218 THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



of June 5th, 1827,* which regulation did not otherwise 

 materially alter the existing rules. 



The edifice of legislation on herring fishery was now 

 more complete than ever. Its base, construction, and 

 general outlines still responded to the Placards of 1582 ; 

 and the only material alterations wrought since then were 

 such novellae as had been, in the course of two centuries 

 and a half, invented by the ingenuity of many generations 

 of fishermen, the better to secure their several monopolies 

 against home and foreign competition. As regards the 

 former, the rules now as formerly proved efficient enough. 

 As for the latter, no laws or monopolies had in former 

 days shielded Dutch fishermen from the effects of war, or 

 of elevated tariffs and active concurrency abroad ; nor 

 could they now, under profound and continual peace and 

 industrial activity, make the Grand Fishery regain anything 

 of its splendour of a hundred and fifty years ago. 



But the spirit of monopoly had not yet done its utmost. 

 The narrow-minded greed of parties interested had still 

 more stringent measures of Protection in store. Before 

 speaking of these it will be necessary to relate how the 

 herring fishery fared between 1814 and the time of which 

 I am now speaking. 



About one hundred busses sailed in 1814; and as 

 herring prices were very high in the next two years, and 

 premiums, as has been shown, were lavishly given, 

 enormous gains were made. The returns of one season 

 sometimes amounted to fl. 10,000 per vessel, besides the 

 bounty.f An organization of the sale-hunting busi- 

 ness was agreed upon during this period of success, in 



* Staatscourant, 1827, No. 278 (Bijvoegs'el). 



f See a Memorial on a Herring Association, written in 1828. 

 (Notulen Holland^ 1829, p. 211.) 



