coxe dated March 3, 1691\/92, includes \u201a\u00c4\u00fatwo houses in Burlington, one a dwelling house, the other a pottery house, built by grantor.\u201a\u00c4\u00f94<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Coxe also consider ship-building in Burlington. To a certain extent he was successful. This from Gabriel Thomas, written in 1698:<\/p>\n A Ship of Four Hundred Tuns may Sail up to this Town [Burlington] in the River Delaware; for I my self have been on Board a Ship of that Burthen there: And several fine Ships and Vessels (besides Governour Cox\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s own great Ship) have been built there.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n All of these several projects were parts of an overall scheme to profit mightily from the province of West New Jersey. Of Coxe\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s ambitions, Clark L. Beck Jr. wrote [Stellhorn & Birkner pg. 29]:<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_Bxpehx9Th58\/TFQky8RqGcI\/AAAAAAAAAko\/x4E-qlvw92M\/s400\/1598StrandedWhaleKatwijk.jpg\" "\\"1598")
<\/a>Some Other Schemes<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Coxe\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s Plans for Burlington<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Coxe\u201a\u00c4\u00f4s Ambitions for West New Jersey<\/strong><\/h3>\n