The fishers of Biarritz, living mostly in the tiny houses of the Quartier de l'Atalaye, like the Basque sailors of Bayonne and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, pursue their trade to the seas of Iceland and Spitzbergen. As a whaling-port, before Nantucket and New Bedford were discovered by white men, Biarritz was famous. A "_lettre patent_" of Henri IV gave a headquarters to the whalers of the old Basque seaport in the following words: "Un lieu sur la coste de la mer Oceane, qu'il se decouvre de six et set lieus, tous les navaires et barques qui entrent et sortent de la coste d'Espaiñe." A dozen miles or so south of Biarritz is Saint-Jean-de-Luz. The coquettish little city saw in olden times the marriage of Louis XIV and Marie Thérèse of Spain, one of the most brilliant episodes of the eighteenth century. In the town is still pointed out the Maison Lohabiague, a queer little angle-towered house, not in the least pretentious, where lived for a time the future queen and Anne d'Autriche as well. It is called to-day the Maison de l'Infante. There is another historic edifice here known as the Château Louis XIV, built by him as a residence for occupation "on the day of his marriage." It was a whim, doubtless, but a worthy one. [Illustration: _St.-Jean-de-Luz_] St.-Jean-de-Luz has become a grand pleasure resort, and its picturesque port has little or no commercial activity save such as is induced by its being a safe port of shelter to which ships may run when battled by adverse winds and waves as they ply up and down the coasts of the Gascon Gulf. The ancient marine opulence of the port has disappeared entirely, and the famous _goëlettes Basques_, or what we would call schooners, which hunted whales and fished for cod in far-off waters in the old days, and lent a hand in marine warfare when it was on, are no more. All the waterside activity to-day is of mere offshore fishing-boats. Vauban had planned that Saint-Jean-de-Luz should become a great fortified port. Its situation and surroundings were admirably suited to such a condition, but the project was abandoned by the authorities long years since. The fishing industry of Saint-Jean-de-Luz is very important. First there is "_la grande pêche_," carried on offshore by several small steamers and large _chaloupes_, and bringing to market sardines, anchovies, tunny, roach, and _dorade_. Then there is "_la petite pêche_," which gets the shallow-bottom fish and shellfish, such as lobsters, prawns, etc. The traffic in anchovies is considerable, and is carried on by the coöperative plan, the captain or owner of the boat taking one part, the owner of the nets three parts of one quarter of the haul; and the other three-quarters of the entire produce being divided equally among the crew. Similar arrangements, on slightly varying terms, are made as to other classes of fish.